CHAPTER 2286: ECHOES OF THE PAST
Charlie felt a sudden, uncontrollable twitch in his eyelids. Without hesitation, he turned his head sharply, twisted the throttle on his electric scooter, and sped away.
Marissa, watching Charlie disappear, hurriedly dashed out to follow him. By the time she reached the street, Charlie was already nowhere in sight.
She stood at the entrance, feeling a deep sense of loss, anxiously scanning the area while muttering to herself, "Could it be that I was seeing things?"
Turning to the old housekeeper who had followed her, she asked urgently, "Uncle Wang, did you see a young man who looked remarkably like Drake?"
Though the housekeeper had only glimpsed Charlie briefly, he replied with unwavering certainty, "Miss Klein, I did see a young man riding an electric scooter. He really did resemble Mr. Wade quite a bit!"
Marissa's excitement was palpable, causing her voice to tremble as she spoke, "Yes, yes! Since you saw him too, it means I wasn’t imagining things, nor was it an illusion."
She continued, bewildered, "But how could there be two people who look so alike in this world? And that young man looked to be only in his twenties. How could he resemble Drake so closely?"
The old housekeeper sighed softly, "The world is vast. Occasionally, two people can look very similar without having any real connection. It’s not that strange."
Marissa nodded, "You're right, Uncle Wang. With so many people in this world, it’s not unusual to find two who look alike."
She then exclaimed, her excitement unable to be contained, "But even if there is someone who looks like Drake, he shouldn’t be here! This place—this is Drake’s former residence! If he has no connection to Drake, it would be an extraordinary coincidence!"
The old housekeeper furrowed his brow, acknowledging her point.
He admitted that while someone looking like Wade Drake wasn’t too surprising, finding him at Drake’s former home was an uncanny coincidence—almost eerie.
At that moment, a thought struck him, and he said, "Miss Klein, I just remembered—Mr. Wade had a son!"
Marissa nodded, "Yes, Drake did have a son. However, when his son was born, I was pregnant with Cameron, and since Virtuoso had significant issues with Drake, I lost contact with the Wade family. So, I’ve never met his son."
She continued, "After Drake and Victoria’s unfortunate deaths, their son disappeared. I haven’t heard any news about him since."
The old housekeeper, now animated, said, "That fits! Drake and Miss Victoria had their incident in Aurous Hill, and their son also went missing there. And that young man just now resembled Mr. Wade so closely. It seems very likely that he’s Mr. Wade’s son!"
Marissa's tears welled up again, her heart aching as she said, "If he is truly Drake’s son, he must have been only eight years old when Drake passed. Not having returned to the Wade family all these years—imagine what he must have gone through in those decades."
The old housekeeper sighed, "He was riding a shabby electric scooter. It seems his life hasn’t been easy."
Marissa looked at the old housekeeper with determination and pleaded, "Uncle Wang, please find a way to locate him. As someone who was close to his father, I must help him if he’s struggling!"
The housekeeper pondered for a moment and said earnestly, "Miss, I must be honest. If this young man has been living at the lower rungs of society, his abilities, outlook, and education might not be very strong."
He added, "Moreover, if he’s been struggling, he might become reliant on you if he learns of your identity. There’s an old saying, ‘It’s easy to invite the gods, but hard to send them away.’ You need to think this through carefully before offering help."
Marissa sighed, "Don’t worry about that. If I can find him, I won’t discuss too much with him."
She continued, "My plan is to give him a sum of money, claiming it’s repayment for a debt I owed his father, settling it with interest. I’ll give him fifty million. What he does with it afterward is up to him."
"Alright," the old housekeeper said, relieved that she had a thoughtful plan. "I’ll start inquiring about him right away!"
CHAPTER 2287: THE UNVEILING SHADOWS
Meanwhile, Charlie had already ridden several hundred meters away on his scooter. To avoid being tracked by Marissa, he didn’t even stop to buy groceries and headed straight to Thomson Elite.
On the way, he called Isaac and instructed, "Old Craven, someone visited my parents' old house today. Find out who it was and report back to me."
Isaac, surprised, asked, "Young Master, did you visit the old house today?"
"Yes," Charlie replied. "I saw a woman there who called me by my father's name. I need you to investigate her identity and find out if she’s a friend or foe, and what her connection is to my father."
"Understood," Isaac said without hesitation. "I’ll get on it right away!"
Charlie continued, "Also, I need you to check on the current status of the old house, including when the case will be judged and when the house will be auctioned off. I intend to buy it."
"Alright, Young Master. I’ll look into it."
Later, Charlie picked up some groceries at a nearby supermarket and was heading home when Isaac's call came through.
"Young Master, I have results for both matters."
Charlie acknowledged, "Go ahead."
Isaac reported, "The woman who visited your parents' former residence is Miss Marissa Klein, the second daughter of the Klein family from Eastcliff."
Charlie frowned, "The Klein family? Marissa? Who are they?"
Isaac explained, "Marissa is the wife of Virtuoso Salvador."
"What?" Charlie was taken aback. "Virtuoso's wife? The mother of Cameron and Camilla?"
"Yes," Isaac confirmed. "She is indeed the mother of Cameron and Camilla. She arrived in Aurous Hill this morning."
Charlie asked, "Why would she be at my parents' former residence? Did she know my father?"
Isaac clarified, "You might not be aware, but Marissa had always had feelings for your father, even though he didn’t choose her back then."
Charlie was both surprised and somewhat uncomfortable. It was indeed unexpected that Virtuoso's wife had feelings for his father.
Considering that news about Raven, Virtuoso’s illegitimate daughter, had just been exposed by Japanese media last night, it was quite hasty for Marissa to arrive in Aurous Hill today and visit his parents’ old residence. If Virtuoso knew, he might be furious.
Isaac continued, "Regarding the house, I have some updates."
Charlie urged, "Tell me quickly!"
Isaac elaborated, "The case of the house’s owner is about to be finalized. The amount involved in his illegal fundraising is substantial, and with the broken financial chain, he is unable to repay the debts. Besides imprisonment, it’s highly likely that all his assets, including the house, will be seized to compensate the victims. Once the verdict is passed, the house will be promptly put up for judicial auction. It could be listed within a week!"
Charlie’s spirits lifted at the news. "Register me for the auction. No matter what, I must buy back that house!"
Isaac affirmed, "I’ll take care of it, Young Master!"
Charlie then added, "For now, keep a close watch on Marissa. Since she knew my father, she might be able to deduce my identity. My identity must remain hidden for now, so try to ensure she doesn’t find me."
CHAPTER 2288: ENTANGLED FATES
“Understood, Young Master!”
After hanging up, Charlie couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. It seemed like there was an uncanny, almost sinister magnetic pull between him and the Salvador family.
Despite his ongoing intent to hold the Salvador family accountable for their past actions against him, and despite not having yet approached them for retribution, he kept finding himself entangled with members of the Salvador family.
First, he had rescued Cameron and Camilla by chance in Japan, without knowing they were Virtuoso’s children. Then, he had narrowly missed meeting Virtuoso himself in a Tokyo hospital—had he known it was Virtuoso, he might have made a scene right there. His temper was such that he might not have killed Virtuoso on the spot, but he would have certainly inflicted severe punishment and taken his time to exact revenge.
And then, even more absurdly, upon returning from Japan, he had rescued Raven, only to find out she was Virtuoso’s illegitimate daughter!
In a bizarre twist of fate, Charlie had now helped all three of Virtuoso’s children. The irony? They were all his enemies' children!
The ongoing coincidences—rescuing his adversaries' children time and again—left Charlie feeling powerless against fate’s cruel jest. Now, as if it wasn’t enough, he had stumbled upon Marissa, Virtuoso’s wife, and mother to Cameron and Camilla. Even worse, Marissa had harbored feelings for his father for many years...
Charlie felt overwhelmed by this absurdity and muttered in frustration, “What kind of messed-up situation is this?”
He silently vowed that when he eventually confronted Virtuoso, he would not only make him pay for his role in the Anti-Wade Alliance but also for the fact that Charlie had saved his three children.
...
Meanwhile, Marissa was doing everything in her power to locate Charlie. However, her knowledge about him was limited, leaving her at a loss on where to start.
Although the old steward had been in Aurous Hill for many years, the Klein family’s high status meant their operations were generally discreet. As a representative of the Klein family in Aurous Hill, the steward was rather reserved. Although he knew many local high-level figures, he had little knowledge of street-level affairs.
Thus, he had decided to start by investigating from the time of Drake’s accident. He was looking into the orphanages and welfare institutions that received orphans after the accident, as well as the local adoption records, in hopes of finding clues about Charlie.
In terms of local connections, the steward’s network, though well-established, was still significantly inferior to Isaac’s. As the representative of the Wade family in Aurous Hill, Isaac’s primary task was to establish a strong foundation there. He had built his network in Aurous Hill with considerable visibility and was far ahead of the steward in terms of connections.
When the steward began investigating Charlie, Isaac had already obtained the news and reported back to Charlie.
Upon hearing that they were starting with orphanages and adoption records, Charlie was partially relieved. Normally, this approach wouldn’t be wrong. However, the problem was that this lead had been cut off by Stephen Thompson shortly after his parents’ deaths.
Stephen had severed all possible leads, including those related to the welfare institutions where Charlie had lived, manipulating the situation from behind the scenes. As a result, any external investigation would yield no results.
Now, Marissa trying to follow this lead to find him was like chasing shadows.
CHAPTER 2289: SEEKING ANSWERS
After leaving Charlie’s old home, Marissa felt a mix of nostalgia and melancholy. On one hand, she missed Drake, and on the other, seeing Charlie had stirred up memories of her youth, as he bore a striking resemblance to Drake.
Back at the Klein family’s residence in Aurous Hill, a sumptuous lunch had been prepared by the servants. Cameron had just returned from making a donation to the welfare institute. Seeing his mother arrive, he quickly asked, “Mom, where did you go this morning?”
Marissa snapped out of her reverie and answered absentmindedly, “Oh, I didn’t go anywhere special. Uncle Wang took me around a bit.”
At that moment, a maid entered the room respectfully and said, “Second Miss, lunch is ready.”
Marissa nodded and instructed Cameron, “Go call your sister for lunch. What is she doing? Lately, she’s been shutting herself in her room all day. As soon as we arrived in Aurous Hill, the first thing she did was lock herself away. It’s quite odd.”
Cameron chuckled, “Camilla has been trying to find our benefactor—the young man who saved us in Japan.”
Marissa’s expression changed to one of realization. She asked, “Have there been any leads?”
Cameron shook his head and sighed, “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. We haven’t figured out if he’s Chinese or a Chinese expatriate, nor do we know if he’s in Japan or back in China.”
Marissa said earnestly, “He saved both of your lives. If it weren’t for him, you might have been in grave danger long ago. Such a great debt of gratitude deserves to be repaid properly.”
She then asked, “What leads do you have about this benefactor? Share them with me; perhaps I can help find a way.”
Cameron shrugged and said, “We don’t have many clues. We’ve only seen him once and know what he looks like. Beyond that, there aren’t any valuable clues.”
Marissa suggested, “How about we offer a reward? We can say we want to find our lifesaver and thank him in person. If he sees the reward, he might contact us.”
Cameron replied, “Camilla considered that, but she thinks it’s unlikely. She believes our benefactor is an extraordinary person who probably doesn’t need money. Even if he sees the reward, he might not contact us.”
Marissa nodded in agreement, “That’s true. If he wanted money, he would have asked for it when he saved you, or at least left some contact information. Given that we only remember his appearance, finding him among countless people is indeed very difficult.”
Cameron added, “I’ve also advised Camilla, but she’s unwilling to give up.”
He then shook his head and said, “I’ll go call Camilla for lunch.”
“Okay, go ahead,” Marissa responded.
Soon, Camilla emerged from her room, reluctantly, dressed in home pajamas. She carried an iPad and was scrolling through images on the screen.
As she entered the dining room, her attention remained focused on the iPad. Marissa inquired, “Camilla, I heard from your brother that you’re searching for our benefactor. Have you made any progress?”
CHAPTER 2290: A VIVID MEMORY
Camilla, not lifting her head, said, “No progress yet. I still haven’t found him in the footage.”
Marissa responded seriously, “Some things are destined. If it’s meant to be, even if you don’t search for it, it will come to you. If it’s not, no matter how hard you look, it won’t happen.”
Camilla quickly retorted, “I don’t want to leave things to chance. It’s too unreliable. There are so many people in the world. The chance of running into someone again by coincidence, especially someone we’ve met in a foreign country, is almost zero. If I don’t actively look for him, I might never find him.”
She added with a touch of melancholy, “Memory isn’t great on its own. Not everyone can remember every detail perfectly. Many things need to be repeatedly reviewed to be remembered clearly, like memorizing texts when we were young.”
“In the first few days after returning from Japan, I could clearly recall the image of our benefactor. But now, after so many days, his appearance is becoming more and more blurred. Even though I’ve been trying to reinforce my memory, it’s still not working. I’m afraid I’ll forget what he looks like if this continues.”
Camilla looked up at Marissa and Cameron, and asked, “Mom, Brother, have you ever felt that the more you try to remember someone’s appearance, the easier it is to forget?”
Cameron thought for a moment and said, “It depends on the person. If you see them often, you won’t forget them. But for someone you’ve only seen once, it’s true that after a while, you’ll only have a vague outline left in your memory.”
Marissa nodded in agreement, “Camilla is right. Memory needs to be continually reinforced to be firmly imprinted.”
As she spoke, she thought of Drake. Despite her deep love for him, in the nearly twenty years since his death, if she hadn’t looked at his photos every day, his image would have gradually faded from her mind.
With a sigh, Marissa asked Camilla, “Camilla, can you describe what your benefactor looks like?”
Camilla thought for a moment and said, “One word to describe him is handsome. Two words—very handsome. Three words—extremely so handsome. Four words—cool and extremely handsome.”
Marissa laughed, “Is he really that exaggerated?”
Camilla replied earnestly, “Mom, I’m not exaggerating at all. He’s incredibly handsome and cool!”
She continued, her face showing admiration, “Back then, the Iga ninja brought a group of ninjas to kill him, but he took them all down in just a few moves. The Iga ninja was so scared that he was trembling and asked who he was. Guess what he said?”
Marissa shook her head, asking, “What did he say?”
Camilla stood up and, imitating Charlie’s cold demeanor, said, “He said, ‘I’m your dad, and I’m here to take your life!’”
Marissa chuckled, “He sounds pretty arrogant.”
“More than arrogant!” Camilla said seriously, “He was off the charts! I’ve never seen anyone so arrogant! He didn’t even take those ruthless Japanese ninjas seriously. Killing them was like chopping vegetables. It was incredible!”
She added, slightly frustrated, “The worst part is that he was rude to my brother and me. I asked him to lend me a phone to call Dad, and he refused, saying it was a private item. How arrogant!”
Marissa laughed, “He probably didn’t want you to have his number to avoid tracing his identity.”
“Exactly!” Camilla said angrily, “He’s very cunning and left no clues! Before he left, I said ‘see you in the world,’ and he said, ‘We won’t meet again.’ Thinking back on it, it really annoys me! It’s such an insult! So, I’m determined to find him and ask him, ‘You said we wouldn’t meet again, so how do you feel now that you’ve met me again?’”
, and Claire had to deal with so much BS 'cause of him. He even had the nerve to ask for money during Grandma Wilson's big party, making Claire hella embarrassed 
. They kicked Charlie Wade out, but then plot twist! 
Some butler dude shows up. Turns out, Charlie Wade's actually from the uber-rich Wade clan. The butler's like, "Come home, fam." But since his parents were, like, done dirty by the Wade fam, he's like "Nah." But he did take his grandpa’s black card loaded with 10 billion. 
#MicDrop
. I might share a few updates here and there if time permits, but please understand that this won’t be my main focus during my time off. Thank you for your understanding, and let’s stay connected! Don’t forget to explore other stories available here on Kijiji. Stay safe and keep enjoying! 
