Is this destiny?

After brunch, Emma and Ellie wanted to visit the twins, and they asked Charlie and Jasper if they can go to the Mediterranean villa. JoAnna tempted them with a great lunch, and they agreed. Jeff was excited, he will get to show off with his babies!

Charlie called the butler and told him that he and Emma are leaving.

"Master…", the butler called politely. Since last night, Charlie is the Master in this villa. "The group of elders is here. They wish to speak to you. What should I tell them?"

Charlie knows what this is about, but he thought it will happen later. Jarred texted him with information that some people will want an explanation about Thomas and he asked if Charlie needs help. Charlie refused. He can take care of them.

Charlie glanced at Jeff and Jasper. "It will not take more than a few minutes."

"We will wait outside." Jeff confirmed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Emma offered.

"I would love that…" Charlie put his hand around Emma, and they went down the hallway.

…

Charlie and Emma are facing five older people. They are elders in the Smith family and shareholders at the Smithsonite corp. Three are Thomas\' supporters, and the other two are usually neutral. Charlie\'s guess is that those two came out of curiosity.

"Can we get to the point of your visit? I am busy." Charlie said.

"Impudent!" A man in his mid-sixties said.

Charlie smiled. "Grand-Uncle Caspar. You came here asking to talk to me. How is impudent when I inquire about the reason behind your visit?"

Another man snorted and gestured toward Emma. "Why is she here?"

Charlie was irked by man\'s condescending tone.

"Grand-Uncle William, SHE is Emma. My future wife. She is not a vase, but my equal. Emma has the right to be by my side, always. And in my absence, she can make decisions in my place." Charlie responded sternly.

Casper waved his hand at William, indicating him to drop the topic. They are not here to discuss Emma. "You kicked out Thomas. What gives you the right to do so?"

Charlie was ready for this question and he knows that these men want to understand the reasoning behind such a decision and that they will try to revert it. However, they are not doing it for the sake of Thomas, but because they are aware that they could be next to suffer such a fate. Charlie sneered internally at the scheming old people. Do they think that he can\'t see through them?

"In case you missed the announcement Uncle Jarred made last night, I am the new patriarch, and it\'s my duty to take care of the family. Our name carries the weight of responsibility to uphold a certain image, respect, power. Uncle Thomas and his children trampled on those values. I did what was necessary. I don\'t need to remind you what kind of a man he is, and what kind of a family we are. Unless your history is an exemplar, you have no right to complain about my decisions." Charlie made a dramatic pause and looked at each of the five shocked faces before continuing. "I thought so."

Caspar scowled, unable to hide his displeasure. "Don\'t be too full of yourself, Charlie. You are young and you only got your position. Kicking out Thomas as soon as you got the power is too much."

Charlie kept his cool. "I didn\'t kick him out, I only showed him how much I know, and I pointed out the dangers if that information leaks. Uncle Thomas was smart enough to weigh his options and conclude that he should not go against me because I am the only one who can protect him. He decided to retire and live a peaceful life. Last night, Uncle Thomas signed his stocks to me, and in exchange, I will prevent negative information about him to spread. I was even magnanimous enough to ensure that Aileen\'s college tuition is paid fully, regardless of Uncle Thomas\' finances. Don\'t accuse me of bullying, if you check, you will see that Uncle Thomas still has his vacation houses and other assets. If I made a move on him, I would leave them penniless."

Charlie straightened his back and looked at five people in front of him sternly. "Aileen and Daniel were foolish enough to think that Emma is my weakness. Uncle Thomas was prudent to know when to bow his head and that saved them from annihilation. I hope that everyone in the family got the message of how I am not an easy target because next time I will not be generous in giving a safe exit to anyone who dares to act against me or Emma."

Charlie enjoyed the look of confusion on the faces of the five people in front of him. "Any more questions? If you excuse us, our friends are waiting…"

Five older people watched Charlie and Emma leave the room and it took them a long time to regain their composure and to react. But they were not sure what to say, because Charlie is right. Thomas is not clean, and neither are they.

"Can we do something about this?" William asked.

Caspar snorted. "What do you want to do? Will you stick your neck out for Thomas? Did you see who are Charlie\'s friends he left with? Do you dare provoke him?"

"So what now? We play dead?" One of the men asked helplessly.

Casper shook his head, indicating that he is not sure. "We all know what happened last night. Thomas didn\'t teach his kids to assess their opponents properly. They thought that Charlie is an easy target, and that Emma is a weak link."

"You are not considering supporting him?" William could not hide his disapproval.

Casper was irritated. "Read the situation, Will... Charlie took care of Thomas. Do you think that Thomas would give up his stocks if Charlie didn\'t twist his arm? Charlie is not alone, he has people supporting him from the shadows. I have no intention of opposing Charlie until I find out who those people are. And you will do the same or risk ending up as Thomas."

"We already know about Whites and Kianis..." One of the men said.

Casper confirmed. "It will be difficult to find something we can use to bribe them, and it seems that they are not with Charlie for the money. There is something else, we are missing..."

…

"Are you sure this will work?" Emma asked Charlie when they left the room.

"On them, yes. They are used to what they have, and they will not dare to jeopardize it. Unless they are confident without a doubt that they can take me down, they will lower their heads and stay quiet." Charlie explained. 

Jarred told Charlie about the elders and everyone else Jarred dealt with. The elders will try to control Charlie, and if that fails, they will attempt to get him to their side.

The elders are used to their power and luxury, and they will not make rash decisions.

The younger generation is volatile. They grew up with entitlement, and some of them believe that Charlie took away the position of the patriarch from under their noses. Jarred advised Charlie that youngsters are reckless and will attack without thorough thinking and that Charlie needs to be careful when dealing with them. Last night\'s incident proves that Jarred was right.

Charlie talked to Emma about this, and she advised him to find a way to get their loyalty.

"Money and shiny things are temporary and will not get you their true loyalty." Emma warned Charlie. "Investigate them and see what they want, what they really need. Something that can\'t be bought with money. Help them get that…"

Charlie understood Emma\'s point. Sarah got Charlie\'s trust when she gave the blue diamond to Jarred. Not because of its value, but because of what it meant to him. And also, Sarah went out of her way to connect him with JoAnna and due to that he is walking again… and he met Emma. Those are not the things that can be bought with money.

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