"What?!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, suddenly on his feet. "That prick is really going to start a business in Aurous Hill? What, did he get sick of living the good life elsewhere?"In Jacob's mind, there were only two reasons why Raymond had returned to Aurous Hill.The first was that he had gotten so rich that he had come back to open a shop on Antique Street, to salvage some dignity after he had been fired from Vintage Deluxe. The other was the complete opposite—he had screwed up elsewhere too and had no choice but to return to Aurous Hill to make a living.If it was the former, he certainly wouldn't have hope for his revenge.But that was not the case if it was the latter!Meanwhile, Zachary replied, "Truth be told, I haven't seen the man in the flesh. But judging from my tip, he definitely wasn't doing well elsewhere, since the business he's planning now that he's back is quite modest."Jacob immediately laughed. "Hahaha! I see… He must have messed up out there and had no ch
Charlie, who hadn't spoken, had plenty of ideas in mind.He definitely didn't want to see Raymond humiliated in a rotten place like Aurous Hill's Antique Street—not when the man was a qualified hero, putting his life on the line to meet the Rothschild family and trade for the Four-Sided Treasure Tower.That was why Charlie's first thought was to call Don Albert and ask him to keep a close eye on Antique Street, preemptively killing the issue in the cradle before any saboteurs reached Raymond.However, Charlie also knew that Raymond would most likely refuse protection as the latter had seen action and was brave enough to fight the Rothschilds—and this was Aurous Hill they were talking about. He would be quite adept at resolving issues, especially one as simple as a handful of saboteurs.Hence, after some thought, Charlie decided to not get involved for now. Instead, he would watch quietly while letting Raymond deal with Aurous Hill's locals. As long as said locals—including Jacob—di
Still, Jacob soon clenched his knuckles and pulled himself together. "It's fine—I'll just find another way of revenge. Whatever happens, if Raymond Cole dares to return to Aurous Hill, I'm not going to spare him. If I can't fight for my honor, how would I ever show my face in Antique Street ever again?"And without another word, he turned and left the dining room.Claire turned in exasperation toward Charlie then. "Please keep both eyes on my dad, dear. Don't let him cause trouble out there."Charlie nodded slightly. "Don't worry, I will."And with that, both of them cleaned up the dining room and stepped out together to find Jacob on the drawing room couch, sipping tea while watching TV.As for Elaine, she had a rare smile on her face as she sat beside Jacob, constantly refilling his cup.Then, seeing Claire and Charlie, she promptly beckoned, "Come, children—sit and have a taste of my tea."Claire and Charlie shared a look and sat down on the couch while Elaine poured them tea
"Hah!"Elaine pursed her lips as she huffed. "It hurts to keep that money? That's the first time I've ever heard that crap. Forget two million US dollars—I would keep two gold bullions in my pocket even if it's burnt red-hot!"She then quickly added, "If it hurts you to keep it, then wire it to me and I'll keep it for you. When you and Charlie have a kid, you can use that money for their university fees!"Charlie was at once amused—only Elaine would have the audacity to say that when the two million would definitely have been spent to the last dime even before he and Claire had a child.Claire was aware that she couldn't count on her mother in regards to money and hence said, "Let me think about it… for now, my plan is that I will stay involved with the project to the end. Should it prove to be a success, I will keep the money. If it doesn't, I should at least return it to Miss Fox."Elaine quickly pressed, "If you're going to return it, you should at most return half. Let me have
Elaine was beside herself with joy at those words. "Oh, wonderful! It's been so long since I went traveling! I never really had time to enjoy myself before in the US anyway, and I even got screwed over before I left."Then, she turned toward Jacob and grumbled, "You really didn't give a shit back when we got married. Not only was our wedding so discreet, you didn't even take me on a honeymoon!""You were already heavily pregnant," Jacob chuckled awkwardly. "Where would I have taken you…?"Then, he quickly added, "Well, since dear Charlie has said it, you should pick a place you like. We will treat it as our honeymoon!"It wasn't just Elaine—it had been a long while since Jacob had gone traveling. He had thought he would find success in both love and career during the Korean exchange trip, but he had been left blinded by the blinding presence of Yolden Hart, and his love had basically ended there. That was why there was nothing pleasant about that trip at all.There was also no q
Gratitude showed on Elaine and Jacob's faces as soon as they heard that Charlie was giving them a hundred grand too, with Elaine clapping and cheering, "Oh, what day is it today? All the good things are happening in one stroke! I heard Dubai is heaven for shoppers, so it'd definitely be a thrill!"Then, turning toward Jacob, she asked, "Do they need a visa over there?"Jacob thought about it. "I don't think so.""Great!"Even more excited now, Elaine quickly told Jacob, "Say no more—I will pack right now, and we can leave tomorrow!"She was ready to head to her room and do just that too, but Jacob quickly stopped her, "Calm down—we can't leave just because we want to. There's so much to plan: booking our flight, doing our research on the more interesting places to visit, getting a hotel that makes traveling convenient, as well as deciding how long we'll be there.""Right! Right!" Elaine nodded in realization and exclaimed in praise, "In the end, it's my hubby who thinks things th
Elaine thought that it would be fine even if Jacob couldn't put aside his pride so soon.Right now, she had become more considerate of Jacob and could understand that men valued their pride. As such, she could just wait until they went traveling together, and they'd definitely be staying in the same room. With that, it would be more natural for them to share a room together again when they return.-Early the next day, Raymond arrived at Antique Street, coming over from an express hotel nearby.Although he had asked Trippy to look for a shop, he knew that Trippy might not really help him—he had to rely on himself for everything.But during his stroll yesterday afternoon, he had noticed plenty of shops that were being offered on rent or sublease. Business in Antique Street was likely poor, so Raymond came early to make inquiries about the rented properties.When Oskia's antique market was at its peak, Antique Street too enjoyed its golden age. Even now, the eyes of any antique p
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove
Charlie smiled. "Who, me? You'd laugh at me, but it was only after Steven found me that I learned to drive. I never bought my own car either and only had the two supercars gifted to me, and I only drove those a handful of times at best. Even now, I'm driving the BMW 5-series I bought for my father-in-law."Then, he remembered Marianne Long and said, "I did drive a friend's Tesla back to Hong Kong, but it was only for a short time, and I didn't manage to look into their so-called assisted driving system."Yolden thought about it and smiled, "But y'know… how would I describe the car, specifically? Have you heard of Mario Balotelli, the soccer player?"Every man present aside from Keith nodded—Mario had been a philosopher on the soccer field, and even those who didn't watch soccer were familiar with his name.Nodding, Yolden continued, "The way I see it, Mario has been a player with top-class hardware but third-rate software. Give him Messi or Ronaldinho's intelligence, and he'd be a
Kaeden then asked, "Well, professor, how do you suppose we overtake the competition at turning points? Or indeed, what qualifies as succeeding in that respect?"Yolden thought about it, formulating his words before explaining, "My personal understanding of the matter isn't simply to aim for turning points. Instead, it's things like staying on the inner lane of the race track and reaching the finish line faster by going where no other race car had gone before—or indeed where people never thought to go before."That's the case for new energy cars. Our fossil fuel energies have constantly lost to other countries and would always come up short. But with new energy cars, we can change the rules altogether."We can't catch up to their engine tech? Then we won't—there's no way they are masters in electric-powered engines, are they? They've spent decades on internal combustion engines and haven't the first clue about electric-powered engines."So, while everyone hasn't turned all their foc