The Charismatic Charlie Wade

Upon hearing Maria’s words, Jagoan instinctively turned his gaze to the worn black photo album she held.

At a glance, it was obvious that this photo album had some age to it.

Over the past decade or so, with the rapid evolution of smartphones, everyday people have unknowingly digitized their entire image collections. The days of buying various-sized photo albums and meticulously converting each image, as they had done two decades ago, were long gone. Photographs were now neatly tucked into digital folders.

Jagoan remained clueless about the album’s contents, so he accepted it from Maria and delicately opened the first page.

The initial image that leaped from the page featured two youthful figures standing in front of the Statue of Liberty in the United States.

The man in the photograph bore an uncanny resemblance to Jagoan himself, yet his attire belonged to a bygone era, featuring a knitted sweater and white jeans unique to that time.

This was none other than Jagoan’s father, Bruce. The woman by his side, in her twenties, exuded a slender grace, her light beige trench coat billowing stylishly. Her curly perm, all the rage back then, retained its timeless allure. The wind tousled both her clothing and hair simultaneously, lending her an air of elegance, beauty and a dash of rustic charm.

Unable to contain herself, Maria sighed, “The Young Master’s mother was truly exquisite…”

Jagoan nodded subtly and couldn’t resist teasing, “Have you never seen my mother before? She was quite a sensation in her day.”

Maria shook her head and continued, “I once delved into Young Master’s mother’s life story. It’s truly remarkable. She enjoyed unparalleled popularity in the realms of technology, finance and venture capital twenty or thirty years ago…”

As she spoke, Maria’s voice softened and she added, “In fact, my life trajectory is the polar opposite of the Young Master’s mother. She soared to fame in Silicon Valley and the internet era, becoming a trendsetter, while I emerged after the internet’s rise. I was concerned that Morgana’s ability to acquire information would skyrocket due to this widespread trend, distancing her from the outside world and the timing couldn’t have been more mismatched.”

nodded in understanding before flipping to

Bruce stood tall and proud, while Lily nestled

the page held four group photos, each featuring the couple in various poses, graceful, playful, or amusing. Yet, in every frame, their affection for one another radiated

Young Master’s parents must have had

story. In fact, their affection remained undiminished from what I can remember. They never had a quarrel and even when disagreements arose, one of

“So, who usually caved

“It wasn’t particularly one-sided. They shared an unspoken understanding in life and could always gauge the other’s resolve accurately. If they sensed that the other was more steadfast on

sighed, “Such a harmonious relationship, balancing each other at all times, is genuinely

the album’s pages to reveal

of the left page featured a photo of a quaint antique shop. Its design carried a touch of nostalgia, with a somewhat British-style door and

the shop’s entrance and said, “Young Master, this store is located in Queens,

make out those details at this resolution. The text is

this placard resemble the early styles in Queens. I’m not certain if they still use

a moment and added,

set of antique

the information, Jagoan excitedly declared to Maria, “This must be the antique shop where my

‘Preface to the Apocalyptic Book’ must share more than just a coincidence. The Young Master stumbled upon the Apocalyptic Book in an Aurous Hill antique shop, while your father found it in a New York

land in the hands of a father and son with only two individuals in between them, spanning