Chapter 5957

Mitsui Yoshitaka hadn’t anticipated Charlie's overwhelming strength, which compelled Tawanna to resume her performance. He thought to himself, "This big celebrity has quite the temper. Instead of coaxing her, he's resorting to threats? She makes hundreds of millions a year. It seems she's in a worse position than the wealthy elites, being a young woman without family to support her. Earning such an amount, she might only give a bit of it as pocket money to her parents, leaving the rest for herself. This lifestyle is simply too luxurious to not bring happiness. Cancelling a concert would only result in losing a few thousand dollars. It's absurd to think she would comply when she's upset!" At that moment, Tawanna was deeply displeased with Charlie's domineering attitude. "I've been famous for so many years and always surrounded by stars! Even Bill Gates has to call himself a fan around me, but here I am, feeling like Charlie’s employee, being ordered around by him. How can I stand for this?" The simmering tempers of the big shot and big lady within her flared up again. Unable to contain her anger, she shouted, "Why?! Why should I comply with your demands and continue performing after being frightened like this?! I won't do it!" Seeing her glaring at Charlie, Trevor quickly grabbed her arm and said earnestly, "Honey, Mr. Wade saved our lives! You can’t speak to him this way. You need to show him respect, don't you understand?" Tawanna stamped her feet in frustration. "But he threatened me! What right does he have to force me to perform again?" Charlie replied coldly, "Why? Because I bought the ticket for today’s event!" Tawanna was taken aback, momentarily unsure of how to counter his assertion. Mitsui Shinmei, standing nearby, hesitantly raised her hand and said, "Um... Mr. Wade... I’d like to mention that all guests attending today’s event will receive complimentary tickets..." Charlie shot back, "And what does giving away tickets have to do with anything? Don’t I still need to pay for flight and accommodation? Don’t I need to account for my precious time? She earns hundreds of millions annually. I saved her life, which should be worth at least a year’s earnings, right? Shouldn't I be able to speak without her throwing a tantrum?" Mitsui Shinmei nodded awkwardly, "Mr. Wade... I... I didn't mean it that way... I just wanted to clarify the ticket situation..." Seeing his daughter stumbling over her words, Mitsui Yoshitaka quickly intervened, "Mr. Wade, I fear you might be misled. If you bought the tickets at a high price from elsewhere, it would reflect poor management from the Mitsui family..." Charlie shot him a glare and replied coldly, "Mr. Mitsui, leading such a large family, how can your memory be so poor? We informed you just half an hour ago that we were invited by Miss Sasaki Sachiko of the Sasaki family. Are you suggesting that you think she sold your complimentary tickets to us?" Charlie had no intention of treating Mitsui Yoshitaka kindly. The more he exhibited such arrogance, the less he deserved any leniency. If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile and believe himself to be indispensable. If I don't take a moment to put him in his place, he may start to think that my saving Tawanna and Trevor was intended to curry favor with him. People in high positions often suffer from this kind of misplaced confidence, so Charlie needed to convey two core ideas to him repeatedly: First, I am not here to help you, so don’t get too comfortable; Second, your accomplishments and status in Japan mean nothing to me. At this point, Mitsui Yoshitaka felt uneasy. Although he had no clue about Charlie's background, he could tell that Charlie held him in complete disregard.

Typically, if someone assisted him, he would say, "I'll keep this in mind," and the other party would express gratitude, treating it as if he was the one bestowing assistance. But Charlie was different. He laid bare his disdain and scorn for Yoshitaka at every turn. The unfortunate reality for Yoshitaka was that he had made a mistake that left him looking foolish in front of Charlie and Michaela. So, he could only force a smile and say, "Mr. Wade, you make a valid point. I will certainly work on my shortcomings and improve my recollection in the future..." Charlie ignored him and turned his attention back to Tawanna, speaking coldly, "Setting aside the fact that I accompanied my wife to see your concert, do you think I saved you without reason? We are not related, you’ve not given me a dime, and I have reservations about your usual stance. In our terms, we aren’t even on the same page. The only reason I saved you is that my wife wanted to attend your concert. If you had collapsed right before the show, I feared she would be emotionally shaken, which is why I intervened." After a moment's pause, Charlie continued, "Let me be blunt. I saved you solely to ensure you complete your concert tonight. If someone planned to harm you tomorrow, I wouldn’t even bother to glance your way, much less assist you. Do you understand?" Tawanna's tears of frustration began to fall. Though she recognized that Charlie might not like her, she hadn’t anticipated the truth would hit so hard. Mitsui Yoshitaka quickly turned to Tawanna and said, "Ms. Sweet, you should heed Mr. Wade’s instructions and perform well tonight. Trust that I will deploy the best security team to ensure your safety throughout the performance. Afterward, you will return to the manor with us. No one will harm you again." Tawanna sobbed quietly, "I'm almost terrified to death. My heart is still racing. How can I perform like this..." Charlie interjected, "How you choose to perform is entirely up to you. I only said that as long as you sing all the songs on the playlist, you can either use the microphone properly or lip-sync. We’ve seen plenty of this in our time, and we can accept it. As long as there’s a real person on stage, it doesn’t matter how authentic the performance is. The essence of a concert lies in the atmosphere." Tawanna felt insulted and managed to choke out, "I am a professional singer with standards! A true artist! How can you treat me like this..." Charlie raised his hands in a gesture of sincerity, stating, "I don’t aim to humiliate you. What I’ve said comes from the heart. Perhaps the standards for artists are higher where you come from. We’ve really gotten used to a lot of things. While your American actors and singers may lead disreputable private lives, at least they maintain a level of expertise. Many performers in our area, aside from their private lives, don’t even remember their lines. They simply improvise as they go and depend on post-production dubbing. Numerous singers hold concerts while only partially using the microphone or lip-syncing. We are accustomed to these standards." Tawanna felt slightly reassured upon noticing Charlie's sincerity. She wiped away her tears and replied, "You can insist that I perform, but there’s no need for trickery. It’s just that I’m not in a good headspace today. If my performance doesn’t meet expectations, please don’t hold it against me." "No," Charlie waved his hand dismissively, "Just perform." Tawanna glanced at Charlie quietly and murmured, "Alright... then... the performance will proceed as planned tonight..."