The Amazing Son-in-Law

Table of Contents (…insert table of contents…)

Chapter 141

Neither woman was home when they returned. Elaine Ma was still out playing cards, and Claire Wilson hadn't finished work yet.

Charlie Wade returned to his bedroom and carefully removed the lightning-struck timber from its package. He could sense a powerful Reiki radiating from the wood.

Remaining cross-legged on the floor, Charlie Wade held the timber, closed his eyes, focused his mental strength as described in the Apocalyptic Scripture, and gradually absorbed the Reiki into his body.

When he opened his eyes, they felt bright and revitalized. His mood had noticeably improved. Meanwhile, the Lightning Strike Dragon Blood Wood in his hand had become somewhat dimmer, having released its Reiki. However, a strong, vibrant energy remained, indicating its value as a treasure.

With other magical items, he could potentially enhance simple artifacts.

It was dark when he left the room. As soon as he entered the living room, Elaine Ma snorted coldly. "Oh, VIP," she sneered, "so arrogant and egotistical, you don't even cook dinner and expect me to serve you, huh?"

Charlie Wade smiled wryly. "Sorry, Mom, I was tired and fell asleep."

"Oh, tired from the auction, or from framing Harold?" Elaine Ma retorted irritably.

Charlie Wade frowned, confused. He shook his head. "I didn't frame Harold. What are you talking about?"

Elaine Ma growled furiously. "Claire called me! It's bad enough you're embarrassing yourself, but you caused Harold to be kicked out of the venue!"

Claire Wilson interjected, "Mom, I think Harold must have done something to get himself thrown out. It's none of Charlie's business."

"What do you mean it's none of his business?" Elaine Ma banged her fork and spoon down. "After Harold got home, he said Charlie obtained the invitation improperly. The Treasure Pavilion found out and were furious. As a Wilson family member, he was kicked out! The president even said the Wilson family is unwelcome there. He'll break our legs if we go! The Wilson family is finished!"

Jacob Wilson started, "Huh! The invitation cards were genuine. I think Harold must have caused trouble and blamed Charlie because he didn't want Mom to punish him…"

"You dare take the loser's side? If it weren't for your stupid auction obsession, would any of this have happened?" Elaine Ma glared indignantly at Jacob, who buried himself in his plate.

Elaine Ma continued impatiently, "He's a loser. How did he get the invitation anyway? Now he's upset Harold too. I'll see how he handles this…"

Before she finished, there was a knock on the door followed by a low voice. "Excuse me, is Mr. Wade home?"

A flash of anxious green crossed Elaine Ma's face. She blazed at Charlie Wade. "Oh no, it must be Claire! She must have sent someone to question you! Look what you've done!"

"Let's see who it is," Claire Wilson said, rising to her feet and walking to the door, her expression stern.

The living room was silent. Elaine Ma and Jacob Wilson stood nervously, wondering how to respond to the confrontation. Meanwhile, Charlie Wade looked grim. If it was Claire who had turned things around and come to question him, he wouldn't show the old woman any mercy!

Chapter 142

Claire Wilson opened the door cautiously and asked vigilantly, "How can I help you?"

Charlie Wade frowned and quickly moved toward the door, pushing Claire behind him. "Are you looking for me?" he asked calmly but coldly.

The man smiled and greeted him considerately. "Hi, Mr. Wade. My manager is very sorry about how you left Treasure Pavilion earlier, and he sent me here with a gift to apologize."

Charlie Wade looked at the man, surprised. "You're from Treasure Pavilion?"

"Treasure Pavilion?" Claire Wilson, standing behind Charlie, was also shocked.

The middle-aged man quickly explained, "Our manager felt terrible about how you had to leave Treasure Pavilion today, Mr. Wade. I hope you'll forgive us."

He waved his hand. Several strong men in black suits hurried forward, carrying gifts and placing them at the door.

Charlie Wade saw they had brought many gifts: a box of limited-edition Yellow Crane Tower cigars, a box of thirty-year-old Moutai Flying Fairy liquor, and a set of antique vases worth a considerable sum. The gifts were worth over a million dollars!

"Mr. Wade, these are gifts from my employer at Treasure Pavilion. He's planning a new auction with Miss Moore." The middle-aged man bowed.

Charlie Wade nodded. "Alright. You can leave the gifts here."

The middle-aged man produced two gold invitation letters. "These are invitations for you and your father-in-law to our next auction. We won't let you down this time. Please give us a chance to make amends."

He then presented a VIP card. "This is a Treasure Pavilion VIP card. We've only issued ten, and it's permanent. You'll receive special privileges."

Charlie Wade glanced at the gold card, adorned with gold leaf and diamonds. "I'm not a big fan of auctions. Perhaps you could ask my father-in-law if he's interested in the card and auction."

"Okay," the middle-aged man hurriedly held the card toward Jacob Wilson. "Mr. Wilson, I'm sorry about today. I hope you'll attend our auction in two days."

Jacob Wilson gulped, staring at the VIP card. He recognized it as a limited-edition card, only given to the most prestigious individuals in Aurouss Hill. It was priceless. Holders could enter and exit Treasure Pavilion freely, received preferential treatment, and had access to all antiques with significant discounts.

Before Jacob could accept it, Elaine Ma snatched the card. Smiling, she said, "Since you've come to apologize, we'll accept the gifts and card. My husband will definitely attend the auction the day after tomorrow!"

Chapter 143

Elaine Ma was ecstatic. All those gifts were money to her! She didn't know the exact value of the vases, but she knew each bottle of Moutai Flying Fairy liquor was worth at least thirty to forty thousand dollars! Twenty bottles meant several hundred thousand dollars. The cigars, at five thousand dollars each, totaled over two hundred thousand dollars. Liquor and cigars alone were worth at least a million!

Why wouldn't she accept? The Treasure Pavilion VIP card would impress her friends!

Seeing her mother's materialism, Claire Wilson protested hesitantly, "Mom…"

Elaine Ma glared. "What? You think I shouldn't accept these gifts?"

Claire Wilson said, "We shouldn't accept such expensive gifts without knowing what's going on."

Charlie Wade quickly responded, "Since it's an apology gift, we should accept it."

The middle-aged man was relieved. His boss had told him he could leave his job if Charlie refused.

When Charlie turned, Elaine Ma had already moved the liquor and cigars inside. She was examining the vases under the lamp. Charlie Wade shook his head and told the man, "Thank you for the gifts. You can leave now."

"Alright, Mr. Wade. I won't bother you further."

Charlie Wade closed the door and turned to find his family staring at him. Elaine Ma coughed dryly. "Charlie, since when are you friends with the owner of Treasure Pavilion? Why did they bring gifts and apologize to you?"

Charlie Wade shook his head. "Mom, I think there's a misunderstanding. Their employees made a mistake, and the manager is apologizing and compensating to protect Treasure Pavilion's reputation…"

Elaine Ma scowled. "Well, I thought you'd become a successful man overnight, befriending someone influential. Turns out it's just good customer service…"

Claire Wilson remained puzzled. Even with excellent customer service, why such an expensive gift?

Elaine Ma, in a good mood, was already calculating how much she could make selling the liquor and cigars.

After dinner, Charlie Wade was doing the dishes when he received a call from Graham, the man he'd helped recently, the one who'd given him the jade bracelet.

Chapter 144

Graham greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Wade!"

Charlie Wade replied, "Yes? Is there something I can help you with?"

Graham said, "Thank you for your advice. Thanks to you, the Quinton family is doing better. I want to thank you. Otherwise, they would have been ruined."

Charlie Wade smiled. "Things aren't going smoothly now, am I right? You wouldn't be calling at this hour."

Graham choked. "Mr. Wade, you know everything. I can't hide anything from you."

Charlie Wade continued smiling. Graham stammered, "Mr. Wade, I need you to save the Quinton family again. We owe you a great deal."

Graham's face was pale, his body trembling slightly. Charlie Wade frowned. "Did the jade pendant crack?"

"Mr. Wade, you guessed it!" Graham sighed. "We followed your instructions. After sealing the jade pendant, we ate vegetarian food for seven days. But my nephew Adam secretly ate pigeon soup, spilling blood on the yellow bag. As soon as the blood touched the bag, the jade pendant broke. I've punished him, but strange things are happening!"

Charlie Wade frowned. "What kind of strange things?"

Graham responded quickly, "Last night, a violent thunderstorm. Lightning struck and scorched the century-old osmanthus tree in our courtyard. And the ancestor tablet in our ancestral hall fell and broke in half. This is an awful omen!"

Charlie Wade frowned. In Feng Shui, an osmanthus tree represents wealth and good fortune; its destruction indicated impending misfortune. A broken ancestor tablet meant a family member would die. He hadn't expected the spirit in the jade pendant to be so powerful, and so easily activated by a drop of pigeon blood.

When Graham received no reply, his heart pounded. "Mr. Wade, please help me save my family."

Charlie Wade replied, "Mr. Quinton, I'd like to help, but the spirit in the jade pendant is very powerful. Since Adam carried it for years, it's bound to the Quinton family. We can't deal with it with a simple amulet."

"What should I do? The Quinton family is facing so much tragedy!" Graham's voice trembled.

Charlie Wade responded, "The ghoul gains strength from blood. Since it contacted pigeon blood, the only way to subdue it is by borrowing the power of the heavens."

"Alright, Mr. Wade. I'll get you anything you need."

Charlie Wade said, "I'll be at Treasure Pavilion's auction tomorrow. I'll see if there are any spiritual relics that could help. Whether we win the bids depends on your luck."

"Alright. I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Wade." Graham thanked him. "Mr. Wade, I'll bring my black card tomorrow. Use it to buy anything you need."

Charlie Wade snorted. He shouldn't have to spend his money. "Mr. Quinton, be prepared. It's not easy to obtain spiritual antiques. Whether we get them depends on your luck."

Graham responded, "Yes, I'll also look. I'm afraid I'll still need your help, Mr. Wade."

Graham had already consulted spiritual masters, but they refused to even enter the Quinton manor. His only hope was Charlie Wade. He should have a peaceful life, but his nephew, Adam, had turned his family upside down. If Charlie Wade hadn't saved him, the whole Quinton family would have been ruined within a year, including Aurora.

Chapter 145

Graham arrived early the next morning, waiting until Charlie Wade left for the market. He handed Charlie his black card, explaining it contained several hundred million dollars. He was willing to spend everything to save his family.

Aurora accompanied him, much more considerate than before. Since Adam's troubles, the Quinton family had experienced strange events, and her grandfather had fallen ill. Aurora knew Charlie Wade was their only hope.

After handing over the card, Graham knelt, crying, "Mr. Wade! Please save my family! I don't care if I die, but my child…"

Aurora knelt beside her father, weeping, "Mr. Wade, please save the Quinton family. I'm willing to give my life for my father's."

Graham scolded her, "What nonsense are you saying?"

Charlie Wade helplessly helped them up. Holding Aurora's hand, he felt slightly flustered. Aurora blushed, feeling embarrassed.

Charlie Wade said, "Don't worry. I'll do my best to help the Quinton family. I'll try my best to keep your family safe."

They wanted to kneel again, but Charlie Wade stopped them. "Please don't kneel. You can leave now. I'll call you with news."

"Thank you, Mr. Wade!" they said before leaving.

Back home, Jacob Wilson rushed to him, worried. "Charlie Wade, were you talking to Mr. Quinton? It didn't look good. Is there a problem because of what you told him at Antique Street?"

Charlie Wade grinned. "Dad, don't worry. Mr. Quinton wanted me to help him get rid of the ghoul. He gave me his bank card to buy anything at the auction tomorrow."

Jacob Wilson was stunned. "How much is in the black card?"

Charlie Wade replied casually, "A few hundred million dollars."

"That much?" Jacob Wilson gasped, clutching his chest. He almost had a heart attack!

Jacob Wilson anxiously pleaded, "Charlie, you must not lie. What if something goes wrong? What if they kill our family? Return the money!"

"Dad, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I promise there'll be no problem."

Charlie Wade continued, "Dad, this is serious. Don't tell Claire or Mom. Otherwise, things will get out of control…"

"I know, I know…" Jacob Wilson knew his wife well. She was money-mad. If she knew about the black card, she'd spend it all. How could they answer to the Quinton family then? A few hundred million dollars! His heart pounded at the thought. He continued to urge Charlie to return the money but knew his words were useless. He sat down, sighing. He'd have to watch Charlie at the auction to prevent him from buying something reckless. If the Quinton family found out Charlie had lied, Mr. Quinton would kill them all!