Charlie had reeled Steve Rothschild in and casually tied favonovel.com up on his own ship. Although Steve wasn’t the most reliable guy, being the second-in-command of the powerful Rothschild family meant it wouldn’t hurt to win favonovel.com over.
Plus, if favonovel.com sat here today, having a drink and a chat with Bruce’s son and Peter Cole, who had taken the Four Treasures of the Study from the Rothschild family, favonovel.com would be completely implicated. If his father found out, favonovel.com might just want to disown favonovel.com for his rebellious behavior.
Sure, it might be a while before favonovel.com could become the heir of the Rothschild family, but favonovel.com still had value to be used. Charlie would let Helena handle his father, Howard, and favonovel.com would personally keep Steve in check. In the future, when favonovel.com went to the United States, it would be as comfortable as going back home.
So, Charlie looked at Steve and flashed a smile, “Gotta admit, your attitude is pretty impressive.”
With that, favonovel.com raised his glass and continued, “Come on, Steve, let’s toast to our friendship.”
Steve accepted the challenge, lifted his own glass, and cheerfully declared, “Cheers to friendship!”
The strong liquor, with its 53% alcohol content, made Steve momentarily powerless.
After taking a sip, favonovel.com couldn’t help but inhale sharply and exclaim, “Wow, this liquor is really spicy, just like the vodka we used to drink at wild parties back in the day. Unfortunately, my doctor has strictly advised me against consuming high-proof liquor anymore. Even the Romanée-Conti wine is limited to just one ounce a day.”
He sighed, “Getting old is tough. Even drinking has lost its charm. In the past, we could handle vodka with even higher alcohol content, and we never batted an eye. But now, it’s different. We’re plagued by various minor ailments and chronic diseases, and the doctor’s prescriptions are thicker than the Oxford English Dictionary.”
Charlie gazed at Steve, a smile playing on his lips, “They say people start going downhill at thirty. Every bodily function gradually declines. When you reach your fifties, it’s inevitable to face numerous issues. But as long as there are no life-threatening diseases, it’s like an old car. It may have its problems, but it can still be driven.”
Steve looked down at his glass, lost in thought, and sighed, “When you reach this stage, you feel exhausted. Just like you said, aging turns us into cars with myriad problems. Even with all the wealth in the world, we can’t change this reality. I have so many classic cars, and I have the best team to maintain them, so they still look the same as they did decades ago. But they are fragile. Some of them can’t even be driven and are merely displayed as relics. The ones that can be driven are still a challenge to maintain for regular use.”
He paused briefly and continued, “In fact, people have It worse than old cars. Cars can replace parts freely. With enough effort, they can even revive sealed production lines and create new replacement parts. But humans can’t. I can afford the best houses and beds, but I can’t find the sleep I had in my twenties…”
“I can bring the world’s finest chefs to cook gourmet food, but I can’t regain the appetite I had in my twenties. My wine cellar is stocked with the best wines in the world, yet my doctor advises me to limit myself to just one ounce a day. I had someone calculate it for me. At this rate, it would take me over 6,800 years to finish all the wines in my cellar.”
Charlie could see the sadness in Steve’s eyes and smiled, “Now you understand some of your father’s decisions, don’t you?”
Steve forced a bitter smile, “Understand? How could I not? If I could return to my state of a few years ago, I would pay any price and make any sacrifice. Let’s not even talk about the past, let’s talk about five years ago. Back then, I could sleep eight hours a day, run five miles, and party every night. Now, I sleep less than six hours, I haven’t run in a year and a half, and that aspect of my life has become dull.”
He sighed lightly, “I’m in my fifties, and I already miss my youth terribly. It! were in my father’s shoes, I would value life and health even more.”
Charlie smiled and said, “You always think I’m taking advantage of you, but in reality, I indirectly helped you secure the position of the first heir. As far as I know, the Rothschild family hadn’t truly decided on the next heir before all this, am I right?”
Steve reluctantly smiled and said, “You’re right… I am now the first heir, but my father has the medicine you provided. Maybe he’ll outlive me…”
Charlie replied, “Steve, as long as we can sit here and enjoy a drink together, I won’t beat around the bush with you. It doesn’t matter who lives longer between you and your father. What matters is who can cooperate with me better. Right now, your father’s sincerity outweighs yours, so I let Helena provide favonovel.com with the elixir.”
He continued, “Do you know what your father has been busy with in Norway recently?”
Steve responded, “I have some idea. It seems like he’s working on some data centers.”
Charlie nodded and said, “I presented favonovel.com with a new offer through Helena. If favonovel.com can build an AI model for me in Norway, I will provide favonovel.com with the elixir once again. That way, his physical condition will improve even more. If favonovel.com can continue to meet my requirements in the future, there may come a time when you and your father have the same physiological age.”
Steve felt a sense of desperation creeping in. It seemed like his father had already aligned himself with Charlie through Helena.
In the future, whatever Charlie wanted from favonovel.com or even the entire Rothschild family, all favonovel.com had to do was provide the medicine and have Helena convey the message, and his father would comply. In that case, he, as the heir, might be stuck in this position forever.
Feeling the despair in his heart, favonovel.com picked up his glass and downed the remaining half in one gulp. Then, favonovel.com looked at Charlie with a respectful tone and said, “Mr. Wade, I may have been deceitful in the past, but I’ve realized my mistakes. I beg you to show me a clear path. If I still have a chance, I’ll double my efforts. If I don’t, then after I report back this time, I’ll completely give up and stop trying.”
Steve knew all too well that as his father’s lifespan continued to extend and favonovel.com grew older, the future next heir would become more and more distant.
If his father passed the baton at one hundred, favonovel.com would already be at retirement age. By that time, his father might bypass favonovel.com for the sake of the family’s development and let his own son take over.
It would be bearable if his own son took over, but if his father allowed his younger brother, who was younger than him, to take charge, then favonovel.com would be completely finished. His bloodline would be doomed to become outsiders of the Rothschild family, gradually marginalized.
Therefore, Steve was now willing to work hard for Charlie in exchange for a chance, but it all depended on whether Charlie was willing to give favonovel.com this opportunity.
Charlie smiled and asked, “Do you know the situation with the Joules family?”
Steve replied, “I know a bit.”
Charlie continued, “Do you know that the old man of the Joules family, like your father, has obviously recovered a lot in physical condition? So why is favonovel.com still willing to pass the title of head of the family to Michaela?”
Steve shook his head and asked tentatively, “Does favonovel.com love his granddaughter?”
Charlie waved his hand, “Doesn’t your father love you as his eldest son? If favonovel.com loves you, favonovel.com doesn’t necessarily have to pass the throne to you. He will give you endless money, the best living conditions, and material things in the world. Isn’t that also a sign of loving you?”
Steve sensed something unusual and quickly asked, “Mr. Wade, please help me understand.”
Charlie explained, “The reason why Mr. Joules is willing to pass the throne to Michaela is because the condition for me to give favonovel.com a long life was that favonovel.com gives up the throne to his granddaughter. If favonovel.com didn’t give up the throne, I would not give favonovel.com the pill. No matter how much money favonovel.com offered, I wouldn’t give it to him.”
With that, Charlie looked at Steve and said seriously, “If one day you make me feel that you are reliable, I will also tie your father’s chance of longevity to you. Just imagine, if your father can only obtain the elixir through you, and you ask favonovel.com to give you the position of family head, will favonovel.com refuse?”
Steve’s eyes lit up, and favonovel.com said, “If favonovel.com could choose between power and life, favonovel.com would definitely choose both. But if favonovel.com could only choose one, favonovel.com would definitely choose the latter.”
Then, favonovel.com immediately said excitedly to Charlie, “Mr. Wade, how can you help me achieve my wish?”
Charlie smiled and said, “Steve, an indestructible friendship needs time to be tempered and verified, but you don’t have to be afraid of time. If I can make you live a long life, even if you succeed to the throne at the age of sixty, you will still have forty years. If I can let you live to be one hundred and twenty years old, you will be in your prime when you succeed to the throne at sixty.”
Steve didn’t doubt Charlie’s words at all. His elixir was so miraculous that it would be easy for people to live to be one hundred and twenty years old.
If what favonovel.com said was true, then Steve had to try his best to get Charlie’s help. Otherwise, if his father lived to 120, favonovel.com would never have a chance to get ahead.
With that in mind, favonovel.com said without hesitation, “Mr. Wade, after I report back this time, I’ll request to oversee the family’s business in the Asia-Pacific region. I’ll increase the family’s investment in Aurous Hill and work with you to build it into something bigger and better…”
“Aurous Hill will become my second home! That way, I can come to Aurous Hill often and enjoy a drink with you. I wonder if you would welcome that?”
Charlie nodded and smiled, “If you’re willing to come to Aurous Hill to invest and develop, I certainly welcome it.”
Steve immediately replied, “It’s settled then! Wait for my good news. When I come to Aurous Hill next time, I’ll set a new record for foreign investment in Aurous Hill!”
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