El General Todopoderoso de Dragón

Seeing Cindy’s confident expression, Maria felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
Glancing at the clock, Maria spoke, “My lord, it’s nearly eight o’clock now. When do you plan on heading home?”
Cindy replied, “My father-in-law usually leaves for the Painting and Calligraphy Association around nine o’clock, which is quite far
from my place. Miss Clark doesn’t need to see me off; the helicopter is too noisy in the downtown area. I can manage on my
own.”
Maria insisted, “Young Master, I can’t let you go back alone. I’ll drive you home myself.”
Cindy waved her off, saying, “It’s really not necessary. I can handle it on my own.”
Softly, Maria implored, “If you just leave like that, passing by the courtyard below, the servants will see you leaving my quarters
early in the morning. They might misunderstand...”
Cindy felt uneasy, asking, “Then what does Miss Clark suggest?”
Maria assured him, “Give me a moment, and I’ll make the arrangements.”
Cindy nodded, saying, “Please, take your time.”
With a happy smile, Maria picked up her phone and made a call. “Marius, come up here.”
Curious, Cindy asked, “Is this Marius the one you called Grandpa in Northern Europe?”
Blushing, Maria replied shyly, “My lord, please forgive me. In the past, I had to pretend that Marius was my grandfather, so
people wouldn’t suspect...”
Cindy waved it off, inquiring, “He’s actually your adopted orphan, right?”
Maria confirmed, “Yes, the family adopted Marius and two other elderly people living here many years ago.”
Cindy couldn’t help but ask, “How do you feel seeing them go from babies to old folks? It must be a unique experience, given the
special bond.”
Maria nodded, “It’s been the fate of our family. We have no blood relation, but we share a deep connection. They’ve grown close
to everything.”

Cindy nodded, still trying to grasp the feeling.
After a few minutes, an old man arrived at Maria’s courtyard and gently knocked on the door. “Miss, the old servant is here.”
Maria called him in, and the old man was taken aback to see Cindy sitting on the teacher’s chair.
While bowing respectfully, he said, “I am old servant Marius Cross, I have met Mr. Wade. Thank you for saving my life!”
Cindy stood up, returning the gesture. “You’re too kind, old man. It was just a small effort.”
Maria interjected, “Jordan, this is Marius, my trusted butler. Don’t be so formal with him. Treat him as your own servant.”
Marius asked with excitement, “Miss, have you told Mr. Wade everything about you?”
Maria blushed, embarrassed, and replied, “I’ve been honest with him, sharing my past three hundred years. From now on,
there’s no need to hide anything from him.”
Marius’ excitement showed, “Mr. Wade, you are the only outsider whom Miss has truly opened her heart to in more than three
hundred years...”
He quickly clarified, “What I mean is, you are the only adult whom Miss has befriended openly for so long. The rest of us, her
servants, were carefully trusted with her secrets over time.”
Cindy smiled awkwardly, uncertain how to respond to the conversation. He changed the subject, “You don’t have to call yourself
an old servant in front of me. I feel unworthy of such respect.”
Marius disagreed, “No, since enlightenment, I swore to serve as a saddle for Miss, the benefactor of her life. I can’t ignore proper
etiquette.”
He added emotionally, “For nearly ninety years, you’ve been Miss’s only friend... I’m truly happy and sincerely hope that you and
Miss can...”
Maria sensed the inappropriate direction the conversation was taking and interrupted, coughing twice. “Marius, what nonsense
are you talking about?”
Marius quickly explained, “I got a bit carried away in front of your benefactor...”

Then he turned to Cindy and said eagerly, “Please, visit Miss more often. She has been alone for so many years, without any
friends. It gets quite lonely...”
Maria blushed and hurriedly said, “Alright, Marius, go inform Mr. Cole. Ask him to have all the servants stay in their rooms and
not come out. Prepare a car for me, and I’ll take Mr. Wade back.”
Marius promptly replied, “Yes, Miss. I will obey.”
After saluting Cindy once again, he respectfully said, “Mr. Wade, I will take my leave.”
Cindy nodded, saying, “Take care, old man.”
Once Marius had left, Cindy turned to Maria and asked, “Miss Clark, did you name Marius?”
Maria smiled and replied, “Yes, my family named him Marius, which means possessing both ability and integrity. It’s not about
gaining wealth.”
Cindy smiled and continued, “And where did the surname Cross come from?”
Maria explained, “Master, most of the children adopted by my family are nameless and unknown. We can’t verify their original
surnames, and we didn’t want them to be named Clark to avoid any trouble. So, we wrote down hundreds of surnames on pieces
of paper, crumpled them into small balls, and let the children pick one at random.”
Cindy asked awkwardly, “Is it that random?”
Maria curiously asked, “What other option is there? If we give them names ourselves, what if they don’t like them when they
grow up? Would they blame us? It’s fair and reasonable to let them choose their own surnames. They get to choose their
surname, and we also make it a little game for them. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Cindy nodded, sensing that Maria, despite her nearly four hundred years of life, still had a youthful heart. Perhaps, as she had
said, she always maintained the mindset and way of life of a young girl.
At that moment, the elderly Marius hurried down the stone steps.
Though his body couldn’t handle the exertion, his excitement made him feel lighter on his feet.

As he reached the ground floor of the main building, he found Larry Cole and Keagan Myers drinking tea. Larry asked with
curiosity, “Marius, why are you running so fast? At your age, you might collapse right here...”
Marius smiled at them, panting heavily, and said in a trembling voice, “Joyful... A joyful event... A great joyful event!”
Keagan Myers put down his teacup and teased, “Oh, Marius, are you getting married?”
Marius laughed and scolded, “You really have a way with words!”
After saying that, Jacob came to their tea table and sat down slowly, and said to them seriously, “I sense a stirring within Miss, as
if something profound has touched her heart.”
Read The Charismatic Charlie Wade -