After Rebirth, I Became a Billionaire — and Choose the poor Girl Vol.4

Chapter 301: Grace, You’re Getting Naughtier

“Hmm?” Ethan Cole looked at Grace Bennett with a face full of anticipation.

He wondered to himself if Grace Bennett was finally going to agree to his alternative route since they were parting ways.

Grace Bennett took a deep breath and said, “Then tonight, I’ll help you pack your luggage!”

“???” Ethan Cole’s face was full of question marks.

When he saw the slightly upturned corners of Grace Bennett’s mouth, he instantly knew he had been fooled.

“Wow, Grace Bennett, you’re getting naughtier, daring to tease me like this. Just wait till I get you.”

“Ah, I’m wrong, Ethan, spare my life…”

Grace Bennett let out a series of alarmed cries, taking off with her long, shapely legs.

“Don’t run!” Ethan Cole pretended to be very angry as he chased after her: “You’d better not let me catch you, or I’ll definitely make you assist me in my cultivation!”

“Giggle, giggle, giggle…”

The sound of the girl’s bell-like laughter continued to ring out on the streets.

At the moment of parting, the two youngsters naturally had their own ways to express their unwillingness to separate.

After omitting ten thousand words of description, it was the next day at noon.

Grace Bennett was still asleep.

She had gone to bed late the night before.

Ethan Cole didn’t disturb her.

He left a little note, finished washing up, and then took a taxi to the airport by himself.

Vanguard Interactive’s headquarters were located in Larkspur Bay, Aurelia.

To fly there from Kingsport would take nearly twenty-two hours.

By the time Ethan Cole arrived, it was already the evening of October 3rd.

After disembarking from the airplane,

Ethan Cole walked out of the airport and took a deep breath.

He curled his lip, “What’s the big deal? The air here isn’t sweet at all.”

He couldn’t understand why so many people on their knees felt the air here was sweet.

Looking up at the moon, it wasn’t any brighter or rounder than the one back home.

Ethan Cole hailed a taxi.

He provided an address in fluent local language.

Before he left, he had already exchanged a bit of local currency.

The driver was a very robust man.

His attitude towards Ethan Cole, a foreigner, was mediocre, even with a hint of disdain.

That was normal, though.

After all, this was old money through and through, and outsiders rarely got the benefit of the doubt.

But such a situation wouldn’t last too long.

After traveling some distance, the driver suddenly asked whether Ethan Cole wanted to have a good time.

He mentioned they had some real beauties available.

Ethan Cole immediately understood what he was referring to.

DB and DP!

Those were two things Ethan Cole would never touch.

If touched, one’s family and person would surely meet ruin.

History had shown that no one who dabbled could escape such a fate.

So, young people should just get high on life and stay away from those two things.

Ethan Cole shook his head in refusal.

But the driver kept on talking, even with a hint of threat in his words.

After all, he could earn a decent commission if he managed to convince a client.

Ethan Cole was speechless.

Being abroad, he didn’t want to cause trouble and said he would give a hundred more upon reaching the destination.

Then…

The driver pulled over to the side of the road, took out a small knife, and attempted to mug Ethan Cole.

Ethan Cole: “…”

What kind of situation was this?

He looked around.

Well, there was no one around, and no cameras either.

Suddenly, he made his move.

A kick landed squarely on the driver’s lower abdomen.

The man let out a scream, his body curling up like a shrimp.

Then Ethan Cole left the area on foot.

Nearing one in the morning, he checked into a hotel successfully.

The city’s security wasn’t too bad.

The next day, Ethan Cole arrived at the headquarters of Vanguard Interactive.

The office space was still quite simple.

The real highlight would come in the near future when the entire company was acquired by Titan Interactive.

Ethan Cole remembered that initially, Titan Interactive had spent over four billion to acquire the developer of this game.

He mentioned his purpose to the receptionist.

Soon after, the founder, Nathaniel Kane, appeared.

“Who are you?” Nathaniel Kane asked, puzzled by Ethan Cole’s presence and unable to guess his intention.

Ethan Cole was straightforward, “I know your company is about to launch a game called ‘Rift Legends’.

I’m interested in obtaining the distribution rights and the future mobile game development rights.

As for the price, let’s package it all together for ten million dollars.”

Originally, Titan Interactive had acquired the domestic distribution rights for eight million.

Ethan Cole added an extra two million for the future mobile game development rights.

Of course, Ethan Cole could have used a more roundabout method to negotiate.

Given the current situation of Vanguard Interactive, it might have been possible to get the rights for four to five million, or even less.

But that would be too time-consuming.

Ethan Cole didn’t have the time to drag things out here.

Nathaniel Kane immediately straightened up, “Are you serious?”

“Mhm,” Ethan Cole nodded.

Nathaniel Kane’s eyes flickered with excitement.

He had been worrying about where to get the funds for the game’s launch promotion.

He hadn’t expected someone to offer him money so soon.

However, he didn’t agree right away.

Instead, he feigned difficulty, “Unfortunately, just a few days ago someone from your area came asking for the rights.

The price they offered was a bit higher than yours, so…”

Ethan Cole inwardly sneered.

This was pure nonsense.

It was nothing more than an attempt to hike up the price.

Ethan Cole stood up, ready to leave, “Alright then, you should just cooperate with that person from before.”

“No, no, no, let’s talk this out,” Nathaniel Kane hurriedly said when he saw that Ethan Cole didn’t hesitate at all to leave.

He couldn’t let a god of wealth slip away.

He made a decision, “I feel a connection with you, so I’ve decided to give you some concessions.”

On the surface, Ethan Cole put on a look of great honor.

A few hours later, the contract was signed, and Ethan Cole also provided a down payment of one million.

The deal was thus settled.

The process went more smoothly than Ethan Cole had expected.

Next, upon returning to his home country, he needed to step up efforts to make money.

After securing the rights for Rift Legends, he would need to recruit many programmers and the like.

Late-stage marketing would also need funding.

The cash of over three hundred million on hand probably wouldn’t last very long.

Since he was in Aurelia, should he buy some shares of the fruit company?

This idea flashed through Ethan Cole’s mind but was quickly dismissed by him.

Forget it.

With his intervention in this life, the fruit company couldn’t possibly reach the heights it did in his past life.

It’s better to save the money.

After dealing with the matters at hand, Ethan Cole didn’t plan on staying there any longer.

Though there were many nice cars he could try driving here.

But Ethan Cole wasn’t interested in that.

He already had the world’s most beautiful, most luxurious car.

Once again, he boarded a plane.

This time, he chose Empire City as the destination.

The journey to Empire City was much shorter, only fifteen hours.

After the round trip, it was already October 6, almost time for school to start.

“Phew, nothing beats the air at home,” Ethan Cole breathed deeply as he stepped out of the airport, grinning broadly.

He was not at all accustomed to the ‘freedom’ over there.

While walking out of the airport, he turned on his phone.

Several text messages and missed calls showed up, all from Megan Price.

Chapter 302: The Surprise Prepared for Grace

Ethan Cole redialed Megan Price, “What’s up?”

“Um… it’s just that I’ve run into some trouble right now, and I need another two billion. Do you have it?”

Megan Price’s voice could be heard with weariness and a bit of embarrassment.

After all, she had already borrowed two billion from Ethan Cole before.

“Okay, I’ll transfer it to you right now,” Ethan Cole agreed without hesitation.

Megan Price was astonished, “You’re not even going to ask me what I need so much money for?”

Ethan Cole laughed, “No need, we are good friends, and I trust you.”

Megan Price spoke in a dejected tone, “You’re so good to me. Other than offering myself to you, I really don’t know how else 1 could repay you.”

“Okay, let’s not talk about this, I’m transferring the money.”

Ethan Cole didn’t want to discuss this topic any further.

He ended the call proactively.

Upon reflection, he decided to send two and a half billion to Megan Price.

Just yesterday in Aurelia, Ethan Cole had once again received information from Harold Briggs about Megan Price.

She had sold all the assets her father gave her, including buildings and publicly-listed company stocks.

Now she was staking everything to snatch back the shares of her father’s company at all costs.

The two times Megan Price had borrowed money from Ethan Cole were also to acquire the shares held by individual investors and small shareholders.

Standing in place, Ethan Cole’s gaze flickered as he quickly calculated in his mind.

On Megan Price’s side, he needed to lend a hand himself and quickly resolve this matter.

Additionally, he had another very important thing to do.

That was to give Grace Bennett a big gift for their upcoming two-month anniversary.

The gift Ethan Cole wanted to give her required a lot of money.

Right now, he was truly stretched thin financially.

After much thought, Ethan Cole decided to sell the 6% stake in the Empire City taxi company that Frank Bennett had given him.

Before DD taxis emerged, the taxi business was good and was now very valuable.

The 6% stake Ethan Cole held was worth around ten billion.

After selling it, his funds would be much freer.

With that in mind, Ethan Cole immediately made a call.

Shares of such a company were in high demand.

By that afternoon, it had already been bought off.

Afterward, Ethan Cole took out five billion and began purchasing the stocks of Megan Price’s father’s company on the market.

Of course, he did it covertly, and anyone intentionally trying to investigate would find it difficult to trace it back to Ethan Cole.

As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he saw Grace Bennett waiting there.

She wore a face mask and dressed simply, not standing out in the crowd at all.

But Ethan Cole spotted her immediately.

Grace Bennett saw him too.

The two ran towards each other and hugged tightly.

Neither spoke, as everything was communicated without words.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s enough, huh? In broad daylight, in front of everyone, what kind of example is this?”

After releasing Grace Bennett, Ethan Cole saw Derek Hayes and Natalie Brooks walking over hand in hand.

Ethan Cole had also told them a few things about his return.

“Let’s go,” said Derek Hayes, draping his arm around Ethan Cole, “I’ve already booked a room to give you a welcome back dinner.”

“Okay, I also have something to discuss with you.”

Once inside the private dining room of the restaurant.

After taking their seats, Grace Bennett and Natalie Brooks were huddled together choosing dishes.

Ethan Cole turned to Derek Hayes and said, “I’m thinking of making you the vice president of the gaming company and giving you 10% of the shares, what do you think?”

“Good, no problem.”

Derek Hayes trusted Ethan Cole completely at this point.

He would do whatever Ethan Cole asked him to.

In any case, as long as it wouldn’t harm him.

After finishing the meal, Derek Hayes took Natalie Brooks home first.

Ethan Cole first dropped Grace Bennett off at home and then went to visit some people.

They were the wealthy local girls from Empire City whom Samantha Rhodes had introduced to him before.

Ethan Cole had always kept in touch with them.

From time to time, he’d send holiday greetings and such.

And after they learned that Ethan Cole had become this year’s national college entrance exam top scorer, they all elevated their regard for him to a new level. As for the purpose of visiting them, it was simple.

It was to borrow money.

To buy Grace Bennett a birthday gift.

He planned to acquire a cosmetics company that had a decent market share domestically.

The company was called ‘Lumiere Beauty.’

Their products were widely distributed.

Facial masks, lipsticks, blushes, perfumes, etc., they had it all.

Ethan Cole had also sent people to thoroughly investigate the company.

In recent years, there were no tax evasions or employee disputes, nor any incidents that had harmed consumer interests.

He even had all the company’s products bought and sent for inspection by relevant organizations.

The products were all qualified.

With that in mind, Ethan Cole decided to acquire the company.

Lumiere Beauty had over a thousand self-operated stores nationwide, ten factories, and more than twenty thousand employees.

Last year, they applied for an IPO but were sniped by a competitor.

Not only did they fail, they were also greatly weakened.

The current industry valuation was about 3.6 billion dollars.

And last month, the owner of Lumiere Beauty announced that he wanted to sell the company in its entirety.

Ethan Cole went to visit each of the local rich girls in person.

Basically, all of them were willing to lend to him.

More or less.

The least amount was twenty million, the most was ninety million.

The interest Ethan Cole offered was not low, a hefty five percent.

After a full round of visits, Ethan Cole successfully borrowed 4.8 billion.

He’d need to give Samantha Rhodes a proper thank you.

Along with his own cash in hand, which was about ten billion dollars.

For the rest, he could use assets to mortgage with the bank.

Actually, Ethan Cole could have borrowed all of it from the banks.

The reason he borrowed from the local rich girls was to make their relationship with each other even closer.

This time, he borrowed their money and returned it on time with a decent interest rate.

After laying this foundation of trust,

if he ever encountered a similar situation in the future and needed to borrow even more money, they would most likely be willing to lend it to him.

To complete the acquisition of Lumiere Beauty, Ethan Cole took several days off.

He kept everything about what he was doing confidential, not even letting Grace Bennett know.

Finally, on October 10th, he bought Lumiere Beauty in full.

For this, Ethan Cole took on tens of billions of debt.

But he thought it was all worth it.

Grace Bennett had been with him for so long, always helping him unconditionally.

Ethan Cole had yet to give her a serious and decent gift.

At the same time, he also renamed Lumiere Beauty to ‘QuickRead Cosmetics Company.’

This company had only one shareholder, which was Grace Bennett.

One hundred percent ownership.

Although due to the failed IPO, the company had been weakened and sales had declined,

for Ethan Cole, that wasn’t a big deal.

With integration into e-commerce, it could take off.

Today marked two months, sixty days, since he’d been together with Grace Bennett.

Ethan Cole had prepared a table full of sumptuous food at home before he called Grace Bennett over.

Before long, Grace Bennett arrived.

The moment she opened the door, Grace Bennett’s action took Ethan Cole by surprise.

Chapter 303: Mutual Rushing, Super Sweet and Loving

“Heehee, Ethan, you didn’t forget either, today is our 60th day together.

As Grace Bennett entered and saw Ethan Cole’s preparations, she immediately beamed with joy.

Then, she handed a black card to Ethan Cole with both hands, “I know you need money right now for your startup.

There’s ten billion in here, take it.

If it’s still not enough later on, I can sell off some of my assets.”

At this moment, no amount of words could express Ethan Cole’s feelings.

He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers.

It was over ten minutes before they parted.

Grace Bennett was panting non-stop, her eyes sultry.

Ethan Cole teased her delicate nose, “Silly girl, if I were just a bit more ruthless, you wouldn’t be just penniless, you might also end up in massive debt.

“Anyone in this world could hurt me, but Ethan definitely won’t.”

Grace Bennett’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was incredibly resolute.

Ethan Cole began to smile.

This was truly a mutual rush towards each other.

Both were wholeheartedly considerate of each other.

Their feelings for each other could now be said to be as firm as rock, unbreakable.

Even Frank Bennett would have to step aside if he came along.

Ethan Cole accepted the money.

If he didn’t, Grace Bennett would actually be upset.

He also felt a slight sense of guilt for having been wary of Grace Bennett before.

He was being a bit of a paranoid fool.

But he couldn’t be blamed entirely.

After all, in his previous life, he had been tricked by Chloe Winters, so he had to stay cautious.

After spending more time together, he found that Grace Bennett was a super treasure.

Completely different from Chloe Winters.

From now on, Ethan Cole wouldn’t guard against Grace Bennett anymore.

The two of them snuggled up to each other while eating.

You feed me a bite, and I feed you a bite.

Yes, that’s literally what it means.

Putting the food in their mouths and feeding it to each other.

It might seem disgusting to onlookers.

But to this pair of lovebirds, it felt incredibly sweet.

After finishing the meal, Ethan Cole helped her wash the dishes.

And then…

During this time, Ethan Cole had also saved up quite a bit for Grace Bennett.

Tonight, he was going to give it all to her in one go.

At that moment, Ethan Cole really wanted to sing a classic old song.

You intoxicate me, you make me cry…

The next day, bright and early, staff members delivered several sets of clothes previously custom-made for Grace Bennett.

Ethan Cole had specially ordered professional suits for her.

All of them conservative yet commanding.

Grace Bennett was sweet and girly, which was exactly what she was lacking in terms of authority and presence.

One set was dark blue, one was plaid, and one was a white ladies’ suit.

All designed to enhance presence and authority.

Paired with a set of black-framed glasses, they were the epitome of the ascetic look.

Ethan Cole was itching to move, almost wanting to reward himself again.

Today they were going to visit QuickRead Cosmetics Company, so the employees could meet the new boss.

Grace Bennett was clearly a bit nervous.

All the way there, she kept asking Ethan Cole what she should say and do when

the time came.

Ethan Cole stroked her head and said with a smile, “You’re the boss, what’s there to be nervous about?”

The young girl pouted her lips.

When they arrived at the company,

Although they had talked it over on the way, once they were there, it was still

Ethan Cole who took the lead, playing the ‘bad cop’ and acting as the bad guy. Grace Bennett, on the side, occasionally nodded and occasionally shook her head. After making the rounds, the company’s employees just remembered Ethan Cole as the ‘big bad wolf.’

Ethan Cole didn’t really care.

After all, having employees fear him wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The company’s current sales figures weren’t looking good.

But no matter, Ethan Cole had already devised a complete plan.

He and Grace Bennett stayed at the company until past two o’clock in the afternoon before preparing to leave.

Just as he got into the car, Ethan Cole received a call from Harold Briggs, his eyes narrowing slightly.

In the heart of Empire City, at the top floor of Kestrel Group’s headquarters building.

The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy.

All ten major shareholders were present.

They were divided into two factions.

One faction was led by the group’s second-largest shareholder, Griffin Chandler, with a total of nine people.

Together, they attacked Megan Price, who stood alone.

“Megan Price, you dream of taking control of the group? Wishful thinking!” “You hold a mere 13.2% of the shares in your hands, while all of us together have 33.8%!”

“This is the final board vote, and I nominate Griffin Chandler as the new chairman!”

“I agree too!”

Megan Price observed several individuals with a cold eye. Originally, she had persuaded some of them to stand by her side. But who knew that at the last moment, they would turn their coats. “Have you said enough?” Megan Price said coldly, “Do you really think you can just take away what belongs to my father? Dream on! Look what this is!” She threw a document onto the table.

Several directors picked it up and instantly their faces changed.

Megan Price crossed her arms and sneered, “Did you expect that? All of my mother’s shares have been transferred to me, and together, they amount to 35%!”

Megan Price thought to herself how lucky she was to have kept one move in reserve, otherwise, she would have truly faced defeat this time.

“Hahaha!”

But in the next second, the nine directors burst into laughter.

“You little girl, you do have some tricks up your sleeve.

“But you’re still too green.”

“The shareholders from eleven to twenty, we’ve bought out their shares as

well.”

“So, the latest total, we have over 40%.”

Things moved too quickly.

One second Megan Price was in heaven, the next she was cast into the abyss. Her face turned pale and she slumped powerlessly into her chair.

All her hard work during this time, was it all for naught?

The smirks on those shareholders’ faces looked so detestable, so nauseating to her.

Griffin Chandler looked at Megan Price with a smile, “Get out. With the shares you hold, you can still receive a handsome dividend each year.

A young lady like you should just find someone to marry and live peacefully. There’s no need to struggle so much.”

Such words might deceive a little girl, but Megan Price certainly wouldn’t believe them.

With her father there before, they didn’t dare to mess around.

If they took control of the group, it wouldn’t be long before they drained the entire group dry.

By then, Megan Price might even be saddled with a massive debt, unable to turn things around in her lifetime.

Just when Megan Price was in the depths of despair, the door to the conference room opened.

Ethan Cole walked in from outside and sat down beside Megan Price.

He crossed his legs and looked at everyone with a cheerful expression, “Let me introduce myself, Ethan Cole, one of Kestrel Group’s shareholders.

The shares I hold are not many, just 9.8%. I support Ms. Megan Price to become the new chairman of the group.”

Ethan Cole had spent over eight hundred million to acquire these shares.

The final result was now clear.

Megan Price pulled off a last-minute turnaround and successfully protected her father’s legacy.

After everyone else had left, Megan Price looked at Ethan Cole with tearful eyes, “I want to repay your kindness.”

Just as Ethan Cole was about to speak, he received a photo on his phone.

Upon opening it, he jumped up on the spot!

Chapter 304: Let’s Not Study It First, Study Me

The photos were sent by a strange number.

Several of them.

From various angles, all clearly capturing the scene where Grace Bennett was kissing another man.

Upon seeing these photos, Ethan Cole’s first reaction was to be furiously angry, his rage instantly filled to the brim.

But fortunately, he hadn’t lost his reason.

He took several deep breaths in succession, calming himself down.

He looked carefully at the photos.

Soon, he noticed something amiss.

The ‘Grace Bennett’ in the photos seemed to have thicker lips.

And this ‘Grace Bennett’ had ear piercings!

Ethan Cole knew that his girlfriend had not got her ears pierced to this day.

Upon closer examination, Ethan Cole discovered even more details. He could basically determine that the girl in the photos was not Grace Bennett.

While he sighed with relief, his eyes also flickered with a dangerous light.

Who was behind this, and what was their purpose?

-What’s wrong, Oppa?” Megan Price said in a coquettish voice, “Look at this office, just the two of us, how do you want to play?

Do you want it in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, on the sofa, or under the office desk?”

Ethan Cole was in no mood to entertain her with idle chatter.

He said irritably, “If you’re feeling bored, go clean the office.”

Having said that, Ethan Cole left in a hurry.

He needed to discuss the matter first with Grace Bennett.

Meanwhile.

After returning to school, Grace Bennett went to her classes.

Just after the afternoon class ended, she received a MMS from an unknown number on her phone.

Upon opening it, Grace’s face instantly turned pale.

They were photos of Ethan Cole being intimate with another girl. The angle was very clear, capturing ‘Ethan Cole’s’ entire face.

In an instant, Grace felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, chilling to the bone.

It was as if the sky had fallen.

But she quickly came to her senses.

It couldn’t be.

Ethan Cole wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.

So she examined the photos very carefully.

After spending so much time together, they knew each other exceptionally well.

Soon, she too noticed something was off.

■Ethan Cole’ in the photos, though very similar, had many details that were different.

This was something that only those who were very close to him could detect. “Someone wants to frame Ethan and then cause us to break up!”

Grace Bennett made this judgment.

If it were an ordinary couple, especially one that had just gotten together, seeing such explosive photos would definitely cause them to lose their minds instantly.

Then they would seek each other out for accusations, even cursing one another.

The end result would be the two parting ways, or even never communicating again for the rest of their lives.

However, the person setting this up had underestimated the strength of their relationship, as well as… their intelligence!

Ethan Cole returned to school and called Grace Bennett out.

The two of them exchanged phones to look at them.

“Ethan!” After viewing them, Grace clutched her phone tightly, her expression more serious than ever, “We must find out who did this, I want them to pay the price!”

Grace Bennett was indeed very gentle and sweet-tempered, but that didn’t mean she was a pushover who could be manipulated by others at will.

What the other party did this time had seriously challenged her limits.

If either of them had even a bit of distrust towards the other, it could have led to a breakup, missing out on each other for a lifetime.

Thinking of the potential consequences of this incident made Grace shudder with fright.

It was also the first time Ethan Cole had seen Grace Bennett this serious.

One could feel the wisps of cold air emanating from her.

However, this matter had to be treated with the utmost seriousness.

No matter the background of the other party, Ethan Cole had no intention of letting them go.

Ethan Cole dialed those two numbers that had sent the MMS.

As expected, they were switched off.

If the person had even a little bit of sense, they wouldn’t have used their own number.

They could just buy a couple of SIM cards, use them, and then discard them. Now that there was no real-name system in place, there was no way to track them.

Grace Bennett looked at the photos on the phone.

Her beautiful brows almost knitted together.

-Ethan, these two people look at least ninety percent like us,” Grace Bennett said. “There can’t be such a coincidence in the world, to just happen upon two people who look so much like us.

So, I think the other side must have found a make-up artist with exceptional skills, or perhaps a team.

Let’s start our search from there.”

“Mm, your analysis makes a lot of sense,” Ethan Cole nodded. “I’ll have someone look into it right away.”

Grace Bennett was quite smart, not just a pretty face.

This was something he hadn’t thought of at the beginning.

He still asked Harold Briggs for help in investigating.

Then, Ethan Cole also inquired with the rich local girls of Empire City whom he knew.

Perhaps some of them would know.

“All right, let’s just wait quietly for the results,” Ethan Cole said, wrapping his arm around Grace Bennett’s fragrant shoulders. “Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria for food, and then code together tonight.”

“Mm, okay-”

In the evening, after taking a bath, Grace Bennett went to Ethan Cole’s private dormitory.

They worked separately, neither disturbing the other.

Ethan Cole’s main job was now the QuickRead Fiction APP. Whenever he had time, he optimized this software. And he had already prepared several version updates that were to follow. He worked until after ten at night, then Ethan Cole stopped.

He wouldn’t update the following versions for now.

The current performance of the phones was already under strain.

It was better to wait for the chip factories to develop more high-performance chips before proceeding.

He went to the next room.

Grace Bennett was sitting at the desk, her stunning face full of earnestness.

Intent on her keyboard strokes.

She was almost reading programming books every day, extremely diligent. Using someone’s words to describe her, she was just too eager to improve. “Ethan, have you finished your work?” Grace Bennett turned her head. Seeing Ethan Cole, she flashed a smile sweet enough to burst the meter. “Yeah,” Ethan Cole pecked her on the face.

Then he pulled up a chair to sit down next to her and said, “We could add a platform feature to ‘Fast Booster’.”

Fast Booster, that was the name Ethan Cole had given to this product.

Simple and memorable.

Ethan Cole’s idea was to add a feature similar to an app store to this product. That way, they could later put their own products up on it.

If they went looking for third-party platforms to cooperate with, they charged too high a commission, which wasn’t worth it.

And once it grew in scale, they could also attract other manufacturers to use it, thus earning fees.

■’Oh, I know,” Grace Bennett said, tilting her head to think for a moment. “I need to study it.”

“Forget it, it’s getting late,” Ethan Cole turned off the monitor.

He pulled Grace Bennett up: “Stop studying that for now, come study me.”

Grace Bennett: “…”

The next morning, Megan Price called first thing. “Check the text message on your phone, there’s a surprise for you.”

Chapter 305: Ethan Cole: Grace, You Really Have Great! Wisdom!

Ethan Cole was woken up early in the morning, his anger surging upwards swiftly.

“You’d better really have a surprise for me, or you’ll have me to deal with,” he warned.

After hanging up the phone, Ethan Cole opened his text messages.

The sight immediately invigorated him.

It was a notification of funds being deposited into his bank account.

Divided into five transactions.

Two hundred million in one, five hundred million in another, three hundred million in the next one, six hundred million in the following one, and one hundred and fifty million in the last.

In total, that added up to seventeen point five billion.

Ethan Cole immediately called Megan Price, “What does this mean?”

“Hehe, surprised or not, unexpected, right?” Megan Price said with a giggle,

“Part of it is to pay you back, and the rest is to thank you.”

Ethan Cole felt very pleased.

Money was exactly what he needed most right now.

To pay back the bank, as well as to invest heavily into that supermassive black hole in the chip industry.

Megan Price’s money arrived just in time.

“And that’s not all,” declared Megan Price. “Next, I will conduct a thorough cleanup of the group.

Once we’ve gotten rid of some of the parasites and carry out a reorganization.

I’m confident that I can make the group’s share price soar.

By then, those shares you hold will be even more valuable.”

Megan Price was indeed capable.

Ethan Cole gave her a few words of encouragement and was about to end the call.

Because Grace Bennett had already woken up.

He had to “discuss” some matters with his girlfriend.

“Why the hurry?” Megan Price spoke with a deep hint of grievance:

“Someone calls you early in the morning and you’re not happy at all, you don’t want to chat a bit more with me?

You heartless guy, is Grace Bennett by your side?”

Ethan Cole admitted straightforwardly.

“Wuu wuu wuu, you’ve already…” Megan Price’s voice quivered, “Fine, fine, fine, Ethan Cole, you heartbreaker, to think you would cuckold me!”

Ethan Cole”…”

“I don’t have time to waste words with you, enough!”

After hanging up on Megan Price, Ethan Cole was ready to get on with it.

But Grace Bennett spoke up, “Ethan, I suddenly realized something!”

“Hmm?” Ethan Cole paused, “What is it?”

Grace Bennett said, “Consider the person who wanted to drive a wedge between us.

What if, upon realizing their failure, they decide to make those photos public?

We would then face tremendous public pressure.

If the other party were to hype it up behind the scenes and take it to the media,

We would really be unable to clear things up even if we had a mouth all over our body.”

Ethan Cole’s gaze sharpened.

He then suddenly broke out in a cold sweat!

Grace Bennett’s speculation was very likely to happen!

It was something he hadn’t considered before.

If the other party did indeed do that, the impact it would have on the two of them would be immense.

Ethan Cole planted a kiss on Grace Bennett’s face, “Grace, you truly have great wisdom!”

At that moment, Ethan Cole couldn’t care less about “discussing” anymore.

He quickly got dressed and took Grace Bennett to see the school administration.

They laid out the whole situation clearly and asked the school officials how best to resolve it.

The official pondered for a moment before saying, “Like this, the school will issue an official statement on the forum in its name.

Give me the photos, I’ll upload them to the forum as well, and then we’ll report it to the police.”

Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett nodded in agreement.

This solution was the best.

Soon, the official statement from the school appeared on the forum.

It immediately caused a huge stir.

Ethan Cole’s and Grace Bennett’s roommates, everyone called to inquire.

And in a certain community, someone, upon hearing this news, was so angry that they smashed their phone on the spot.

In the evening, at a barbecue restaurant outside the school, on the top floor.

This place was booked out for the night.

“Come on, cheers.”

Three glasses clinked together, and then the liquid inside vanished in one gulp.

“Ah, the barbecue here is really tasty,” Chloe Winters said, eating a skewer of grilled lamb.

Her mouth full, she mumbled, “Could it be because it’s near the school and has been influenced by all the literature?”

“What on earth are you doing here?” Ethan Cole asked, clearly annoyed.

Originally, Ethan Cole had planned to go somewhere with Grace Bennett tonight.

But Chloe Winters’s phone call had ruined everything.

Right now, his irritation was seriously flaring up.

Chloe Winters ignored Ethan Cole’s resentful gaze and said with a smile, “It just so happens that I need to scout this area for a filming location, so I took a little break to come see you guys.

And you, as a boss, don’t know how to consider your subordinates at all.

I am currently filming a movie for you, so what’s wrong with treating me to a meal?

Of course, the main reason is that I missed Grace.”

Production of the “Martial Universe” movie had already started a week or so ago.

Since Ethan Cole had some extra money on hand, he added another hundred million to the budget.

He was determined to enhance the quality of the film.

Hearing this, Ethan Cole let out a sarcastic laugh.

This woman’s intent isn’t in the wine.

She says she’s here to see Grace Bennett, but in reality, she’s just lusting after my body.

Pfft.

Huh? Wait a minute!

Ethan Cole suddenly thought of something and sneakily glanced at Chloe Winters.

Could she be behind the photos?

After all, whether it’s motive or opportunity, Chloe Winters fits the bill.

She has always loved Ethan Cole, but to no avail.

And being in the entertainment industry, it would be easy for her to get in touch with top stylists and makeup artists.

But Ethan Cole also felt that the current Chloe Winters probably wouldn’t do something so foolish.

Anyway, he decided to let Harold Briggs keep an eye on Chloe Winters.

If it really was her…

Then Ethan Cole would not hesitate to cast her into the abyss, never to rise again.

“Eh?” Chloe Winters couldn’t help but shiver, “Why do I suddenly feel a chill?”

Grace Bennett looked at Ethan Cole and shook her head slightly.

The two were in tune with each other, and Grace Bennett instantly understood what Ethan Cole was thinking.

She believed that Chloe Winters was not behind it.

It was a woman’s intuition.

Ethan Cole temporarily shelved the thought.

Even if Grace Bennett thought it wasn’t her, they still had to investigate Chloe Winters.

Only Chloe Winters was drinking beer, while Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett were having soft drinks.

The late-night meal stretched past midnight.

Chloe Winters had drunk quite a lot, her cheeks flushed and eyes hazy with intoxication.

In this state, her charm increased substantially.

Her red lips were about to speak, but Ethan Cole spoke first.

“I’ve already booked a hotel nearby for you; you can go straight there.”

Chloe Winters:”???”

The expression on her face at the moment was almost like that of constipation.

Ethan Cole sneered inwardly.

He knew exactly what this woman was thinking.

She thought that by getting drunk, she could find an excuse to stay at his place for the night.

He had preemptively predicted her prediction, cutting off her move with authority.

Uncomfortable, Chloe Winters was feeling just that.

She opened her mouth, trying to salvage the situation.

Ethan Cole added, “I asked the hotel’s female attendant to come over; she should be downstairs by now, go ahead.”

Chloe Winters, grinding her teeth, said deliberately, “Thank you so much!”

After sending Chloe Winters off, Ethan Cole was about to head back when he received a message from Harold Briggs and was instantly overjoyed!

Chapter 306: Drive Less in the Early Morning

The photo incident, Harold Briggs uncovered some things.

He dropped Grace Bennett home first, then drove over.

Inside a private room of some restaurant.

As soon as Ethan Cole arrived, Harold Briggs stood up, “Boss, this is the guy.”

He pointed to someone sitting next to him dressed in a bizarre manner, androgynous in appearance.

“His name is Jess, one of the top makeup artists in Empire City. According to my investigation, it was him that recently made up two people to look like you and the boss lady.”

Ethan Cole walked straight over and grabbed the other party’s collar, lifting him up.

His eyes flashed fiercely, “Who told you to do this!”

“I… I was just getting paid to do a job,” Jess said with fear in his eyes, his body shaking.

“Smack!”

Ethan Cole gave him a hard slap across the face.

Although he knew Jess might be innocent.

He still hit him.

If he didn’t look ruthless, the other party wouldn’t cooperate nicely.”

“Now, I ask and you answer—who were the two who got makeup from you, where are they?”

Jess: “I don’t know them, there were many of them, all very fierce.

They even removed all the surveillance equipment from the shop.”

Ethan Cole let go of him and said to Harold Briggs, “Check if this guy has done anything illegal or criminal.

If he has, report it; if not, help him add a little something to his record.”

Harold Briggs nodded, “Understood, boss.”

“No, no, I haven’t finished speaking yet,” Jess shouted frantically, “I have a bit of a hobby.

I installed several hidden cameras in the shop. I recorded everything that happened that day…”

“Smack!”

Harold Briggs smacked him hard on the head, his voice full of menace, “Why didn’t you mention this to me earlier?”

Wouldn’t this make it seem like he was incompetent in front of the boss?

Jess dared not speak.

Ethan Cole waved his hand to signal Harold Briggs not to hit him again.

Instead, he looked at Jess with a gentle smile, “Take me to get the video. If you do, there will be a reward for you.”

Jess quickly nodded.

He felt there was something slightly abnormal about the youth before him.

One moment as cold as ice, the next moment emitting a bone-chilling smile.

Soon, they arrived at Jess’s studio.

He retrieved the surveillance from that day.

There were a total of nine people who came in.

Six men and three women.

The man and woman who received makeup had some resemblance to him and Grace Bennett in stature and shape.

He didn’t recognize any of the nine people.

He took out his phone to take pictures of these individuals.

Then he said to Harold Briggs, “With these leads, the next steps will be easier.

Try to find out who’s behind these people.

If you find out, I will personally give you ten million as a reward.”

The hidden “little mouse” was repugnant to Ethan Cole, yet it also gave him a considerable sense of crisis.

He had to pull them out and resolve this quickly.

“Alright, boss, I will do my utmost!”

Harold Briggs trembled with excitement.

Ten million!

That was enough to find how many princesses?

By the time Ethan Cole got home, Grace Bennett was still awake, waiting in the living room.

As soon as she saw him return, she immediately brought a bowl of chicken soup from the kitchen.

“I’ve been keeping it warm in the pot, drink it.”

Ethan Cole was deeply moved.

Indeed, his own girlfriend was the most caring.

He finished the chicken soup in just a few mouthfuls.

After brushing his teeth, he hugged Grace Bennett’s fragrant body and fell asleep.

Without doing anything else.

Driving in the wee hours can affect your health.

Moreover, there were classes to attend tomorrow.

The next morning, there was an English class.

The moment Megan Price walked in, Ethan Cole was stunned.

How had this girl not resigned yet?

She was now managing a conglomerate worth over ten billion, and she still had time for classes here?

He was utterly confused.

Dressed in office lady attire and wearing black-rimmed glasses, the austere Megan Price was seriously attending the class.

All the male students in the class were staring at her without blinking an eye.

Each one of them was so eager to advance themselves.

After class, a bunch of male students approached Megan Price under the guise of asking questions.

Ethan Cole shook his head and walked away with Grace Bennett.

The second floor of the cafeteria.

After ordering their food, Ethan Cole assigned Grace Bennett with a task.

The domestic version of Rift Legends needed some modifications before it could go online.

Like translation, for example.

Ethan Cole allocated a portion of the work to Grace Bennett.

This was also a great opportunity to gain experience.

Mainly because Grace Bennett’s optimization on ‘SwiftBoost Accelerator’ had hit a bottleneck.

It was impossible to make any significant breakthroughs in the short term.

So they had to choose to proceed using a method of learning through analogous situations.

Both brought their computers.

After finishing lunch, they started coding right there.

The game company had recently hired over twenty more people.

Most of the company’s manpower was now focused on working on Rift Legends.

Striving to go live as soon as possible.

The main reasons this game exploded in popularity were cooperative competition, a fair system, strong controllability, and fast gameplay.

Most games on the market were either ‘pay-to-win’ or made you feel like a loser if you didn’t pay, providing a poor game experience.

Once this game went live, it would definitely rise to prominence quickly.

To seize the market faster, Ethan Cole planned to complete all the preparations within a week.

The two of them kept typing code until it was almost time for their next class before they left.

Along the way, people kept greeting them.

The pair could be considered a model couple.

Most of their classmates didn’t harbor any jealousy towards them.

Instead, they genuinely envied and blessed them.

There were few couples who could achieve what they had.

Ethan Cole found it quite incredible too.

The two had been together for so long without a single argument.

It was mainly because Grace Bennett was too soft and gentle.

She was indulgent and doting towards Ethan Cole in every way.

They simply couldn’t find any reason to argue.

If this continued through their four years of university or even until they got married without a single fight,

It would surely become a beautiful tale.

The afternoon class was history.

Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett didn’t miss it either.

They never slacked off in any class and always listened attentively.

In the next few days, aside from eating and resting, they kept working on Rift Legends.

The progress was very fast, and in another day or two, it could be completed.

Tomorrow was Saturday.

Ethan Cole planned to pull an all-nighter tonight to finish the remaining workload.

Then launch Rift Legends tomorrow.

The sooner it went live, the sooner they could start making money.

With one more goldmine, Ethan Cole’s foundation would also become more solid.

That afternoon, after finishing their meal in the cafeteria, Ethan Cole was ready to take Grace Bennett back to the independent dormitory to get busy.

It was then that Derek Hayes called, “The thing you asked me to help with last time has some progress, hurry over.”

Chapter 307: Still Hugging the Violin, Half-Concealing the Face, Three Punches to Pierce Through the Cruiser

Meridian University, Martial Arts Club.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Derek Hayes pointed to a girl inside, “Do you see that girl with the braided pigtails and well-developed muscles?

Her name is Riley Vaughn; her family is quite poor, and she has always been working various part-time jobs, but it seems like her income isn’t quite enough.

Her major is interior design, and she has been learning martial arts since she was a child.

I’ve inquired about it; she has won top three in several county and city

competitions. She’s pretty strong.”

Ethan Cole followed the direction Derek Hayes was pointing.

She was a girl who was about 1.7 meters tall.

Her muscles were well-defined, but she was still pretty good-looking.

She was the type that could be described as a fierce loli.

At that moment, she was sparring with a very brawny man.

You could see that Riley Vaughn was clearly gaining the upper hand.

In Ethan Cole’s eyes, the man was likely not going easy on her.

He couldn’t help but think of a phrase,

“Holding a lute behind a half-covered face, throwing punches to pierce

through cruisers… truly a formidable warrior.”

Ethan Cole then asked, “So, have you looked into her character and such clearly?

He had always been searching for a female bodyguard for Grace Bennett at the school.

But after looking for some time with no leads, he had asked Derek Hayes to help keep an eye out in his spare time.

Derek Hayes said, “I’ve checked everything, no problem at all, you can recruit her with confidence.”

“Good,” Ethan Cole nodded.

The two watched from outside for a while.

They didn’t approach until after Riley Vaughn had won her match.

Riley Vaughn was sitting in the corner, pulling out her own water bottle and guzzling down water.

There were still quite a few girls in the club, but they didn’t speak to her.

Some boys seemed to want to approach her.

But just looking at Riley Vaughn, they showed a look of fear.

They were probably beaten by her before…

“Hello, may I ask if you are Riley Vaughn?”

Riley Vaughn, who was drinking water, turned her head to look and immediately her face flushed red. She quickly stood up.

Ethan Cole!

A well-known figure in the school, crowned with various honors.

Naturally, she recognized him.

“You… hello… I am Riley Vaughn.”

She appeared quite restrained, a stark contrast to her usual fierce demeanor—like two different people.

Ethan Cole smiled and said, “Would it be convenient to talk outside?”

“Oh, sure.”

The three of them sat down at a flower bed outside the school.

Ethan Cole cut straight to the point, “I’d like to invite you to protect my girlfriend at school.

Of course, there’s no need to be by her side twenty-four hours.

When you have important classes, you can attend them.

As for compensation, the base salary is ten thousand a month, with two thousand for food and one thousand for transport allowance.

If no major problems arise, there will be bonuses mid-year and at the end of

the year.”

Riley Vaughn was shocked on the spot.

This compensation is better than that of many white-collar workers, right?

“Cole, are you serious?” Riley Vaughn asked incredulously.

“Of course,” Ethan Cole nodded. “This job is quite relaxed; you just need to protect her in school.

If nothing unexpected happens, this job will be yours until you graduate from

university.”

“Wuu wuu wuu…”

Riley Vaughn began to cry, moved.

At a time when she was in dire need of money, Ethan Cole came to her aid, striking right at her heart.

Ethan Cole’s mouth twitched slightly.

Other girls cry and elicit pity in people’s hearts.

But when Riley Vaughn cries, it gives off the impression of a fierce tiger shedding

tears.

Eerie, it’s just too eerie.

So it was settled.

Taking into account Riley Vaughn’s current financial situation,

Ethan Cole advanced her a salary of two thousand dollars.

Back in the dorm, he related the matter to Grace Bennett.

Grace Bennett was moved but also said it really wasn’t necessary as she felt very safe at school.

“No way, it’s necessary,” Ethan Cole insisted, “University is not like middle school or high school, people from outside can come in.

Ethan Cole also planned to find Grace Bennett a bodyguard later.

To have shifts that didn’t clash with Riley Vaughn’s, that way there would be no gaps.

Yep, that night, Ethan Cole had two tasks.

One was to find loopholes, and the other was to fill them…

The next day, Ethan Cole woke up on time.

Grace Bennett was still sleeping.

Her soft eyelashes gently drooped, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, radiating a serene aura.

With her steady breathing, her chest rose and fell slightly, the intoxicating curves greatly enhancing her cute charm.

A few rays of sunlight just happened to shine in, making her entire being seem to glow faintly, like an enchanting and sexy dream.

Even in her sleep, she was irresistibly lovable.

Even though they had been together for a long time,

Each time he saw this scene, Ethan Cole felt a deep sense of pride emerge from the depths of his heart.

This is my girlfriend, the best girlfriend in the world!

After quietly admiring her for a few minutes, Ethan Cole reluctantly went to wash up and headed alone to his game company in Empire City.

It wasn’t just him and Grace Bennett who had stayed up late optimizing Rift Legends the night before.

All the company staff had been working overtime too.

Everything was ready for the game launch.

After arriving at the company, Ethan Cole gathered all the employees for a brief meeting, then personally ordered the official launch of Rift Legends. The manager of the marketing department found Ethan Cole, “Boss, I’ve worked out the advertising budget for the game.

To gain recognition, we’ll need roughly between one and a half to two billion dollars.”

Saying this, he placed the plan in front of Ethan Cole.

Ethan Cole read it over carefully.

The marketing manager’s plan was to advertise traditionally, nothing surprising.

Such an approach was, in Ethan Cole’s opinion, not cost-effective due to its low conversion rate.

Of course, Ethan Cole wasn’t going to negate someone else’s work.

He started by praising the manager, then shifted the conversation, “I think there is a strategy more suitable for us.

Here’s what you do, send someone to talk to internet cafe owners all over the country.

Get them to install our game on their computers.

Well pay five dollars for each computer installation, and if a user opens the game, registers, and plays for more than an hour, we’ll give an additional twenty dollars.”

Ethan Cole had already thought through the promotional method.

Spending money on advertising meant you couldn’t be sure that everyone who saw the ad was someone who liked to play games.

Now that we don’t have big data for precise targeting.

But ninety percent of those who go to internet cafes are gamers at heart.

Precise delivery can achieve much with little money.

The marketing manager was immediately convinced.

No wonder he’s the boss.

After he left, Ethan Cole thought for a moment, then called the manager of the technical department: “Make the game logo gold and shiny, so it catches the eye.”

Then he called Derek Hayes, asking him to be the first to help with the promotion in his internet cafe.

At noon, Grace Bennett brought over the lunch she had cooked for Ethan Cole. “Hm?” Ethan Cole looked at the person next to Grace Bennett, “What are you doing here?”

Chapter 308: Never Seen Anyone More Despicable than Ethan Cole

Apart from Grace Bennett, Samantha Rhodes also came.

Shouldn’t she be in Springvale?

Faced with Ethan Cole’s question, Samantha Rhodes had already prepared her response.

She confidently said, “Boss, our development has hit a bottleneck, and I came

here to ask for money.”

Ethan Cole sneered in his heart.

That kind of talk might fool a child, but not him.

If she wanted money, a phone call would have sufficed, no need for a personal visit.

This girl’s real purpose was to see Grace Bennett, after all.

Sometimes, Ethan Cole felt very tired.

His rivals were not only men but also women.

And more than one of them.

in school, Ethan Cole had heard several girls taking an interest in Grace Bennett.

Even attempting to get close to her.

But they were all secretly driven away by Ethan Cole.

However, since she had already come, he couldn’t just drive her away.

Ethan Cole rose from his office chair and took the lunchbox from Grace Bennett’s hand.

He kissed her on the face, “Have you eaten?”

“I have,” Grace Bennett’s cheeks tinged red as she rolled her eyes at him.

There were other people present.

Ethan Cole was deliberately trying to irritate Samantha Rhodes.

He placed the lunchbox on the table, pulled Grace Bennett into his arms, and began to nibble at her.

“Mmm mmm…”

The girl in his arms struggled a little before letting Ethan Cole do as he pleased. Samantha Rhodes, standing to the side, covered her chest, feeling as if her heart was being pricked by needles.

It hurt so much.

Ethan Cole, you dog! Let go of my treasure, or I swear I’ll fight you!

Of course, she only dared to shout in her heart, not daring to speak out loud.

A few minutes later, the two separated.

Grace Bennett headed straight into the restroom.

It was too embarrassing.

Ethan Cole looked at Samantha Rhodes, who was clearly out of sorts, “Sorry about that,

I couldn’t help myself.

You’re not getting any younger either, it’s time to find a boyfriend.

Samantha Rhodes forced a smile, “I’m in no rush, career comes first.

Ethan Cole, “Have you eaten?”

Samantha Rhodes, “I have.”

Ethan Cole, “Alright then. I was going to invite you to try the meal Grace made,

but since you’ve eaten, never mind.”

Samantha Rhodes,”!!!!!”

Veins popped out on her forehead, feeling like she could no longer suppress all her energies within.

Ethan Cole struggled to suppress his laughter.

As he ate, he had Samantha Rhodes report on the recent development of the local mineral water business.

Samantha Rhodes took a deep breath and said, “Currently, we have over eight hundred distributors.

However, some distributors in certain regions refuse to cooperate with us, preventing our products from entering their markets.

I believe that if we want to penetrate the markets of third-tier cities and below, we’ll need to increase our investment.

And that’s the reason I’ve come to the boss.

I’ve done the math, and we’ll need to invest at least three to five billion to possibly capture 10% of the domestic mineral water market share.” Ethan Cole continued eating, thinking it over.

He had actually anticipated this problem.

Some mineral water brands have monopolized certain regions.

Other brands can’t enter the market by going through distributors.

If it’s about spending money, Ethan Cole felt the cost was too high, not worth it. Moreover, he still owed the bank so much money, it wouldn’t be wise to be extravagant now.

“We won’t go down the distributor route anymore.” Ethan Cole raised his head and looked at Samantha Rhodes, “I’m assigning you an extra task. If you do well, you’ll get a five million bonus.”

“Ah?” Samantha Rhodes was startled, then straightened up subconsciously, “Please tell me!”

She seldom saw Ethan Cole look so serious, and involuntarily felt a wave of pressure.

Ethan Cole said in a deep voice, “Go and find the boss of QuickMart and tell him we want to invest, with a budget of ten billion dollars, to secure at least 8% of the shares.”

Ethan Cole had checked that QuickMart now had over fifteen thousand franchise stores nationwide.

Once they invested, they could simply make a request to include their own products, perfectly solving the problem.

The company had been established for over a decade and was a well-known large corporation.

In 2017, it successfully went public, with a market value of about fifty billion dollars.

However, the company was developing quite well, and whether they could strike a deal would depend on Samantha Rhodes’s abilities.

“I’m aware of QuickMart, but their boss isn’t lacking money,” Samantha Rhodes said, somewhat troubled.

But she quickly clenched her teeth and said, ‘TH take on the task, but boss, you need to increase the pay!”

Ethan Cole laughed, “Fine, if you can complete it, I’ll increase your bonus to ten million dollars.”

“Good, I guarantee to complete the mission!”

Ethan Cole waved his hand, “If there’s nothing else, you can go back.”

Samantha Rhodes had planned to spend some more time with Grace Bennett. But without finding any excuse, she could only leave feeling dejected.

After finishing the meal, Grace Bennett also returned.

Today was Saturday, and Ethan Cole didn’t plan to continue working.

All that needed to be dealt with was taken care of, and the follow-up could be left to his subordinates.

He took Grace Bennett to the seaside to play.

Consumption here was high, averaging over five thousand dollars per person. There were many activities available, such as yacht trips or three-day cruises. After enjoying a seafood feast, the two of them set out to sea.

The sea breeze brought a salty, moist scent.

Hmm, why does this scent feel strangely familiar?

Ethan Cole considered whether he should buy a yacht in the future. He could take Grace Bennett out to the sea for fun whenever he wished. Moreover, they could unlock some new knowledge at sea, which would be nice. Ethan Cole casually inquired about it.

A medium-to-large yacht, equipped with three restrooms, three bedrooms, and a kitchen, cost about ten million dollars.

If needed, the yacht company would even arrange for the crew.

The wages for the crew would have to be paid by the owner, though.

Upon returning, Ethan Cole bought one.

Now that he was so wealthy, he thought he should indulge occasionally.

The yacht was put under Grace Bennett’s name.

She was wholeheartedly good to Ethan Cole, and he would not be stingy with her.

After all, the two were essentially one, inseparable.

After having dinner by the seaside, they went back.

Ethan Cole quickly took a shower and then replied to some messages. Derek Hayes had sent dozens of them.

All were about how great the game Rift Legends was and how it was destined to be a hit.

Speaking of understanding and vision for games, Derek Hayes was indeed strong in that regard.

Ethan Cole also arranged a promotion task for him.

By the time Ethan Cole was done with various messages, it was very late.

At that moment, Grace Bennett brought over a footbath and placed it in front of Ethan Cole.

She crouched down, placed Ethan Cole’s feet into the basin, “You’ve been walking all day, let me wash your feet for you.”

A smile appeared on Ethan Cole’s face.

How many girls in the world would be willing to do this for their boyfriend? The soft touch of her hands gently massaging Ethan Cole’s feet relaxed his entire body and mind.

“Dinglingling…”

The phone rang disruptively.

Ethan Cole pressed the answer button with slight annoyance.

It was a call from Julia Monroe.

Her voice was frantic, “Ethan Cole, something terrible has happened, there’s an emergency!”

Chapter 309: Is It Appropriate to Show Affection in Front of a Patient?

Ethan Cole sat up straight, “What happened? Take your time and tell me!”

Julia Monroe said, “Chloe has been hospitalized. You need to come quickly.”

An hour later, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett arrived at the Empire City Central Hospital.

Julia Monroe was pacing back and forth outside the emergency room, her face filled with anxiety.

“What exactly happened?” Ethan Cole asked as he approached.

Over the phone, she had only mentioned that Chloe Winters had an accident.

Julia Monroe hadn’t elaborated on the specifics.

Seeing Ethan Cole seemed to ground her, and after collecting her thoughts, she began to explain.

It turned out that during the afternoon filming, several of Chloe Winters’s fans had come to visit the set.

Among them was a male fan who confessed his feelings on the spot and wanted to be her boyfriend.

Chloe Winters naturally refused.

Then, the male fan actually pulled out a fruit knife and stabbed Chloe Winters.

“How is she doing now?” Grace Bennett asked worriedly, her hands instinctively clasping tightly together.

“She’s still in resuscitation; it’s been over an hour,” Julia Monroe said with a hoarse voice. “If anything really happens to her, how will I face her parents…”

Ethan Cole patted her shoulder, “Don’t worry, with medical advancements these days, she won’t be in danger.”

Ethan Cole wasn’t very anxious or worried.

Mainly because the location of Chloe Winters’s injury was not fatal; the chances of death were very low.

Furthermore, Chloe Winters didn’t hold a high place in his heart.

Of course, that was something that absolutely could not be said out loud.

“By the way,” Ethan Cole asked, “was the assailant caught?”

“Yes, they caught him,” Julia Monroe nodded. “But there’s a problem; he has a mental illness certificate.”

Ethan Cole stroked his chin, lost in thought, “This doesn’t seem so straightforward. Could it have been premeditated?”

“I’ve been thinking the same,” Julia Monroe said with a stern face. “Chloe is currently very popular. She has a large following of both male and female fans and has snagged a lot of other people’s opportunities. It’s not impossible that someone paid off a mentally ill person to eliminate a competitor.”

‘Til have someone look into this matter thoroughly,” Ethan Cole said gravely.

Chloe Winters was, after all, his cash cow.

There’s a saying, ‘No one can get in the way of another’s livelihood without consequence.’

Ethan Cole was determined to get to the bottom of it.

If it really was premeditated, he would make sure the responsible party paid the price.

After waiting another twenty minutes or so, the lights in the resuscitation room went off.

Several doctors came out.

Julia Monroe rushed up to them, “Doctor, how is the patient doing?”

The attending doctor replied, “Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, and she was brought in time, so she’s out of life-threatening danger now.

The only issue is the scar she might be left with on her abdomen.”

“Phew, that’s such a relief,” Julia Monroe sighed deeply with relief. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You’re welcome. The patient needs rest now. You can come in after six hours.”

“Okay, we understand.”

Having made sure Chloe Winters wasn’t in life-threatening danger anymore, Ethan Cole was ready to leave.

But Grace Bennett insisted on staying, wanting to visit Chloe Winters the moment the six hours passed.

Ethan Cole, having no means to persuade her, agreed to stay and keep her company.

Julia Monroe had gone to handle some follow-up matters.

She also had quite a few security personnel stationed at the door.

Just in case some fanatical fans learned of the location and tried to force their way in.

Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett sat in the corridor on a bench.

“You should sleep for a bit,” Ethan Cole suggested to Grace Bennett, letting her lie down with her head on his lap.

He then called Harold Briggs to inform him of the situation and asked him to investigate.

Harold Briggs’s importance in Ethan Cole’s heart was increasing by the day.

To use a line from a film, a sycophantic man’s words: Harold, Harold, how could I live without you?

After giving instructions, Ethan Cole also closed his eyes to rest for a while.

Early the following morning, around six, the two of them awoke.

Young people recover quickly and can fall asleep easily anywhere.

It’s just that maintaining the same sleeping position for too long has made my neck a bit sore.

Grace Bennett checked the time, then immediately walked into the ward.

Ethan Cole shook his head slightly.

This silly girl is still too kind.

She knew that Chloe Winters had been coveting him, yet she was still so nice to her.

On the hospital bed, Chloe Winters lay there quietly.

Her complexion and lips were both pale.

At this moment, she possessed a fragile beauty that made her seem like a completely different person from before.

Grace Bennett’s face was filled with concern.

A few minutes later, Chloe Winters’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

There was a moment of bewilderment.

When she came to her senses and saw Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett, she immediately cried, “I thought I would never see you again.”

Grace Bennett quickly sat by the bed, holding her hand, “It’s okay, rest well, you’ll be able to leave the hospital soon.”

“Being able to see you both as soon as I woke up is wonderful,” Chloe Winters’s eyes were red.

Especially when she saw the sincere concern for herself in Grace Bennett’s eyes, Chloe Winters felt even more guilty.

How could she be so kind to her when she had been constantly thinking about her boyfriend? Was that appropriate?

Appropriate!

One thing at a time!

Chloe Winters mocked herself, she really wasn’t anything good.

But she also thought Ethan Cole was no good either.

They were a perfect match.

Grace Bennett: “Winters, are you hungry? What would you like to eat?”

Chloe Winters touched her stomach, “I want some porridge.”

Grace Bennett then looked at Ethan Cole.

“Alright.” Ethan Cole shrugged, “I’ll go buy some.”

Once Ethan Cole had left, Chloe Winters uncovered the blanket and lifted her clothes.

Upon seeing her stomach wrapped in bandages, she cried without tears, “Wuu wuu wuu, what if there’s a scar on my stomach, what am I going to do in the future?”

Grace Bennett soothed her, “It’s okay, no one’s going to see it.”

Chloe Winters: “But later, when I’m with Ethan Cole, oh no, with a boyfriend, and he sees it and loses interest, what then?”

Grace Bennett:

She was completely thrown off.

I’m talking to you about your condition, and you’re driving me crazy.

It was a car crash that came out of nowhere, the wheels rolling right over my face.

Meanwhile, Ethan Cole went to a fancy restaurant to buy breakfast.

He bought some not only for the three of them but also for the security staff stationed outside.

Don’t look down upon or underestimate the people at the bottom.

Often, it’s these inconspicuous people at the bottom who may have a significant impact on you.

After buying breakfast, he went back to the hospital and distributed it to the security personnel outside.

Each one of them was surprised and delighted.

Walking into the ward.

He put breakfast on the table and said to Grace Bennett, “Let’s eat first.”

Chloe Winters was displeased, “I’m the patient here, shouldn’t I be the first to eat?”

Ethan Cole: “What if it leaks from your wound after you eat?”

Chloe Winters:”!!!”

She was struck by a crushing blow in an instant.

Giving Ethan Cole a murderous glare with her eyes.

“Don’t be angry at him,” Grace Bennett quickly mediated, ‘TH feed you first, Winters.”

Chloe Winters huffed coldly.

No longer looking at Ethan Cole, she turned to Grace Bennett with a smile, “You are the best to me.”

Just as Ethan Cole was preparing to pick up the breakfast, Harold Briggs called him.

A chill went through his heart; perhaps there was news?

Chapter 310: Grace Bennett’s Pajama Temptation

“Boss, I have news on the two matters you asked me to look into.”

Upon answering the phone, Harold Briggs’s first words galvanized Ethan Cole, “Spit it out!”

Harold Briggs, “Based on my investigation, whether it’s the deliberate framing of you and madam,

or Miss Winters’s injury yesterday, it’s actually the same person behind it.

That person is named Julian Huntley, from a family in Empire City with over a hundred years of heritage.

And… this person is currently your classmate.

Ethan Cole stepped out to the staircase corner to talk.

His gaze was icy, “Are you certain?”

In his mind, Julian Huntley’s image emerged unbidden.

He had only exchanged a few words with him.

The impression was of someone not particularly talkative and a bit shy.

It was hard to imagine him doing such a thing.

What puzzled Ethan Cole even more was that there was no conflict between them at all.

Could it really be because he wanted to snatch away Grace Bennett from him, that he’d begun this scorched-earth campaign?

Harold Briggs replied, “Boss, I’ve investigated everything thoroughly.

The Huntley family, which Julian Huntley belongs to, has a rather peculiar way of choosing its successor.

Among peers who have the ability to become the successor, the family gives each one five hundred million in cash.

Within three years, no matter what means you use,

as long as it’s not illegal, whoever accumulates the most wealth becomes the next successor.”

Now, Ethan Cole understood.

He had become their prey,

not only after his people but also wanting to snatch his assets.

Ethan Cole then asked, “Have you thoroughly investigated the background of the Huntley family?”

Harold Briggs, “I’ve only uncovered some superficial information…

According to the info Harold Briggs had found,

the Huntley family’s enterprises were spread across first, second, and third-tier cities nationwide.

They were involved in real estate, furniture, appliances, supermarkets, department stores, and even entertainment.

The entire family’s asset portfolio was conservatively estimated to be over fifty billion.

For the vast majority, such a powerful family was an insurmountable mountain.

After hearing this, Ethan Cole said, “Continue to investigate this family and Julian Huntley in detail.

Be discreet, we can’t let them catch on.”

Harold Briggs, “Understood.”

“Right,” Ethan Cole nodded, “I’ll have someone transfer ten million to you immediately.”

Harold Briggs, overjoyed, quickly offered his thanks.

This boss was really straightforward-it was one thing to have money, but he really dished it out.

After the call, Ethan Cole arranged for the company to transfer ten million to Harold Briggs.

As for Julian Huntley, he definitely wouldn’t let him off the hook.

But he wouldn’t rush to confront him now either.

Following the decree of fantasy novels, if you defeat someone’s minions, their superiors come out.

Then the hero gets beaten, flees to a distant land, builds up enough strength to come back for revenge, defeats the elders, and just as the family faces annihilation, some ancestor who has been dormant for hundreds or thousands of years reappears.

The hero gets beaten half to death again, forced to flee in disgrace.

Such a pattern repeats itself, then it’s time to change the setting and start again.

So, having decided to deal with Julian Huntley, Ethan Cole planned to uproot him completely at once.

Before that, he’d act as if nothing happened.

First, lay the groundwork.

When the time was right, strike to kill without giving the enemy a chance to breathe.

Pocketing his phone, Ethan Cole returned to the ward.

He found Grace Bennett feeding Chloe Winters porridge.

So Ethan Cole, holding soy milk and youtiao, approached Grace Bennett, “Open up,

I’ll feed you.”

Grace Bennett, a bit embarrassed, shook her head, “No need, I’ll eat by myself later.”

Ethan Cole said expressionlessly, “Open your mouth.”

Grace Bennett could only obediently open her mouth.

Chloe Winters:

This scene felt a bit strange.

After staying for a while, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett left.

“Shall we come back to see her tonight?”

On the way back, Grace Bennett looked at Ethan Cole, her tone coquettish. Ethan Cole refused: “We still have work to do, we’ve already been delayed for most of the day because of her.”

Grace Bennett launched her ultimate move directly: “If you agree, I’ll wear that set of pajamas you bought last time…”

Ethan Cole abruptly stopped the car at the roadside and pulled up the handbrake.

His eyes gleaming, he looked at Grace Bennett: “Miss, are you serious?”

Grace Bennett nodded with a shy face.

Last time, Ethan Cole had bought a very ‘forward-thinking’ set of pajamas. But because the style was too avant-garde, despite all his persuasion, Grace Bennett just wouldn’t wear it.

It had been gathering dust in the closet ever since.

Now, Grace Bennett was actually offering to wear that set of pajamas in order to visit Chloe Winters, and Ethan Cole couldn’t be happier.

As for work and such, heh, sorry, not familiar.

“Okay, it’s a promise,” said Ethan Cole with a wide grin, “But you have to put it on for me to see first, then we can go.”

This was to prevent this girl from going back on her word.

After all, Grace Bennett had a history of doing just that.

Grace Bennett nodded shyly.

How could Ethan Cole bear it?

He immediately floored the accelerator.

The engine roared, and the car sped away.

Under the premise of not violating traffic rules, they rushed home at the fastest speed.

Ethan Cole took out that set of pajamas from the closet, eager for Grace Bennett to change into it right away.

Grace Bennett, struggling with shyness, held the pajamas and walked into the restroom.

After waiting for about five minutes, Grace Bennett came out of the restroom. Clothed in a light gauze nightgown, her graceful curves were faintly visible under the play of light.

With light makeup and a gentle curving of her eyebrows, she exuded endless allure.

The girl, supporting her bra with her fingertips, turned around prettily. What caught Ethan Cole’s eyes was the spine-tingling line of her nape, breathtakingly beautiful.

Grace Bennett raised her hand and gently brushed from the top of her head to the tips of her hair; her tresses flowed elegantly, beautifully arranged, her eyes smiling with a special charm.

Ethan Cole finally understood what it meant to be intoxicated by someone, not by the wine.

Wearing this set of pajamas, Grace Bennett gained an extra bit of charm and sexiness.

This was a stark contrast to her usual image.

The sense of contrast was incredibly strong.

Ethan Cole was filled with reverence!

In the evening, Ethan Cole accompanied Grace Bennett to the hospital again to visit Chloe Winters.

She was much better now, compared to the daytime.

Julia Monroe was also there.

Her face bore a smile.

One reason was that Chloe Winters was fine, and another was that she had turned misfortune into a blessing.

Julia Monroe also knew how to market.

Using the incident of Chloe Winters’s injury, she crafted an image of a kind and brave girl for her.

As a result, Chloe Winters’s popularity soared, threatening the status of top-tier female stars.

It wouldn’t take long for her to reach the top-tier status at this rate. Julia Monroe smiled and stood up: “You young people chat; I’m stepping out.” After she left, Grace Bennett and Chloe Winters held hands, chatting about topics that girls usually do.

Ethan Cole, on the other hand, was working with his laptop to one side.

He first opened the backend of Rift Legends.

The game had been online for two days, the highest number of concurrent players… 1,200.

“Hm?” Suddenly, upon refreshing again, Ethan Cole noticed something unusual..

Chapter 311: You Just Wait and Collect the Green Corpse Cold

Ethan Cole refreshed the backend and discovered that the number of downloads had suddenly increased by two to three hundred.

A few seconds later, after another refresh, it went up by several hundred more.

He realized that something wasn’t quite right.

After ten minutes, the total number of downloads in the backend had reached

over twenty thousand.

He was somewhat baffled, so he called the product manager to ask what had happened.

Logically speaking, even if he had gone to talk to internet cafe owners all over the country, it wouldn’t have been this effective so quickly.

The product manager was also cluelessly puzzled and didn’t know what had happened,

but said he would immediately investigate.

Ethan Cole didn’t have to wait long.

About half an hour later, the product manager sent a link to Ethan Cole’s Oft

When he clicked in, Ethan Cole immediately laughed.

Today, a major game company released a new game.

They placed a high level of importance on this game, investing as muc