The two announcements released by Emgrand Group completely shook the entire Aurous Hill like a high magnitude earthquake.When the Wilson family learned about the ownership change in Emgrand Group, they figured out why the collaboration with the White family had been terminated. It seemed that Emgrand’s new owner didn’t think much of the White family.Back to the point, who was Mr. Wade? He simply bought Emgrand Group that was worth hundreds of billions of dollars without batting an eye—he was a little too powerful, wasn’t he? Even the richest man in Aurous Hill wouldn’t be so generous!All of a sudden, a lot of wealthy families were about to eagerly make a move. They wished to establish a connection with the mysterious Mr. Wade while on the other hand wished to marry their daughter to him.Moreover, the announcement about Emgrand Group’s investment of two billion dollars for the hotel construction project also shook the construction and interior decorating industries in Aurous H
Claire’s announcement sent a shock wave across the room, making everyone gape in extreme surprise!Everyone thought that Claire must be out of her mind! It was the worst time to stand under the limelight now! Other than failing miserably, there’s nothing else she could achieve!Emgrand Group was the largest company in Aurous Hill and the Wilson family was nothing more than an insignificant ant to them! Whoever took the challenge would only end up failing!Harold couldn’t help but mock sarcastically, “Claire, do you really think you can get a deal from Emgrand Group?”Wendy continued in the same mocking tone after her brother, “Claire, who do you think you are, what do you think Emgrand Group is? You being so reckless and irrational will only humiliate us, the Wilson family!”Someone else added, “Wendy is right! If she is kicked out by Emgrand Group, our family will be a laughing stock in Aurous Hill!”Blood rushed to Claire’s face and she felt her face burning in embarrassment.
Looking at her parents ridiculing Charlie, Claire sighed and said, “Dad, Mom, don’t blame Charlie for this. It was my idea, I just don’t want our family to be looked down on anymore. Haven’t we suffered enough all these years?”Claire’s mother blurted, “But still, you can’t take on such a task. It’s not just you—even if your grandma goes in person, they wouldn’t entertain her!”Charlie managed a bitter smile as he watched the bickering. He bet that his snobbish in-laws would never believe that he was the real owner of Emgrand Group.At this exact moment, there was a knock on the door.“I’m coming…”Elaine heaved a distressing sigh as she walked to the door and opened it.Charlie shifted his gaze to the door and saw a young man donning an Armani suit standing at the door. The man looked very charming and alluring with a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, which seemed to be worth at least four million dollars.Elaine shrieked excitedly, “Hey, Wendell! Why are you here?”The man w
The next morning, Claire brought the file filled with proposals that she had prepared overnight and went to the Emgrand Group office with Charlie.Standing in front of the 100-story building, Claire suddenly felt as if her heart was hollow and empty.How could such a magnificent company like Emgrand collaborate with the Wilson family? Not to mention that they were aiming for a thirty million dollars deal.It was like a beggar approaching a wealthy man and asking for a thirty million dollar change. It was absolutely ridiculous.However, she had promised her grandmother and accepted the challenge in front of everyone, so she had to go for it no matter what…Sensing her anxiety, Charlie stroked her head tenderly and said, “Dear, don’t worry, go ahead, you’ll make it. Trust me.”Claire sighed dejectedly and murmured, “Alright, let’s hope so! Wait for me here.”She took a deep breath and walked through the door.As he watched her walking in, Charlie took out his phone and called Dor
For an instant, an abrupt and outlandish thought appeared in Claire’s mind.The Mr. Wade that Doris mentioned—could he really be her husband, Charlie Wade?When she processed it again, she found it to be too preposterous.How could it be!Charlie was an orphan who grew up in a welfare home!However, who else in the world would treat her so well besides Charlie?Thirty million dollars was an extravagant hope, but they gave her sixty million…She couldn’t help but asked curiously, “Miss Young, may I know if your chairman is Charlie Wade?”Doris’s heart skipped a beat. The boss had already demanded her to keep his identity secret, only to reveal his last name to the public. She would be blamed if his wife guessed it!She shook her hands frantically and said, “Miss Wilson, I hope you can drop it. Our chairman is the descendant of a prominent family in Eastcliff. His identity is highly confidential and I have no right to disclose it.”Claire nodded gently. She composed herself upo
Everyone was stunned upon the sudden roar.Everyone hurriedly took out their phones and searched for Emgrand Group’s official social media account!Indeed!The certified official account of Emgrand Group had posted the latest statement!A shock wave swept the conference room as the post was announced!Claire really did strike the deal! With twice the intended total value!It only took half an hour!How was it possible? How was it so easy?It didn’t make any sense!Harold was feeling shocked and regretted!Before today, Claire Wilson was incomparable to himself in terms of status or identity.If he had accepted the task yesterday, he would not give Claire a chance to shine herself regardless of the results!Yet, he refused because he feared that he w
After the three bows, tears were swirling in Harold’s eyes but he didn’t dare to do anything rash now.He knew that his grandma was very disappointed and agitated at him now, so no matter what, he shouldn’t enrage her any further.Lady Wilson heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Harold bowing and admitting defeat. She didn’t wish for his precious grandson to bow his head at Charlie the loser, but they had made a bet that involved her.She was a very devoted Buddhist. If Harold didn’t keep his promise, she would certainly be so afraid of the retribution and karma to come at her that she would have trouble eating and sleeping.Thus, she looked at Harold and said flatly, “Harold, treat these three bows as a lesson for you. Next time, don’t bet on something that you have no absolute certainty of. Even if you wish to make a bet, keep your family out of it!”With a pouty face, Harold grumbled, “Okay, Grandma, I know better now. I’ll never do it again…”As he spoke, his eyes glared to
Assuming that Charlie was simply joking, Claire didn’t take it seriously. She walked aside and dialed Doris’s number.Soon, the call was answered.Doris’s sweet and pleasing voice resonated from the other end of the line. “Hello, Miss Wilson.”“Hi, Miss Young. I have a favor to ask from you,” Claire said timidly.“Okay, what is it?” Doris replied.Claire rehearsed the sentence in her head once again, taking a deep breath before she said determinedly, “May I know if the chairman is available tomorrow night? My family will be organizing a banquet tomorrow to officially announce our collaboration with Emgrand Group. I hope that the chairman would kindly accept my invitation…”There was silence at the other end of the line before Doris spoke again, “Miss Wilson, I’m sorry but I cannot make the decision on behalf of my chairman. Or, perhaps I could ask him for you, would that be alright?”Claire said respectfully, “Thank you, sorry for the trouble caused.”After the call was ended,
Nanako giggled gently, thinking that Charlie was exaggerating. "You're so funny, Charlie. Who could possibly fail to attain enlightenment for hundreds of years? Those who haven't probably wouldn't live that long anyway, right?" Charlie smiled ambiguously. The matter concerning Vera was, of course, something he couldn't share with anyone, including Nanako. However, it was indeed a fact that Vera, despite taking the Eternal Pill and living for so many years, still hadn't attained enlightenment. Moreover, back in the day, Fumiko had served Marcius faithfully for an entire lifetime. From the paintings, it was evident that Marcius was genuinely devoted to Fumiko at that time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have returned to fulfill his promise after obtaining his opportunities. Yet, despite receiving Marcius's wholehearted support, Fumiko still failed to achieve enlightenment. In contrast, Nanako had managed to attain enlightenment so effortlessly, merely through the guidance of a monk.
Caden didn't know what kind of gifts Charlie was planning to give everyone, but from his perspective, since each of the over 400 people would receive one, it was likely something that could be bought with money. Caden was as rich as a king and wasn't particularly interested in things that money could buy. However, since Charlie had mentioned it, he naturally wanted to show his support. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "Despite your busy schedule, you're still thinking of us. I'm truly honored, and on behalf of everyone, I thank you." Charlie chuckled. "You're welcome." Caden respectfully replied, "If there's nothing else, I'll go ahead and ask Miss Ito to come over." "Okay." Caden retreated and went back to the martial arts hall. He called Nanako over and said in a low voice, "Miss Ito, Mr. Wade is at the manager's office right now. He wants to see you." "What?" Nanako squealed in pleasant surprise. "Mr. Wade is here? Oh my, I'll go over now! Thank you, Master Howton."
After that, Charlie asked, "Has everything been going well here lately?" Caden clasped his hands respectfully and replied, "Everything has been going very well. With the follow-up mental techniques you provided from the Taoist Sect Hanbloom Method, everyone's foundations are very solid. This batch of students has made the fastest progress I've seen in all my years of teaching." Charlie remembered his disciple, Sonia, who had previously taken the entire Taoist Sect to Oskia on her own initiative, effectively becoming part of his sect. Since he didn't have time to manage them, he had left everything under Caden's supervision. Curious, he asked, "How are the Taoist Sect disciples doing in their training?" Caden responded, "These disciples' training progress has been much faster than when they were in the United States. Sonia is now like a workaholic, training all day, every day, and her progress is astonishing—beyond my expectations." He continued, unable to hide his admiration, "
"The Rothschild family members?" Hearing Albert's remarks, Charlie frowned slightly and said, "Oh! Are you talking about Edmund and his dad?" "Yes!" Albert nodded and laughed out loud. "That American bastard who poisoned Miss Young's father and caused his kidney failure. Didn't he and his dad always say that they were from the Rothschild family?" Charlie waved him off dismissively. "They're not part of the Rothschild family. Rothschilds wouldn't carry the surname 'Whittaker'." Pausing to think, he added, "The surname 'Whittaker' is likely of Jewish origin. They might actually be relatives of the Rothschild family by marriage." As he spoke, a realization dawned on him. "I think I've got it. Julien coming to Aurous Hill might very well be to look for this father-and-son duo. Harrison has just recovered and wants to remain the family head for a few more years—he's probably trying to strengthen ties with these branch families." Albert gasped, "If that's the case, that bastard i
Meanwhile, Charlie went down the mountain and arrived at the Champs Elys Resort. To avoid disturbing the students during their practice, Charlie informed Albert of his arrival by phone. Albert, being at the bottom of the martial arts students in terms of skill and treating it more as a casual interest, was asked to wait at the entrance of the resort. When Charlie arrived, Albert, dressed in his training outfit, was already waiting at the door. He quickly stepped up to the car, opened the door for Charlie, and respectfully greeted, "Mr. Wade, welcome." Charlie nodded and said, "Tomorrow, have The Heaven Springs temporarily closed to the public and prepare a table with excellent food and drinks. For any customers with existing reservations, make sure to provide them with appropriate compensation." Without hesitation, Albert agreed and asked, "Are you expecting some guests?" Charlie casually replied, "Not exactly guests—just someone coming from afar who's a bit of a fool."
Upon hearing that Charlie would host him, Julien was flattered and expressed his gratitude, saying, "I truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me!" Charlie smiled and replied, "We're good friends, no need for formalities. When do you expect to land in Aurous Hill?" Julien thought for a moment and respectfully responded, "I'll be flying in a few hours, with a flight time of about 15 hours. I expect to land in Aurous Hill around 10 a.m. local time tomorrow." Charlie said, "In that case, tomorrow at noon, I'll host a banquet for you at The Heaven Springs, the most famous restaurant in Aurous Hill. It's well-known, so your employees should be able to find it easily. You can just come over directly when you arrive." Although the Rothschild family didn't have personnel stationed in Aurous Hill, their Asian headquarters was located in Eastcliff with high-ranking officials as well as a large number of staff. Julien had already informed the administrative
Fortunately, the Acker family members had weathered many storms and had a far greater perspective than most people. Charlie said, "The infiltration capabilities of the scholars from the Qing Eliminating Society are far beyond what we could have imagined. The individuals who appeared around you and Jaxson back then—those who left a strong impression or even earned some of your admiration—were likely all part of their network. Even if it were me, I might not have been able to discern their true intentions in time." Lulu nodded gently, and Charlie's words seemed to offer her some comfort. Charlie knew that she needed time to process everything, so he spoke gently, "For the next couple of days, don't think about anything. Just rest. After some time, the situation between us and the Qing Eliminating Society should change significantly, and it will give us more control. When that happens, we might need to take the initiative, and at that time, you and Jaxson should try to be involved
Holly and Jaxson asked Charlie many questions but avoided any mention of Zekeiah, almost as if they had a mutual understanding to steer clear of that topic. After lunch, Charlie stayed to chat with Holly for a while before saying his goodbyes. When Holly saw him preparing to leave, she stood up and said, "Charlie, let me walk you out." At this moment, Lulu, who had been silent, stood up and said, "Mom, you take a rest. I'll see him out." Charlie knew that Lulu wanted to talk to him privately, so he nodded and said, "Yes, Grandma. Lulu will take me out." Knowing that Lulu needed some privacy with Charlie, Holly nodded. "Okay. Lulu, see him out, then." Lulu and Charlie walked out of the villa one after the other. As they reached the courtyard, Lulu couldn't help but ask, "Charlie, be honest with me—is Zekeiah already dead?" Her question didn't surprise Charlie, and he replied candidly, "Yes, he is dead." Lulu pursed her lips and followed up, "How did he die?" Charlie a
"A huge piece of good news?" Ashley raised an eyebrow, curious as she asked, "What exactly is this good news?" Suzanne, overjoyed, said, "Aren't you curious about what kind of deal Mr. Charlie reached with the Rothschild family? Miss Lavor told me that he made a secret agreement with Harrison, the current Rothschild family head. Mr. Charlie gave him a pill, and in exchange, he received some cash and a complete AI model." "A complete set?!" Ashley widened her eyes in astonishment. "Is it the most powerful AI model currently invested in by the Rothschilds?" "Yes!" Suzanne nodded vigorously. Ashley hastily asked again, "This AI model is currently the biggest trend in internet technology, and its future market value will be no less than several hundred billion dollars. It has even been elevated to a strategic level by America, with both software and hardware being banned from export. How did Charlie manage to pull this off?" Suzanne replied, "Miss Lavor didn't reveal too many d