Charlie drove around town aimlessly. When he got a call from Jacob saying that Matilda was going to their house soon, he drove home.Claire received her father’s call too with the same message, and she headed home despite her reluctance.Loreen insisted to stay out of dinner at home tonight when she learned that there were visitors coming. Claire wanted her company to avoid awkward silence, but she felt awkward enough already so she rejected her offer by saying she had to work overtime and had dinner by herself.Claire was in no place to force Loreen though, she warned Jacob beforehand instead, “Dad, when your friend comes over, please don’t try to talk about me, I’m not in the mood to chit chat today.”Jacob knew that he could not push her too much since she was willing to come home and have dinner with Matilda for his sake, so he said to Charlie, “My dear son-in-law, at dinner later, I need you to lighten the mood, okay?”“Alright.” Charlie nodded hesitantly.At this moment, th
Matilda nodded and said, “100 million is not that expensive, but I don’t quite get it, how could Jacob afford the villa here based on his current situation?”Paul smiled and said, “Well, you need to ask him yourself then.”Matilda smiled too. “Hmm, maybe he hides his light under a bushel.”Paul pondered for a while and said, “Honestly speaking, Uncle Wilson is a nice man, but I can’t say that he has any light to hide, in fact, I don’t think he has a bushel too.”Matilda asked curiously, “What do you mean by that?”Paul replied, “Nothing, I just feel a little weird, that’s all.”Matilda laughed lightly as she replied, “Okay, enough with that. I should be happy for my old pal who can live in such an expensive villa. As for other things, it’s none of our business.”Paul nodded earnestly. “Yes, mom, you are right.”At this moment, Jacob opened the gate and said excitedly as soon as he saw Matilda and Paul, “Hey, Matilda, Paul, you’re here. Come, please come in!”Matilda smiled as
At this time, Jacob had already brought Matilda and her son, Paul to walk through the courtyard.As soon as they met, Claire was really shocked by Matilda’s appearance. She had already heard Charlie saying that Matilda’s temperament and appearance was simply amazing but she really did not expect it to be so good.At the same time, Claire could not help but feel a little envious of Matilda.After all, it was really amazing for a woman to be able to maintain such a good level of her temperament and appearance when she had already reached the age of fifty or so.Matilda was also a little surprised when she saw Claire. She really did not expect Jacob and Elaine’s daughter to turn out to be so beautiful and outstanding.At this time, Paul, who was standing next to Matilda, was also a little stunned. He was really surprised at Claire’s beauty and temperament.Jacob hurriedly introduced them to one another. “Matilda, this is my daughter, Claire.”After that, he looked at Claire again b
Charlie nodded as he said, “Alright, Dad. I got it.”Jacob hurriedly said, “Also, don’t forget about the thing that I reminded you about!”Charlie knew what he was talking about. Jacob wanted him to pay more attention to the situation and to make sure that he would not allow his mother-in-law to enter the villa if she came back. Jacob did not want Elaine to see Matilda in the villa.So, he smiled before he said, “Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t make any mistakes since you have already given me military orders for this matter.”Jacob gave him a thumbs up before he exclaimed, “You’re really my good son-in-law. I won’t treat you badly in the future!”After he was done speaking, Jacob hurriedly brought Matilda to the kitchen.Claire asked Charlie curiously, “What did Dad tell you? Both of you are acting so mysteriously as if you are engaged in some sort of shameful conspiracy.”Charlie thought to himself, ‘It’s impossible for me to tell you that your father asked me to stay guard and watc
Charlie looked at Paul before he asked curiously, “Paul, did you come to Oskia often previously?”Paul shook his head before he smiled and said, “I only visit for business purposes occasionally but I’ve never stayed here for more than a week for each trip.”Charlie had a puzzled look on his face as he asked, “Then, how do you know so much about tea, furniture, and wood?”Paul smiled before he said, “It’s mainly because my mother really likes these things. Therefore, I have already come into contact with these ever since I was a young child.”After that, Paul continued speaking, “Although I am mixed race and even though I resemble an American more, I am a downright Oskian down to my bones. I’ve been particularly influenced by my mother ever since I was a child. I especially love the culture, food, and traditions here.”“I see.”Charlie nodded slightly as he boiled some water for the tea. After that, he began to prepare the tea leaves that his father-in-law had been tricked into bu
At this moment in the kitchen, Matilda had put on an apron as she started preparing and processing the ingredients that she was going to cook with Jacob’s help.Jacob was standing at the side as he helped her as diligently as he could.He had always been dreaming of this day where he could finally prepare a hearty dinner in the kitchen, together with his beloved Matilda.However, he really did not expect his dream to finally come true after more than twenty years.Matilda was also feeling very emotional at the moment. She had been living in the United States with her husband for more than twenty years and though the two of them would often cook and prepare meals together, she had never felt this way before.She felt that as long as this man was standing next to her and as long as he was staying by her side, he would always be able to bring her an infinite sense of intimacy.Therefore, she was filled with joy and satisfaction because she was able to cook for him and be busy in the
Matilda’s body stiffened instantly when Jacob came forward and suddenly hugged her from the back.She had always been hoping from the depths of her heart throughout the past twenty over years for Jacob to hug her tightly in his arms.After all, this was the only man that she had ever loved in her life.At this time, her first love from more than twenty years ago was hugging her tightly in his arms. As his hands were clasped tightly around her belly, Matilda felt as though she had already regained the feelings that she had from more than twenty years ago.Matilda’s true feelings suddenly surged deep in her heart and she could not stop herself from placing her hand on his hand gently.However, as soon as she placed her hand on Jacob’s hand, she suddenly realized that it was really wrong for her to do this.She quickly broke away from Jacob’s embrace as she straightened out her hair in a panic. After that, she said unnaturally, “Jacob, we shouldn’t be doing this. You’re still a marr
”Therefore, this isn’t something that we can decide as if we’re still teenagers. We have to think carefully and consider everything before we come up with a mature decision.”Jacob replied immediately, “I can’t accept what you’ve just said. I know that you still have feelings for me deep down in your heart and I have feelings for you too. Since we still have feelings for each other, why can’t we get through this together then?”As he spoke, Jacob forcefully asked, “Matilda, I want you to tell me the truth. Do you have any feelings for me now?”Matilda was slightly embarrassed as she replied, “How do you expect me to answer your question? After all, we were both deeply in love and we had such a good relationship back then. We were each other’s first loves and we have already been deceiving ourselves for more than twenty years now.”After that, Matilda replied, “I’ve already told you what I feel about this matter. We shouldn’t only be considering our own feelings in deciding our rela
Jacob then realized that Charlie was also driving a Rolls-Royce, and it was a more expensive Phantom. Surprised, he asked, "Charlie, where did you get this car?" Marilyn had prepared the car for Charlie when he left Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. He had driven it to Thompson First, so he had decided to use it today. Charlie replied, "A client lent it to me. You sounded urgent, so I drove it over." Then, he added, "You're something else. You're crying like a baby yet you're still in the mood to ask about the car. What's going on? Your friend said you'd cried twice already?" "That bloody Simon!" Hearing this, Jacob became furious and cursed, "He still doesn't have the slightest clue! He's such a damned fool! The more I try to avoid him, the more he keeps blabbering on and on. Argh, he's so stupid!" Charlie asked, "What exactly is bothering you?" Jacob's face instantly turned dejected, and with a long sigh, he choked up and said, "Charlie— Matilda— She's getting married—" "Gettin
Things were a little different and unique in the United States, though. Westerners tended to approach marriage with greater caution. Many couples stayed together for years, had several children, and yet remained as boyfriend and girlfriend. Being together, having children, and raising them jointly didn't necessarily mean they would get married. In fact, it was not uncommon for some to walk down the aisle only after having multiple kids. Because of this environment, elderly couples in the West often limited their relationships to dating, and at most, cohabitation. Very few progressed to the stage of marriage. However, Yolden, like a young man in the throes of passionate love, had invited her on a trip, secretly prepared a proposal ceremony by the seaside, and gotten down on one knee with a ring to propose. These actions deeply moved Matilda and, at the same time, gave her an unprecedented sense of security. Now, Yolden had moved their wedding up a big step and set the date just on
Hearing Jacob's tone, Charlie could tell that Jacob must have already learned about Matilda's plans to marry Yolden. So, Charlie said, "I'm just around the corner. I'll head over now, and we can meet at the gate." Choking up, Jacob replied, "Alright, I won't drive then. I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry!" "Okay," Charlie agreed, but after hanging up, he deliberately waited for a few minutes. It was because Yolden had just left moments ago to pick up Matilda at Senior University. If Charlie had gone there right now, all four of them could have run into each other at the gate, which would make things even more awkward. Charlie wasn't worried about feeling awkward himself—he was more concerned about Jacob being further hurt. After intentionally waiting a bit, Charlie finally drove to the university. Just as Charlie drove toward Senior University, Matilda was waiting for Yolden by the roadside at the entrance of Senior University. At this moment, Jacob stumbled out of th
Charlie asked, "There are too many new domestic energy brands now. Do you think they still have a shot in vehicle manufacturing?" "Of course," Yolden affirmed. "There are indeed many new energy brands now, and many of them are struggling on the edge of survival. A lot of them have already disappeared, but the automotive market is so vast, and new energy vehicles only account for a small portion of it, which proves that the future of new energy still has great potential. Now, if the focus is only on competing with other new energy brands, the scale is indeed a bit small. The scope should be broadened to compete with traditional gasoline vehicle manufacturers. If you can cut Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai's global sales in half, that would truly be a giant." Yolden paused for a moment, almost as if remembering something, and then said, "Actually, you could consider researching this field. You don't lack money or resources, and with Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group as your logistics channe
When Jacob came to his senses, he was already in tears. The student presumed he was unwell and asked, "Mr. Wilson, do you want me to call your wife to pick you up?" Elaine's sarcastic face immediately popped up in his mind, and he trembled with fear. He quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, "D-don't bother... I... I just got something in my eyes..." The student obviously didn't believe him and asked worriedly, "Why don't you call your wife? Or I'll call a cab for you." "No, no." Jacob waved his hand and said, "I'll call my son-in-law to pick me up. He has just returned to Aurous Hill, so it shouldn't be a problem." After that, he quickly took out his phone and called Charlie. Just a few minutes ago, Charlie had left the cafe and was about to walk Yolden to his car. When he saw Yolden walking straight toward a domestic new energy vehicle, he asked curiously, "I don't think you were driving this model before, were you?" "I just bought it," Yolden replied with a smil
If Matilda still had feelings for Jacob, his nostalgic strategy would definitely have a strong impact. However, Matilda had already decided to move on, so Jacob's suggestion did not stir any emotions in her at all. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, Jacob, Yolden is downstairs waiting for me. We have something to discuss. How about another day? We can have dinner together, and I'll treat you." Jacob didn't expect the nostalgia strategy to fall flat. His original plan was to use nostalgia to get Matilda to go with him to eat near the school, then take the opportunity to revisit old places and subtly reignite their past memories. After all, revisiting old places was the best way to rekindle old feelings, no exceptions. It was like drinking the pasta water after cooking the pasta. However, he never imagined that Matilda's expression wouldn't change in the slightest. There was no shyness, no hesitation, no nervousness, and certainly no fluttering heart. She simply and
Matilda had been listening attentively before, but now, she was lowering her head, fiddling with her phone, and her expression even carried a hint of shyness and happiness, like that of a young girl. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy. While doing the presentation, he couldn't help but resentfully think to himself, "What has Matilda been chatting about with that Yolden guy? She's so happy..." At that moment, Matilda had just received a message from Yolden. In the message, Yolden informed her of the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to have the wedding as soon as possible. Seeing how eager her beloved was to marry her, Matilda naturally felt very touched. At that moment, she had completely fallen into Yolden's love. For this man, who had a similar background, education, values, and even lifestyle to her own, she could find no fault with him. She felt that he was perfectly tailor-made for her by heaven itself, almost as if everything about him perfectly m
Charlie's worries were not unfounded. He had long known that Jacob had not completely given up on Matilda despite her relationship with Yolden. After returning from the cultural exchange in Korea, Jacob had been more dejected than ever before—something he hadn't even displayed when his family had gone bankrupt. If there was still a chance to salvage the relationship when one's beloved was merely dating someone else, their marriage was tantamount to a death sentence. Furthermore, considering the high intellectual backgrounds of Matilda and Yolden as well as their age and life experience, their decision to marry at this stage of life undoubtedly signaled their intention to build a long-term future together. This left Jacob with absolutely no chance at all. At this moment, Jacob was blissfully unaware of the devastating news and was busy conducting a calligraphy and painting workshop at Senior University. The so-called workshop was essentially a few slides showcasing classic
After that, Charlie asked with a bit of curiosity, "When did you and Matilda decide to get married?" Yolden smiled sheepishly and explained, "Remember when the city organized our cultural exchange trip to South Korea? I confessed to Matilda during that trip, and she accepted. After spending some time together, we both felt we were a great match. Considering our age, we didn't want to delay such an important decision any longer, so we decided to take the next step and build a family together." He continued, "Last month, we went to Lambonear for a few days. I bought a ring and proposed to her by the seaside, and she said yes. We also sought the opinion of our respective children—Autumn and Paul—and they were both very supportive. Both kids are exceptional and independent, so they urged us to have the wedding as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until you returned so I could check your schedule. For our wedding, we'd like to ask you to be our officiant." "What? Me as the officiant?