Ivy nodded quietly. "Well, if there's a chance at promotion, you still have to take the shot. You're not making a lot of money as president for the rest of your life, and you won't be getting much VIP treatment after you retire either."Just look at the last president—after he got promoted, he made a lot of money from the job, and even after he retired, everyone in his family is treated like a VIP, and God knows what benefits they still enjoy. Hell, he doesn't have to take a number when getting a checkup, and if his headaches don't go away, the hospital will invite specialists for a referral! All without asking him for a cent!"If you could reach those same heights, your son would wish for you to live to be a hundred!""Yeah…" Kenny nodded in full agreement. "I mean, I still have a shot despite my age, but heaven knows how many years this mess with Jacob will set me back. It would be fine if it were just a couple of years, but if it's five years or more, there's really no more hope.

Jacob did a double-take, and he asked worriedly, "What, is he not bending over after Don Albert got involved?"Charlie shrugged. "That still depends on the situation. In this scenario, misunderstandings can easily occur. If he's convinced you'll never return to the Calligraphy and Painting Association, he won't come begging."It's no different from a dating game—there's no issue with controlling your partner, but you need to do so optimally. Make them lose all hope, and they'll have no reason to keep holding on."Jacob nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense… Then, I shall go meet him since I'm definitely returning to the association. It's either that or I'm stuck with the missus every day, goofing off."It just so happened that Kenny called him again at that moment, and Jacob answered without hesitation this time. "What do you want?"Kenny promptly said, "Oh, Jacob! You've finally answered… Look, I just want to apologize face-to-face and give you the good news. I'm right outside t

Kenny almost burst into tears when Jacob said yes.He had been waiting for this for so long! Now that Jacob had agreed to return, he had truly saved his own hide!He didn't even dare to hope for a promotion now—at this point, just keeping his place as the president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association was enough for him.Hence, he shook Jacob's hand excitedly again, exclaiming emotionally, "That's great! Once you're back, we'll be fighting side-by-side once more. Trust me, I will find a way to promote you again!"However, Jacob didn't trust him at all at this point, his tone neutral as he said, "That can wait for now."Intent on posturing, he pointed at the grand, imposing front gates of Thompson First and sighed, "Oh, and I'm sure you can tell for now that with my family background and my age, there is no reason to work hard. I worked at the association because I like the job. That's why if I'm happy, I'll work. If I'm not, I won't. The position doesn't really matter to me

When Charlie saw Jacob strutting into the room smugly, he knew that Jacob had made it back into the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Still, he asked out of feigned curiosity, "Did something good happen, pops?"Jacob chuckled and said, "Why, yes! My boy, Don Albert is truly the man! You just asked him to do something about Kenny Bay this afternoon, and now, Kenny's begging to have me back!"To be fair, the head of department is way less glamorous than being administrative vice-president, but I guess it's acceptable. I've already agreed to report in to the association tomorrow too."Charlie nodded quietly—Jacob was incompetent, but sending him outside was better than having him stay home all the time."That's good," he said, smiling. "At least you won't be bored."Jacob nodded, immediately thrilled. "I really left Kenny flabbergasted! I told him outright that since I'm living in Thompson first, why the hell would I care to stay in the Calligraphy and Painting Association? He w

Over the years, the rift between the Ackers and the Wades had grown, but it was a result of misunderstandings.After the Qing Eliminating Society had set their sights on Charlie's parents, Curtis had gone on a campaign against the Rothschilds so that the Wades had plausible deniability. And when pressured by the Rothschilds, the Wades did indeed cave under pressure as expected, and they had exiled Curtis in response.Back then, Jeremiah was completely unaware that his beloved son was already being hunted, and he was simply under the impression that his son's campaign against the Rothschilds had been completely misguided, thus hampering the family's progress into the international stage.To get on the Rothschilds' good graces and to make it clear that the Wade family meant no harm, he thus had to exile Curtis, though he intended for it to be merely a temporary solution.On one hand, he could prevent Curtis from accessing the family's wealth and influence in his personal campaign whi