On top of the elevator, Tanya was kneeling on one knee as her stylists were doing the final checks for her makeup and hairstyle.When she was done, she made an 'Okay' gesture with her fingers and promptly backed away to a safe distance.Tanya's assistant then arrived with a silver, crystal-encrusted wireless microphone, handing it directly to Tanya. It was on, but the audio technician kept it from broadcasting on stage, so no one outside could hear anything.Once she had a good hold of her mic, her assistant nodded and said, "Two minutes."That was when Tanya turned to look past her crew at Charlie and Claire, smiling and waving at them. "I'm going up soon—just wait for me back here since I'll be back after the first act."Claire pumped her fists at her and smiled, "You can do this!"Charlie smiled too, albeit awkwardly, because of Tanya's costume. Above the chest was a long-sleeved, sparkly body-hugging blouse linked to a pair of bloomers with suspenders.She had no legwear o

It wasn't to say that Tanya wasn't truly giving her all for other concerts, but this was an above-par performance.Her manager was definitely thrilled, hopping beside Trevor as she exclaimed, "She's really in the zone! I've never seen her get into the mood this fast and flawlessly… Heck, this might be her best performance ever!"After all, it was as if she had taken her performance to the next level, and it was a miracle for an artist who had already stood at the peak for so many years.From Tanya's manager's perspective, it was as if Tanya had managed to break the record for fastest sprinter after it had been set years ago!On the other hand, Trevor was having mixed feelings—even if Tanya's manager had no idea what had driven Tanya to bring out such an amazing performance, he knew all too well that it was because Charlie Wade was right there, on the other side of the stage.Still, seeing Claire right there with Charlie offered Trevor some peace of mind.After all, while he had n

They had to walk a few hundred yards before finally finding a rental bike, which they rode home together.Along the way, Claire asked Charlie, "Are you going to Heaven Springs later?"Charlie nodded. "I think Tanya invited some Curtis Autos executives for more Feng Shui follow-ups. Let's get you home, then I'll drive there."Clarie told him, "It's fine. You can just head over. I can go home on my own.""No way!" Charlie protested without hesitation. "I need to send you home myself to have peace of mind, and whatever preamble they have has nothing to do with me, anyway. No reason to get there too early.""Alright," Claire nodded quietly and didn't press the issue.-Meanwhile, the cabal of elites who had traveled from America arrived at the Diamond Room of Heaven Springs, taking their seats gingerly.Julian was there with his newly adopted lackey, Matt, while Tanya had yet to arrive.Upon seeing Matt's face, the entire cabal realized that they were not getting away with anythin

With that, the cabal was suddenly on their feet, motionless and silent.As Charlie and Julien sat down alongside Tanya, Charlie looked around and said, "Thank you all for traveling halfway around the world to Oskia, both to celebrate Tanya's success and to bring prestige to my friend's restaurant."The cabal was dumbstruck.Who on earth was his friend?Charlie, however, did not care if they were keeping up.Stretching his back and reclining against his seat, he spoke, "I think I recognize a couple of you, so I guess you're a big deal back home. Which makes me curious—what's the issue with living a normal life? Why pursue such eccentricities?"The question was so blunt that no one could answer it.After all, the things that had transpired on that private island were so unspeakable that they had been cleaning house, with witnesses and accomplices alike eliminated one after the other if they showed signs of ratting out the rest of them. One of them, who was an important man like Ma

Having understood his position, Matt was the first to speak up, "Since you've put it that way, Mr. Wade, I'll pay! In fact, I insist!"The rest of the cabal, however, were trading looks and scowling.One of them then asked, "Mr. Wade, if we do set up that fund… does that mean we've buried the hatchet?"Charlie nodded, "Sure, but the fund applies against you as well. In other words, if your old habits prevail and someone exposes you, the bounty will be on your head too, and whoever produces the evidence or takes your life will be rewarded in turn."Scowling indignantly, the member of the cabal argued, "That's way too unfair for us! I mean, paying for something that applies to us? With the possibility of death? That doesn't even make sense!"Charlie held his gaze and shot back, "So, you're saying you'll stick to your guns?"The member of the cabal shrank his head between his shoulders as he muttered, "It's not like we're hurting anyone… unlike Matt, who took pictures while hosting