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“Who do you think you are?” Wendell shot a disdainful look at Charlie and sneered, “You’re just a loser who can’t even keep an eye on your wife. It’s such a waste for Claire to be with you. Why not let her go with me? I can give her everything she desires!”

A chill fell across Charlie’s expression. In a low and steady voice, he responded, “I’ll give you two choices. First, apologize to Claire and retract everything you’ve said in front of everyone. Or second, I’ll ensure your family’s company goes bankrupt. Make your decision now.”

Wendell erupted in laughter, clearly unimpressed. “Are you serious? Who do you think you are, trying to ruin my family’s business?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how valuable our company is? What could you possibly do to bring us down? Ha!”

Charlie maintained a blank expression as he observed Wendell for a moment, almost as though he were looking at a fool. Then, he pulled out his phone and called Stephen.

“I want the bankruptcy and liquidation of the Jones family’s business in three minutes. Let their debts skyrocket!”

The idea of making a multi-billion dollar company go bankrupt in three minutes seemed utterly impossible!

Wendell glared at Charlie, disbelief etched across his face. “You’re full of it! Do you really think you’re some kind of ultra-wealthy mogul?”

Wendell continued coldly, “I’ll give you two choices too. First, get on your knees and apologize to me, and then divorce Claire. Second, I’ll have someone beat you senseless and show you how sweet Claire is with me. Make your choice! You have one minute!”

Charlie glanced at his watch. “You have one minute left. Are you sure you don’t want to save your company, even a little?”

“Get lost! You have thirty seconds to decide! If you don’t kneel now, you’ll regret it forever!” Wendell threatened. “Twenty seconds! Ten seconds! Five seconds! Time’s up! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” With that, he adjusted his collar and signaled to the bodyguards around him, ready to unleash a beating on Charlie.

Just then, Wendell’s phone rang, catching him off guard. He glanced at the screen and saw it was his father. Quickly, he answered, “Dad, I’m at the hotel now. Where are you?”

On the other end, Wendell’s father fumed, “What did you do this time? Who have you offended? All the shareholders are dumping our stocks, and our share price has plummeted by over 80%!”

He continued, “The bank is at our doorstep demanding repayment! All our partners have halted their projects with us! Our capital chain has snapped! We’re facing bankruptcy and liquidation!”

Wendell’s face drained of color as he absorbed his father’s furious words. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“We’re done for! Absolutely done for!”

Wendell opened his mouth to ask a question just as he heard the sound of a siren and the police banging on the door, demanding his father come to the station for questioning. Suddenly, his legs felt weak, and he knelt before Charlie. His phone slipped from his grasp and shattered on the ground. The night breeze chilled him to the bone as he realized the severity of the situation. The bodyguards exchanged wary glances, hesitant to intervene.

Trembling with fear, Wendell looked up at Charlie and whispered, “Who are you really? You did this, didn’t you?”

The onlookers were taken aback. Wendell Jones had just knelt before the son-in-law of the Wilson family. What was happening?

Charlie looked down at Wendell and leaned slightly forward, saying, “I gave you a chance to make a wise choice, but you didn’t take it.”

“I’m so sorry, please forgive me! There’s nothing going on between Claire and me! I had nothing to do with the Emgrand Group project! Everything I said was a lie! I made it all up! Please, I beg you, spare me and my family!”

Wendell knocked his head on the floor in a desperate apology. He never imagined that the seemingly unimportant son-in-law of the Wilson family held such tremendous power. A single phone call was all it took to bring his family to the brink of ruin! When he dared to look up at Charlie again, he saw a face devoid of emotion, a visage more terrifying than any devil. This was someone capable of destroying his family in mere moments, and he knew he could never afford to offend him again!

Charlie shook his head, replying, “You should be thankful; I at least spared your life. Otherwise, your entire family would be facing dire consequences right now!”

Wendell’s complexion turned ghostly pale, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Charlie continued in a cold tone, “To be honest, yes, I am the ultra-rich man you’ve seen online. If you value your life, don’t disclose my identity, or I can’t guarantee you or your father will see tomorrow!”

With a final pat on Wendell’s face, Charlie straightened up and walked into the hall, leaving Wendell in a state of shock. He didn’t dare resist the humiliation Charlie had inflicted upon him. Instead, he crawled after Charlie into the hall.

Frantically searching the crowd, Wendell finally spotted Claire. He rushed toward her, kneeling at her feet and sobbing, “Claire, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have spread those ridiculous rumors about you! I had nothing to do with the Emgrand Group project! Please, spare me!”

Claire was taken aback by his sudden outburst and instinctively stepped back, stumbling into a warm embrace. Turning around, she saw it was Charlie. The moment he stepped into the room, he noticed Claire, looking stunning and radiant in her elegant outfit. She was like a bright star amidst the crowd. Seeing Wendell rushing toward her, Charlie quickly wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling, his glare directed at Wendell. Wendell, realizing he had provoked Charlie again, hurriedly crawled away.

Claire looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with him?”

Charlie whispered softly, still holding her close, “He must be out of his mind. Just ignore him.”

Though they were married, they had never shared such intimate contact before. Claire felt her cheeks flush as she sensed Charlie’s warmth enveloping her.

Awkwardly, she extricated herself from his embrace and said, “Um, Mr. Wade from the Emgrand Group should have arrived by now. I’ll go check…”

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