CHAPTER 400: 220 A DIAMOND RING

Daniel Parker had never been this nervous before; he rubbed his eyes forcefully, staring at the red dot on the screen.

The camera was pulled back a bit, but it really did look a lot like Charlotte Miller.

Actually, Charlotte was always easy to recognize; there was always a special aura about her.

To put it simply, it was femininity.

That kind of femininity wasn’t measured by refined features or bra size, or even waist size.

Charlotte’s femininity radiated from her very bones, intellectual yet alluring.

"Beauty is in the bone, not the skin" — this saying fit her perfectly. Her beauty was the kind that stood out even among a crowd of pretty girls, and he felt like he really did see her.

The camera wasn’t zooming in, which was infuriating...

But soon they would shoot her from the front, and he hoped it wouldn’t be Charlotte. Otherwise, they would have to run to another city immediately.

The normal stock market listing day ceremony at the exchange hall lasts from 8:20 to 9:30. Normally, attendees start entering at 8:20, with VIP sign-ins and corsages, followed by ushering into the VIP section. At 8:40, designated personnel stand in position, inviting guests and VIPs in. At 8:50, the ceremony begins, with the announcer introducing the attending guests and inviting local government leaders and senior representatives of the sponsoring organization to speak; then the leaders of the listing company say a few words. Charlotte, whom he just spotted, seemed to be among these people.

Soon there should be some close-up shots, and he would be able to see clearly.

The carpet had already been laid out in the exchange hall, and quite a few people had gathered.

Even though it was a small company with a modest market value, generating attention since Jack Smith’s identity was quite special.

A chillingly elegant smile played on Charlotte’s lips. She wondered if someone in a different city might see her too?

This would usually be the time he finished signing the first batch of documents and paused to have a coffee.

But it didn’t matter if he saw her or not; she’d always have the chance to stand before him.

She wondered what his expression would be when she said, "Long time no see?"

Jack Smith looked at Charlotte, once so familiar yet now so foreign. That face was the same as three years ago, but now it exuded an indescribable coldness and mystery.

"Charlotte, are you married?" Jack Smith asked cautiously, his gaze falling on the large pink diamond on Charlotte’s hand.

It was clearly priceless, with a pure color and fiery brilliance that almost hurt to look at.

"Sort of." She laughed softly, seeing Jack Smith’s surprised look, and said gently, "We’ve been old friends too, Jack. Actually, through all these years of striving, you should see the current situation clearly. With the asset prices skyrocketing repeatedly, the upward path in U.S.A society has essentially closed for ordinary people. If you look over society, most relations exist in various forms of blood inheritance; the upper echelons recognize bloodlines above all. No matter how professional, walls built from expertise are much lower than those from bloodlines..."

Jack Smith seemed to understand this. Charlotte had found a wall built from bloodlines for herself, and what about Atlas Hallow?

"Is it like this abroad too? I mean, the ownership of wealth and resources?" Jack found it somewhat inconceivable.

"In developed countries, the wealth and resources have been closed off much earlier. Any entrepreneurial myth you’ve heard of has its unknown background." Charlotte’s gaze fell back on the diamond, her eyes growing dreamy.

"Let’s go, ring that bell. Even if you’re not an entrepreneurial legend, you’re enough to make young people envious." Retracting her clear gaze, Charlotte quickened her pace into the VIP area.

The camera seemed to have an eye for attractive people, and when Jack in his white shirt and black suit, alongside Charlotte in her red dress, stepped into the hall, the frame almost froze on them.

They must be the most pleasing guests at the exchange.

When Daniel Parker saw this scene, his eyes nearly popped out of his head; it really was Charlotte.

After such a long time, she had finally reentered the public’s view, and in such a manner, declaring her return to the world.

But the prospectus of North Culture’s listed company didn’t show Charlotte. In what capacity was she present?

The diamond on Charlotte’s hand was indeed too eye-catching. Could it be that she and Jack Smith had married and she attended as Mrs. Smith?

One question after another almost knocked Daniel out. He looked at his boss in a daze by the glass window, nervously licking his dry lips, cautiously saying, "President Hallow, I think I saw Charlotte when Jack Smith rang the bell earlier."

Actually, he was stammering as he said this because his mind was racing.

The person he thought would never appear again, or would sneak back in, had openly worn a blindingly dazzling diamond ring. It was terrifying; he couldn’t predict what madness his boss might resort to.

After all, he’s been doing just one thing for the past three years, which was searching for Charlotte.

In the past two or three years, his boss seemed to change, becoming even colder and less talkative, as if Charlotte had taken away all his expressions when she left, leaving him like a big ice sculpture.

When he mentioned Charlotte’s name, he clearly saw his boss’s strong body tremble, and when he turned around, Daniel saw a face that seemed to have weathered countless changes.

Atlas Hallow’s gaze fell on the screen. When he lifted his eyes, he saw a whole group of people, yet in his eyes, the whole group seemed not to exist, and through his trembling gaze, he saw a delicate silhouette.

But just that silhouette seemed to tug at his heart, rendering him unable to resist and nearly arresting his breath.

The office was eerily quiet, only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Atlas Hallow’s eyes did not dare blink as he stared at the screen, as if to confirm, or as if he wanted to tie her down with his gaze.

The broadcast time was short, as it was just a bell-ringing ceremony, with only a few images, but enough for him to clearly see Charlotte, Jack Smith, and that diamond ring on her hand?

A life filled with romance, she would marry twice...

This thought surfaced in his mind, and that gleaming diamond ring tugged at his chest, making even breathing painful.

In that moment, Daniel caught Atlas Hallow’s eyes. It seemed like eternal ice that never melted, cold enough to scare anyone, yet in that instant, it turned into a pool of water, making his formerly expressionless face soft, yet with a softness filled with alarming danger.

Through the screen, Atlas seemed to hear Charlotte’s laughter, crossing time and distance, through a thousand thousand years, across mountains and rivers, with fatal allure and stunning tension, drifting into his ears.

Astonishingly staring, afraid of getting it wrong, though the screen clearly displayed her.

That red dress ignited the fire in his eyes...

Just like a rebirth, leaping into his sight and re-entering his life.

The whole world had only her shadow, her, all her...

He knew Charlotte’s nature; if she was really back, she wouldn’t avoid him.

She thought they no longer had anything to do with each other, but he never believed that.

That marriage certificate didn’t mean anything; she is his wife, and that won’t change.

"Now go do two things for me: first, find out in what capacity she attended; second, comprehensively acquire North Culture." Atlas Hallow sat on the couch, and though the brief live broadcast had ended, Daniel noticed Atlas seemed still immersed in the scenes just now.

His spirit seemed to have been hooked onto the screen by the Charlotte who appeared there, right?

Finding out what capacity she attended is manageable, but is there a need to acquire Jack Smith’s company?

Though it’s merely an elementary task, there’s no real necessity for it.

Was the boss trying to involve himself through the largest shareholding in North Culture to intersect with Charlotte?

Daniel, bewildered, hurried out to carry out the tasks. At this moment, speed was crucial, or he might lose his job.