Chapter 5825

Howard knew nothing about who had kidnapped the unfortunate father and son, but he was well aware that the other party was not to be trifled with. Everyone assumed that they must be hidden somewhere in China when suddenly they appeared on the sea, demanding a billion dollars. While it was rare to encounter kidnappers who dared to ask for such a large sum of money and refuse to release the hostages even after receiving it, it was not unheard of. Facing such audacious kidnappers, Jenny knew that if she didn't give them the money, they would undoubtedly expose her as heartless and driven solely by profit. Before marrying, Jenny's last name was Rothschild, so if she became the target, the Rothschild family would face unnecessary trouble. Therefore, Howard naturally hoped that she would honestly give the money. And he wasn't just trying to deceive Jenny. Once the money was given, he had countless ways to make her internationally renowned. His only fear was that Jenny's sole concern was money, and she would refuse to give the billion dollars. That would be problematic. But Jenny also had her own difficulties. Originally, her husband was in charge of the Hogwitz family, but after their son went missing, her husband went to China in a desperate attempt to save him, only to be kidnapped as well. Now, Jenny managed all the major affairs of the family, but she was no match for her husband's several brothers who were eyeing her. As a woman from an external family, she would easily be overshadowed once she grew older. At the moment, she desperately needed an opportunity to strengthen her control over the entire family. If the billion dollars could truly help her create a perfect image, along with Howard Rothschild's promise, the Hogwitz family would no longer have anyone who could threaten her. Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and said to Howard, "Mr. Rothschild, I'll listen to you! Give them the money!" "Very good." Howard breathed a sigh of relief and reassured her, "Jenny, rest assured, this money will be well worth it! Send a message to the other side, telling them that you will gather 1 billion dollars in encrypted cryptocurrency as soon as possible. I will arrange a team of reporters to follow you 24/7 starting now. All of this will be material for publicity." Jenny didn't expect Howard to be so invested in this. She felt like she had taken a pill to calm her nerves and excitedly said, "I will follow all of your instructions!" ... As the team of reporters began to closely follow Jenny, Steve Rothschild in Aurous Hill received a call from his father, Howard. On the phone, Howard said, "Steve, it must have been tough for you in Aurous Hill." Steve quickly replied, "Father, I'm willing to share the burden for the family. It's not tough no matter where I am." "Very good!" Howard was very satisfied with his attitude and smiled, "You don't need to stay in Aurous Hill anymore. Today, the Hogwitz family received a message from the kidnappers. The father and son are not in Aurous Hill, but on the sea. You can start preparing and return as soon as possible." Steve had already known about Charlie's arrangement, so he wasn't surprised to hear this. However, he pretended to be annoyed and cursed, "Damn kidnappers! I thought they had hidden the hostages in Aurous Hill. I've searched every inch of land here. I didn't expect them to have already moved them out. They're so cunning!" "It's alright." Howard said with a smile, "Sending you there was just to set an example for the collateral families, to let them know that we care about them. As the designated heir of the family, the number two figure of the entire family, personally going to help them find the hostages is already giving them face. Now it's clear that it's not because of your incompetence, but because of incorrect intelligence, so you can come back openly." "Alright, Father." Steve said, "Since there's nothing important happening in Aurous Hill, I will prepare to return as soon as possible." "That's good." Howard said with satisfaction, "After you come back, we'll host a banquet to entertain the collateral families again, further deepening their gratitude and reliance on us. This will lay a solid foundation for your future inheritance of the family." Steve quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Father! Thank you for your efforts!" As he said these words, Steve cursed in his heart, "He's pretending to care about me. Does he really want to make me the so-called designated heir? If Charlie could keep him alive for another 50 years, there's no way I could become the family head within the next 49 years. I'd rather rely on Charlie than my biological father."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with his father on the phone, Steve hung up and quickly called Charlie. At this moment, Charlie was on his way to Zilian Mountain Villa. Ten minutes ago, Maria had sent him a message saying that she had some new leads and wanted to meet him at Zilian Mountain Villa. Thoughtful as always, Maria had also prepared tea and dinner, inviting Charlie to cook tea together. Charlie gladly accepted. When he called, Steve quickly said, "Mr. Wade, my father called and asked me to come back. It seems I can't stay with you and share your worries anymore." Charlie smiled and said, "I don't have any worries that need you to share. Since your father wants you to go back, you should hurry back." Steve quickly said, "Mr. Wade, can I treat you to a meal before I leave?" Charlie said, "There's no need for a meal, just give me a discount." Steve was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Mr. Wade, you really have a sense of humor. I genuinely want to treat you to a meal, and I hope you can show your respect." Charlie asked, "When are you going back?" Steve replied, "If there's nothing important, I should be going back tomorrow. Otherwise, it won't be easy to explain to my father. In his impression, I must be wanting to leave here every second." Charlie said, "Then let's have lunch tomorrow at Heaven Springs. How does that sound?" Steve excitedly said, "That's great! Lunch tomorrow at Heaven Springs." "Alright," Charlie said, "See you tomorrow. I have something to attend to, so I'll hang up now." "Alright, Charlie. See you tomorrow!" ... The weather was getting colder, and there were hardly any green leaves left on Zilian Mountain. Apart from some pine trees, most of the trees had shed their leaves, leaving only bare branches. When Charlie arrived at the top floor villa of Zilian Mountain Villa, he was surprised to find that the Mother of Pu'er Tea, which he had brought back from Dianchi Lake, was still lush and had even grown more leaves. It had also grown larger. Maria, who exuded a youthful aura, was guarding the Mother of Pu'er Tea and boiling water over a low flame. At the same time, she was roasting some ginkgo nuts and chestnuts over the stove, emitting a faint aroma of roasted nuts. Seeing Charlie enter, she smiled and said happily, "Please have a seat, Young Master. I've already brewed the tea and was waiting for you." Charlie nodded and sat down on the chair in front of her. Maria carefully picked up several roasted chestnuts from the iron mesh of the stove. The chestnuts were still hot, so she couldn't hold them for too long. She quickly switched them between her hands, as if she were juggling. After switching the chestnuts back and forth several times, the temperature lowered slightly, and she held one chestnut near her mouth, lightly blowing on it. She then peeled one and handed it to Charlie, eagerly saying, "Young Master, try it. I just picked these from the mountain at noon." Charlie graciously accepted and took a bite. It was both bitter and fragrant, with a satisfying chewiness. After finishing one, Maria peeled a few more and handed them to Charlie. She then poured him a cup of tea. Her delicate jade hands had been busy since Charlie arrived. Charlie took a sip of the tea and put down the cup, asking her, "Miss Clark, what is the new lead you mentioned? Can you give me the details?" Maria replied, "The shipping company in Singapore that you previously found to be related to the Warriors Den has been sold to a French company. It seems that the French side is quite eager, as they started using the company's planes for transportation immediately after the change of ownership." Charlie furrowed his brows and asked, "Isn't the Warriors Den supposed to be in a dormant period? Why did they suddenly sell the company?" Maria said, "That's also something I can't understand. The Warriors Den doesn't lack money, so there's no need to sell the company. Moreover, this company is the core logistics support for their global operations. It's even more unusual considering it's the dormant period. So, I suspect that they might have realized that the company is no longer secure."