LOGINCharlie's offer only made Claire feel even worse.Ever since she met Stephen Thompson, she had come to realize how many lies Charlie had to tell just to keep up appearances.Emgrand wasn't owned by the Wades, but the Wades bought it just for Charlie.And all this time, she thought Doris Young was a VIP to her career, but little did she know that she was just a spokeswoman for Charlie. That all the conveniences Emgrand afforded her company were granted by Charlie from behind the scenes.If they couldn't meet the deadlines by the second day of the second month in the Oskian calendar, Claire wasn't sure if she should apologize to Doris, or Charlie—the real owner.Just the thought left Claire despondent.She used to think that she was good enough to earn the approval of those influential entrepreneurs, that every single one of them was eager to sign contracts and partner with her.In hindsight, she realized that she could be incompetent, but they would still be supportive as long
Charlie finally arrived at Aruous Hill in the morning, though only Elaine was at home when he got back.Clarie herself was busy at work for days now, intent on fulfilling her contracts before she left.As for Jacob, he was hanging out at the Calligraphy and Painting Association every day, enjoying life.In comparison, Elaine had a lot of time on her hands, and was now completely focused on their Maldives trip, buying everything from snorkeling gear, swimsuits and goggles.Seeing Charlie, she grinned in delight, "Oh, you're finally home, sonny! We're heading off to the Maldives in two days, so don't take any jobs in the meantime!"Charlie smiled. "Don't worry—I won't be taking jobs until the new year.""Great!" Elaine was at once relieved. "I've told Claire to get her work done soon, and not to bring her laptop on our trip."Charlie smiled and nodded—it was clear Elaine was really enthusiastic about the trip. Still, it was a good thing for the family since it was a rare opportuni
Tanya sighed regrettably. "Acutally, I really didn't want to go back, but my family is urging me to go home soon. I was thinking I should arrange for us to meet at a tourist spot instead."Charlie appeared puzzled. "Why won't you want to go back? Isn't it a good thing, spending time with family? After being away for so long?"Tanya pursed her lips in awkwardness.She certainly would like to see her family too, but there was a simple reason she didn't want to go back—she did not want to face Trevor Kennedy, her boyfriend.When feelings change, a person would naturally try to avoid their current partners as much as they could, ideally not meeting or talking for a while.The silent treatment, as one would say.The best outcome would be for the partner to ask for a breakup on their own following the silent treatment, and with that, the relationship could end without further face-to-face interaction.That was why Tanya was so keen to stay away, or only make a quick stop back home if
In the days before the Oskian New Year, Charlie was still following Tanya as he toured between different cities, until she finished her Oskian tour.However, he already regretted taking the job after Eastcliff, but it was already too late—he couldn't just tell his wife that he was giving up halfway as Tanya's Feng Shui consultant.Nonetheless, after the twenty concerts, Curtis Autos had also gained widespread brand awareness in Oskia, as well as the rest of the world.Although Curtis Autos had yet to announce any car model at the moment, Charlie knew full well that when it came to starting a new business, one principle must always be followed: always get famous early.In recent history, before certain public figures launch their car brands, they first build hype by vowing to dedicate all honor of their lifetime into making their brand successful. It would immediately draw the public's attention, and to no one's surprise, their cars would sell like hot cakes.As Curtis Autos was na
Claire had her pride too.She didn't want to be labeled the girl who married rich or the icon of a modern-day Cinderella story—instead of being a vassal to an important family, she'd rather have a boring, easy life.Moreover, Quinn suited Charlie more than herself, and she definitely sacrificed a lot to find him.Whether it was sentiment or rationality, Quinn deserved her blessing and respect.She certainly could give the former by ending her marriage with Charlie, which counted as a virtue.Hence, she replied to Charlie, "Yes, let's attend the concert in Eastcliff together—just the two of us. When it's over, I might be going on a business trip, so you can head back to Aruous Hill while I fly from Eastcliff to Rochester.""Why Rochester?" Charlie asked in curiosity.Claire thought for a moment, and came up with an excuse. "A client just introduced me to her bestie, whose villa in Rochester needs a makeover. She was hoping for a design from me, but I need to survey the site first
Though Claire was sullen as she headed upstairs, neither her parents noticed anything unusual.And she was used to it—they didn't have the innate instinct to care. In fact, no one in the house cared about her mood save for Charlie.All Jacob and Elaine could think about at that moment was how to get their tickets' worth of fun in their Maldives trip, not noticing at all that Claire's eyes were swollen red from crying.Returning to her room, she washed her face with cold water, doing her best to calm down as she thought about what she could do to minimize the damage when she left Charlie.Still, that meant she should first check with him his schedule for the second day of the second month in the Oskian calendar—his birthday.Picking up his phone, she sent Charlie a voice message, "How are you going to spend your birthday?"-Charlie was just getting bored, sitting backstage at Tanya's concert.Receiving Claire's message, she didn't hesitate to reply right away, "You're a big fan
Having seen a sliver of the common folk's plight, Julien turned back to the journey at hand.Soon, his MPV arrived at Aurous Hill's Antique Street.As it was closing hours, the place appeared bleak, almost as though it had been completely abandoned. It was only during opening hours and the few hou
Merlin asked, " Can we really get in? Port security is usually very strict.""Don't worry, I have a plan," Charlie grinned. "Still, let's get to our room first. We should have a bird's eye view of the port since it's on the top floor."With that, they checked in, received their room cards, and he
At that point, Zachary had completely acknowledged the fact that he had lost.As he understood that he was no match for Raymond, he knew he would get into more trouble if he kept trying to screw with him.That was why he knew all too well that if he wanted to resolve this crisis, Jacob was the onl
Jeremiah nodded without hesitation. "For sure—even if it's against the doctor's orders!"With that, everyone followed the three elders into the villa, where the long table in the dining hall had already been laden with a ton of exquisite dishes.Keith led Jeremiah to sit beside him, pouring him an







