Black mist billowed from Glenda's body, looking absolutely terrifying.
She rubbed the ice shards off her gloves and said calmly:
"Bode Gray, do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"
Bode raised his wand, his tone unfriendly. "What do you want from us anyway? Are you Magni's lackey? Planning to capture us and take the credit?"
Glenda simply curled her finger, and the wand in Bode's hand flew out of his control, spinning through the air before landing in her hand.
The four were shocked. Bode was the strongest among them, yet he seemed to have no power to fight back against Glenda at all!
Her Disarming Charm was silent and seamless, far exceeding the realm of non-verbal, wandless magic. It was effortless and flawless, almost divine!
"Magni's lackey?"
Glenda laughed. What should have been a bright smile now appeared somewhat sinister.
"I killed Dalton. Am I his lackey?"
Glenda stood up, a powerful aura erupting from her, forcing Bode and the others to retreat until they hit the wall.
"If it weren't for defeating Magni, why would I have ended up like this?"
Glenda seemed to be in pain. She took deep breaths, desperately suppressing the terrifying black mist.
"Speak! Where is the Dalton ruin you discovered? No, I want you to take me there personally!"
...
...
"Audrey! Welcome home!"
Peter Waterman hurried forward with an excited expression.
Audrey blinked. This seemed to be her house, not his.
"Where's my brother?"
"He stayed up late creating again yesterday and hasn't woken up yet."
Audrey shrugged, put on her slippers, and headed upstairs.
Waterman suddenly shouted, "Wait, Audrey! This is your schedule for the summer break. Take a look!"
Audrey stopped, frowning slightly as she took the itinerary Waterman handed her.
She glanced at it and was immediately laughed out of anger.
"Mr. Waterman, are you treating us like pack mules?"
"Sixty-one days, twelve countries! Seventy-four concerts, with as many as three shows—morning, afternoon, and evening—on the busiest day!"
"What happened? Did you take out high-interest loans and are being forced to jump off a building by creditors?"
Waterman shook his head repeatedly.
"No, Audrey, you don't know how crazy your fans are! Just work hard for two months. Don't you want to hear how much we can earn? One hundred and eighty million dollars! That's 180 million!!"
Audrey activated Legilimency, and Peter Waterman's mind immediately became transparent before her.
[I'm sorry, Audrey, but I have no choice. The Boston Consortium bought my company, and they're the ones demanding this! If you weren't going back for further studies, they'd probably have you working all year round!]
The Boston Consortium?
Audrey paused. Ever since the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, this consortium had gradually lost its edge in competition with other groups.
Did they want a slice of the entertainment industry pie?
"Mr. Waterman, how much did you sell your company for?"
"What?"
Waterman looked stunned.
Audrey sneered.
"You're no longer the one in charge of the company, are you?"
She bypassed Waterman and headed toward the second floor.
"On behalf of my brother, I'm informing you that we are terminating our contract with you!"
Waterman's pupils dilated, sweat appearing on his forehead. "No, Audrey, you can't! You can't do this!" he cried frantically.
If he lost the Astley siblings, he would have nothing.
The most valuable assets of his PWL company were the siblings. If Audrey left, he would face lawsuits from the Boston Consortium—no one would buy his damn company without Audrey Astley!
"Audrey! Think carefully! If you terminate the contract, you and your brother will have to pay a massive penalty!"
Audrey didn't stop. Already halfway up the stairs, she asked indifferently,
"How much?"
"Thirty million pounds!"
In Waterman's view, even for Audrey Astley, thirty million pounds was a staggering sum.
"Heh," Audrey sneered. "I'm very grateful that you lent my brother a hand when he was at his lowest. Of course, that's also because he lived up to expectations. Therefore, I will pay you forty million pounds. The extra ten million is to thank you for taking care of him all these years."
As she spoke, Audrey reached the second floor. Gripping the railing, she looked down at Mr. Waterman on the ground floor. "You are not welcome here, Mr. Waterman. From today on, we have no connection."
Waterman looked like he had lost his parents. He hadn't expected Audrey to be so decisive.
Fortunately, after paying the thirty million penalty to the Boston Consortium and buying back the company, he would still have ten million pounds left. At least he could retire comfortably—he didn't believe he'd ever be lucky enough to find another pair like the Astleys.
Rick's door opened, and Rick Astley walked out looking dazed.
He had dark circles under his eyes and was unshaven. There was almost no flesh left on his face, making him look extremely gaunt.
"Audrey? You're back!"
Rick suddenly stumbled. He grabbed the doorframe and said reproachfully, "Oh, I completely lost track of time. Today is the day you come home!"
Audrey frowned and stepped forward to support Rick. "Brother, what happened? Why do you look like this?"
"It's nothing," Rick said, gently patting the back of Audrey's hand. "The creative workload has been heavy recently. I've just pulled a few all-nighters."
"Workload? How heavy?"
"Mr. Waterman asked me last month to write twenty new songs before you returned." Rick looked at his sister with joy in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm almost finished! It won't delay our concerts!"
Audrey felt her blood boil. She shouted down to Waterman, "Your ten million is gone, Mr. Waterman!"
Rick was confused. "What ten million?"
Audrey smiled. "We're free, brother."
...
...
Soon, the news of the Astley siblings terminating their contract with PWL and signing with ATV at lightspeed spread worldwide, but it no longer concerned them.
Audrey decided she had to nurse her silly brother back to health quickly. If Rick didn't get healthy again, she wouldn't allow him to continue making music!
Ukraine,
Volyn,
Shatsk National Park,
Shatsk Lakeside.
Clear waters meet the endless sky.
Lush green grass.
On the crescent-shaped lakeshore, four sun umbrellas stood planted.
Under the umbrellas were four lounge chairs.
Audrey, Rick, Isaline, and Edmond lay there, chatting lazily.
Isaline's eyes were half-closed, the shimmering lake surface making her feel dizzy. "Audrey, if you don't hold any concerts this summer, your fans will go crazy!"
"It's fine. I've already recorded ten songs. ATV is Michael's company; they are very professional and will release the album soon."
"Then you have to send me a signed copy!"
"No problem!"
"Audrey," Edmond sat up halfway and asked seriously, "Peter Waterman treated Rick like that. Are you really just letting him off the hook?"
As he spoke, Edmond made a subtle throat-slitting gesture.
"Heh!"
Audrey looked at Rick, who was sleeping like a log beside her, and said calmly,
"The Boston Consortium will act for us. Those oligarchs aren't easy to talk to... Waterman thinks he can buy back the company at the original price? He's dreaming. The Boston Consortium will definitely sue him for fraud!"
Oligarchs?
Edmond shook his head. This girl probably hadn't realized yet that she was an oligarch herself—an oligarch who controlled more than half of Ukraine's national resources!
What did that even mean?
What was the land area of Ukraine? Six hundred thousand square kilometers.
And the land area of Japan? Three hundred and seventy thousand square kilometers.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]