Chapter 216 Glory
Charles had this wild idea to turn Cloud Top Mountain into a big deal, like a landmark or something. Basically, he wanted to be on the top..
James was floored. In his head, Charles was always this shy guy, definitely not the leader type.
"Crazy, right? But don't sleep on it. Your father-in-law was a total brainiac back in the day."
Brandon saw James' confusion, chuckled while sipping his tea, and said, "He was one of the first kids in the youth class, always top of the class, and miles ahead of the second-place kid."
"He snagged gold medals in five international competitions—math, physics, chemistry, biology, and mechanics. His youth was lit, even more than yours."
"He knocked out a PhD that usually takes seven years in just three, and he was the best of the bunch."
"If he hadn't gone back to his family and gotten tangled up in rich-people drama, Charles would've definitely made it into 'Dharma Academy' and been a top dog."
James was a bit taken aback. He knew about Dharma Academy, the place where all the brainiacs hang out, where every academician is like a national treasure.
He didn't expect Charles to have such a killer past. James thought he was just an old dude and then asked curiously, "So, going back to the family, does that mean the Smith Clan?"
Brandon took another sip of tea. "Yep, one of the top five families, the Smith Clan."
"That’s weird," James looked puzzled. "Isn't the Smith Clan super powerful? After Charles went back, he should've been killing it."
"James, you're still green," Brandon laughed. "Regular folks have their beef, and rich families have even more drama."
"At twenty-five, Charles' secret came out. He was the illegitimate son of Churchill Smith, the head honcho of the Smith Clan back then. After confirming Charles' bloodline, Churchill brought him to Stardust City despite all the haters."
He laid out the backstory. "He even had him return to the family at his own sixtieth birthday bash."
"This Churchill guy is something else," James praised. "Not scared of gossip or losing face. Nowadays, lots of people are too embarrassed to acknowledge their illegitimate kids."
"The reason he brought Charles back was, first, because Charles was a rockstar, and second, to balance the power of his wife's family," Brandon said, swirling his teacup. "After Charles came back, Churchill had his back big time."
"The Smith Clan first dropped ten billion dollars billion to buy Cloud Top Mountain, then threw in another ten for Charles to develop it."
James was a bit shocked. Churchill had mad faith in Charles. That twenty billion dollars billion back then is like two hundred billion dollarsnow.
Brandon suddenly asked James, "Do you get why Churchill threw down so much cash?"
James poured Brandon half a cup of tea and replied, "First, to see if Charles had the chops, and second, to give him a shot to make a name for himself. Even though Charles had a killer rep, he hadn't done much for the Smith Clan. So Churchill handed him this massive project to see if he could hack it. If Cloud Top Mountain becomes a big win for the Smith Clan, Charles' spot in the family would be rock solid."
James was trying to get into Churchill's head. "So, once Charles is solid, Churchill can start grooming him to take over, right?"
Brandon nodded. "Bingo, that was the master plan."
"Charles got the memo, so he busted his butt. He was dead set on making Cloud Top Mountain a landmark, pulling in all the big shots from Rosewood City. That way, even if he didn't become the big boss, he'd still be a major player back in Rosewood."
Brandon grinned. "So, Cloud Top Mountain isn't just a project; it's Charles' big dream."
James suddenly clicked. "Looks like Charles has some serious drive."
"Drive's great, but flashing it without the muscle to back it up is like putting a bullseye on your back." Brandon squinted, looking at the distant Cloud Top Mountain. "Everyone could see Charles was gunning to be the next head of the Smith Clan."
James smirked. "And that drew the Sanchez family's attention, huh?"
"Exactly." Brandon, finding a rare listener in James, spilled the tea he usually kept to himself.
"Churchill had more than just Charles. He had seventeen kids, so you can imagine the family drama."
"Before Charles showed up, everyone thought Nicholas Smith, the son of Violet Sanchez and Charles' older brother, was the heir."
"Nicholas was top-notch too, but he was too much of a mama's boy, always following Violet's orders. Violet was all about her own family, so Churchill wasn't a fan. When Charles came into the picture, he already had enemies."
"But Violet and her crew didn't go for the obvious moves like assassination or poisoning. Nope, they played nice, acting all warm and fuzzy towards Charles in public."
Brandon chuckled. "One big happy family, right?"
James asked, "So, what happened next?"
"Next?" Brandon sighed. "The Cloud Top Mountain project was on fire, with billions being pumped in. Charles' rep and status were skyrocketing. He was more impressive than me back then. But when the project was about sixty percent done, and the fund was almost gone, everything went to hell."
"First, a few buildings collapsed, killing and injuring dozens of workers. Then, more than a dozen night shift security guards mysteriously died at their posts."
"Turns out, they were scared to death."
"All these deaths and accidents made Cloud Top Mountain a media circus."
"Finally, workers dug up an ancient tomb underground."
"This news blew up nationwide, and suddenly, everyone was looking at Cloud Top Mountain."
Brandon said calmly, "Rumors flew that there was an ancient tomb under Cloud Top Mountain. Overnight, thousands of archaeologists swarmed the place."
James sighed. "A total knockout punch."
In that mess, whether there was an ancient tomb or not, the project had to stop for an investigation.
Once the project stalled and dragged on, Charles was done for.
Killing without leaving a mark!
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