Those handmade scrolls, on the other hand, were made of top-graded golden scroll handles and the finest papers. The papers used were the most ancient paper available in the world, made with the most basic method used when it was first invented. The method of making these papers was very complex and mysterious. They had to use a specific tree skin, then boil it with other ingredients for 70 to 80 hours. After cooling it off, they had to mold it with all kinds of techniques. Every batch could only withstand five kilograms of tree skins, and the trees needed were not less than 1000. They needed to burn 200 kilograms of wood, with the time spent as long as three months. Since this method of making the paper was incredibly rare, this kind of paper was naturally expensive. A long scroll of paper like this would cost as much as 300,000 per piece. Eight pieces of paper would cost 2.4 million! In addition, there were golden scroll handles and white jade shafts, and all these would cos
Max walked toward Charmine and handed her a glass of wine. “Ms. Jordan is finally here, very brave indeed.” ‘Very brave indeed.’ These three words might sound as if he was praising her, but it was a backhanded mockery. The fact that she could show up to this kind of event… If it was not courage, what was it? The banquet was filled with moguls and renowned individuals in Burlington. How could the Jordans walk with their heads up? The people staring at Charmine snapped out of their trance. So, this was Charmine? While they had seen photos of Chamine when she was a supermodel, they did not know much about her. They only knew that she was a supermodel who had gone home to manage the family business. The Divine Birds had set the sky-rocketing price of one hundred fifty thousand per square meter, seemingly like the Rolls Royce in this field. However, this screwed up the rules in this industry, making it hard for everyone to survive. Who would have thought they could finally
Despite McKenzie’s thoughts, she maintained her calm and elegant demeanor. She did not even look up nor did she glance at Charmine at all. It was as if Charmine was unworthy of her gaze. Charmine, meanwhile, sat down and ignored everyone. After glancing at the decorations of the banquet hall, she thought of something and took out her phone to play with it nonchalantly. Max saw her unperturbed attitude, and his eyes darkened. He invited Charmine over to see her upset and embarrassed. He did not invite her to be a guest. His eyes landed on his assistant. Instantly, the assistant went ahead to prepare something. The Hundred Birds Project’s banquet was hosted with the theme of the Hundred Birds in mind. The theme was historic and ancient-driven, perfectly showcasing the deep traditional elements of the Jordown Group. In the middle of the hall was a display model of the Hundred Birds Towers. Every tower was delicately crafted, and each of the roofs had a Harpy, Lamassu,
“Exactly. The Jordans are those that can’t be redeemed. A smart person like Boss Bailey would’ve long given up on them.” “You’re right. After he made that tweet, he didn’t provide any further support to the Jordan Group. Now that the Jordan Group’s reputation is bad and in danger, he still showed no support. It’s apparent that he had long given up on them.” “Charmine, look: even the Jordan Group’s only supporter had come to support the Jordown Group. You’re all over!” Charmine was speechless. She wondered how they would react if they found out about how Anthony would sleep with her every night, follow her around, and was so determined to marry her. Max did not know what Anthony was thinking, but the twinkle in his eyes remained. So what if he did not know what Anthony was thinking? As long as he could upset Charmine and make everyone feel that Anthony came here for him instead, it was enough. If Charmine snapped, she would accidentally expose her relationship with Anthon
Charmine wanted to double-take, but the figure disappeared in the blink of an eye. Tiffany disappeared out of nowhere? Charmine stood up instantly and rushed toward the hallway. Charmine, to get to the hallway in front of her, had to pass the decorations of the hall. Unbeknownst to Charmine, however, tiny transparent pearls were scattered on the floor and, in her eagerness to chase after Tiffany, she did not notice those. Rushing in her heels, she abruptly slipped. “Argh!” she cried out as her body fell to the floor uncontrollably. As Charmine fell, the antique vases and scrolls nearby were destroyed as every paper was smudged by one another. A loud and crisp tearing sound was heard as the papers were torn in her fall. Eight writings were torn apart, the scrolls landed on the floor, and the shafts cracked upon falling. Charmine fell to the floor and landed on the antique vases. Those vases were in a pile and thus, as she fell, every vase fell onto the floor as
Max glared down from above. “Ms. Jordan, as you heard, paying for the damages seems to be the right thing to do. Please make the payment.” He said as Stanley took out the calculator to make some calculations. He then said to Charmine, “Adding up all of the antiques and writings in here, making it a whole number, it’d be one hundred billion in total!” One hundred billion! Everyone stared at them wide-eyed. Since the Jordan Group’s shares were dropping, they would not get 100 billion even if they sold out the entire Jordan Group. What concept was 100 billion? Even when the Jordan Group was at its peak, its market value was merely 200 million. Furthermore, even though she owned a diamond mine, the diamond mine itself did not worth any money unless she sold out her shares. Once Charmine sold her shares, she would have nothing. Nonetheless, if she did not sell out her shares, she would not have 100 billion to pay for the damages. Charmine, still on the floor at that moment
Unfortunately, the truth was laid out in front of their eyes against Charmine’s favor. The transparent pearls had long vanished out of sight. Charmine had nothing to back up her claim. Everyone tried to convince her, “The Jordown Group is a group with a bright future, and them buying your company is your blessing! Hurry up and sign the paper!” “With the Jordown Group, the Divine Bird project will speed up as well, so it won’t end up badly. What are you still hesitating for?” “I’m so envious of the Jordan Group. They’re doing so badly, and now a foreign company is trying to buy their company? How lucky are they!” Everyone was saying how great the Jordown Group was that everyone thought Charmine got a lucky strike. She would seem ungrateful if she did not sign the paper. Max was waiting silently; he had to make sure Charmine signed that deal. Hah! The Jordan Group would be his! Meanwhile, someone ran over. “President, President, it’s bad. Something’s up!” “What i
Everyone in the vicinity overheard their conversation, and sure enough, murmurs were exchanged with one another. “So the Divine Bird is that pricey because they used special materials?” “Doesn’t that mean the Hundred Birds’ materials aren’t capable of supporting the medieval-style buildings?” “Will the Hundred Birds be able to find the materials? If they can’t, the entire project would be over, won’t it?” Everyone discussed as they looked at Max. Charmine, meanwhile, languidly looked at him and asked, “President D’Cruz, do you still want to take over the Jordan Group, and the Divine Bird to boot?” Max’s gaze darkened; he never expected the situation to turn out in such a way. He had already used the best materials available, yet they still were not enough? Forget about the Divine Bird. If he could not get those quality materials, the Hundred Birds Project would have to conceal the hundreds of billions he invested that would be wasted. No. That would not happen; not on
There was an unnoticeable glint in Sonia's eyes. She nestled herself further into Harry's arms as she added, "Let’s go to Pares. We'll come back after I give birth to the baby.""Alright."Harry stayed by Sonia's side as he watched over her, cared for her, and talked to her until she finally slept in his care.He stood up tiredly and walked out of the room to sit in the living room.Thuck!Something fell out of his pocket.He narrowed his eyes to the source of sound and spotted a USB.Since when did he have a USB in his pocket?With a small frown on his face, Harry curiously picked it up and noticed the front side of the USB glowing. Something was carved onto its surface, too.[Granger].Was it Dior’s USB? Why was her USB inside his pocket?Harry’s clear fingers held on the USB tightly. He thought for a moment before he took out a laptop, turned it on, and plugged in the USB.A moment later, the screen showed what seemed to be peculiar surveillance footage with a descriptio
Dior was still lost in her storm of thoughts when a shadowy figure zipped past her and ran toward Harry.When she spotted this familiar figure, she reacted quickly and held onto him."Let go of me!" growled Guy. "How dare he slap you and misunderstood you? I have to beat some sense into him!"Harry broke free and chased after Harry.Dior, despite having lost all hope and life in her, mustered the last strand of her will to chase after Guy and reeled him back. "Brother, don't," she muttered, "spare your energy…" Her sorrow clouded her eyes as she mumbled, "He’s the man I love. Even though he hates me, I won’t allow you to hurt him. As for the explanation…"Dior smiled ironically. "Whatever. That slap decimated every beautiful daydream I have about him, anyway."She no longer expected anything from him.He had no trust in her, so what would it matter if she finally got him? He did not even love her, and he did not trust her either.Dior smiled elegantly, but her eyes were fille
Dior looked forward to that new shift.She watched as Harry made his way into the restaurant silently, unable to deter her mind from the daydreams she had of him, of the new chapter of their story they would have.He would apologize to her, trying to redeem himself, and kiss her dearly as he embraced her. Later down the line, they would have a child of their own, too.Harry's long legs walked in strides, his dark gaze trained on Dior.The bright light shone on Dior’s delicately stunning face, and she also wore a red dress.He remembered her wearing this back in Mount Village.He could remember how alluring she looked back then, how they stayed in the same room, how she put down her ego to treat him with so much gentleness.Harry’s cold face mellowed down, but recalling a certain memory, the vague wistfulness in him vanished and he sat in front of her.Dior looked at him fondly, like she always would. "Long time no see."Her eyes burned brightly as if she wanted to drink in his
Dior examined the footage the moment she received it.True enough, it showed Sonia and George talking about their little deal. It also showed how Dior was telling the truth while they both ganged up on her.Dior’s frail heart felt as though it was rejuvenated once more, feeling as though blood was once more pumped into her heart. Her dull eyes devoid of hope regained their lost luster once more.Not thinking twice, she dialed Harry's number with this evidence, though he had to be busy, seeing as he did not pick up even after the phone rang for a long while.Just as she was about to hang up, Harry picked up the phone."What do you want?"On the other end of the call was the voice that she had missed for so long. His low, hoarse voice sounded so cold and emotionless.Hearing his voice brought Dior back to the image of his handsome face, and her heart skipped a beat.She tried her best to restrain her fluttering emotions as she tried to speak calmly, "Do you have time? I’d like to
At Mount Village…Inside the elegant bamboo house was Dior, dressed in a beige dress. She sat in the front yard as she took sips of her wine.The sunlight shone past the leaves and illuminated her, yet she exuded an air of loneliness.She swirled the glass and could not help recalling the moments she spent with Harry.In the beginning, she was attracted by his looks; he looked so gentle and elegant.She gave him money, kept him company, and continuously showed up around him in hopes of conquering him.Alas, she ended up in this state.The time she spent with him in Mount Village was the happiest time she had ever had. They had lived inside the bamboo house together, where he took care of her and claimed her to be his woman.They even laid inside the same room.Everything was so beautiful.Cursed was her luck, however, that it was just an illusion. He had been using her from the start, while he chose to stay with the woman who lied to him and even hurt him!No matter how mu
"Although Susan was unhappy, she should've voiced out her displeasure instead of bottling things. Cheating is wrong, regardless. Furthermore, if she wanted a career, she didn't have to stay home and depend on her husband."Grandma Bailey halted.Was that what Charmine truly thought of?Grandma Bailey thought Charmine would find Susan too aggressive unto herself.Charmine glanced at Susan again and apathetically commented, "She doesn't want to make money on her own, but she wants to be rich while complaining about her man not making time for her and taking care of her? If a woman has no ability of her own and also blames others for her miseries, all she's worth is to sit quietly at home and wait for her husband to come home. She also has no right to cheat! This is how the world works."Charmine patted Grandma Bailey’s shoulder and held Anthony’s hand, her words met with everyone's evidently surprised gazes and their silence.Grandma Bailey was shocked. Sure, Charmine sounded rathe
The colossal cruise started to drift away from the pier.Eric stood on the cruise and let the wind blow at him, loneliness and hatred still oozing from his being.He stared at the blue ocean ahead of him as Charmine's words rang in his mind unceasingly.'Will you really feel good after you've killed them?''You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?'"Forgive them and yourself.'Deliberating everything carefully, his lips curled into a bitter smile.It was true, after all, that Charmine understood him the most.Eric poured himself another drink and downed it with loneliness as he allowed the cruise to bring him wherever it would take him.…Susan was still inside the operating room when Charmine and the rest of the Baileys rushed into the hospital.Darryl stood before the room, his expression blank, his figure lonely and helpless.So many things had happened in half a day.He found out about his wife's inf
"No one's stopping you now. Eat!"Anthony clenched his hands tightly and took another glance at Charmine. He was more determined than before, and he was close to eating the pills in the bottle.Charmine, who was held hostage, gradually opened her eyes at that moment. Her gaze drifted toward Eric before she asked, her tone challenging, "Will you really feel good after you've killed them? You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?"Eric halted, and his eyes darkened.Charmine had just woken up, yet what she said…He cast a cold glance at Charmine. "It's my business, and it has nothing to do with you!"They were his family, and he did not want a family like this!Charmine looked squarely at him. "Eric, I don’t care if you used me or plotted against me all these years; I've treated you like a true friend, nothing more nor less. You were the only person who stayed by my side in the past five years, so I hope that you
Anthony's breath hitched when he saw Charmine.He clenched his fists and, without doubting himself, relented "I can agree to your terms, so let her go right away. This has nothing to do with her; you only hate me after all. As long as you let her go, I'll take the pill. Everything will end right away."Susan shook her head. "We'll die after eating the pill. I’m not taking that!"She had just reunited with Eric, and she did not want to die yet. She looked at Eric and begged, "Please let Anthony be, why don't you? He’s your brother, after all, and he doesn’t even know about your existence. If you’re really angry, just kill Charmine, and I'll make it up to you—"Anthony's expression contorted in sheer fury upon hearing Susan's plea, and he glared at her with murderous intent."This was all your fault, so what right do you have to make Charmine take your blame?!""What on earth are you going on about?" snapped Grandma Bailey. "Charmine has been kidnapped because of you, yet you want