The Underestimated Tycoon

Chapter 11

Just as Ethan was about to respond to her unexpected offer, his phone rang loudly in his hand. He brought it out glanced at the screen briefly, furrowing his brows slightly. Several of the nearby guests craned their necks, catching a glimpse of the name, and within seconds, the ridiculing began.

“Seriously?

Is this guy serious?” Greg scoffed haughtily.

“Is that supposed to be a joke? Edward Crestwood? In your wildest dreams!” Another person in the crowd sniggered.

The crowd erupted instantly with mocking laughter. They clearly believed that Ethan, being the boastful fraud that he was, had resorted to cheap tricks like creating fake names on his phone to impress people. The idea that the head of the Crestwood family, one of the most powerful men in the city, would call someone as unremarkable as Ethan was too far-fetched for them to entertain.

Aria and her friend, Natalie, crossed their arms and stared at Ethan with an amused expression on their faces. They were eagerly waiting for Ethan’s next move. Ethan, on the other hand, did not pay any attention to the crowd or their jeers. He simply answered the phone call in a calm and measured tone.

“Edward.” Ethan addressed him directly, using his first name.

“Ethan, I need to see you immediately. It’s about my daughter. Her health has gotten worse, and I have no other option. Please, you have to save her!” Edward Crestwood pleaded anxiously.

Ethan’s expression didn’t waver. He listened quietly, only nodding as he acknowledged Edward’s plea.

“I understand. I’ll be there soon.”

Then, deliberately ignoring the scoffs and jeers directed at him, he ended the phone call and tucked his phone back into his pocket. They were not convinced by his actions and were sure that he was only putting on a show. After all, why would a renowned individual such as Edward Crestwood ever reach out to someone like Ethan?

As he prepared to leave, Ethan turned to Victoria, who was awaiting his response to her offer patiently.

“I have something urgent to attend to now, so I can’t accept your dinner proposal.” Ethan answered calmly.

“Of course.” Victoria, unfazed by the gossip regarding her offer to Ethan, simply smiled and nodded.

However, her calm acceptance of Ethan's excuse only fueled the curiosity of the guests, especially Aria, who stood nearby. After all, this was the first time she had witnessed someone decline dinner with Victoria.

Still, Natalie, Aria’s best friend, was not having any of it.

“Urgent? What urgent business could someone like you possibly have? Are you perhaps late for one of your part-time jobs?” Natalie snickered loudly, her words earning another round of mocking laughter from the guests.

Ethan ignored Natalie's childish taunts and proceeded to leave. However, before he could take one step away, Aria suddenly appeared in his path, preventing him from leaving.

Her lips curled into a condescending smile as she pulled a sleek leather wallet from her designer purse, counting through some dollar bills with deliberate slowness in order to show off her wealth. She then picked out a few crisp dollar bills and held them out to Ethan.

“Here,” she said venomously. “Take this. Five thousand should be enough for a beggar like you to leave me alone.”

The crowd snickered loudly at Aria’s actions, their gazes fixed on Ethan.

Still, Ethan stood calmly, unfazed by Aria’s actions. It was clear from her actions that she was hell bent on humiliating him no matter what.

“Maybe now you’ll stop pretending to be something you’re not,” Natalie, who stood beside Aria, chimed in, throwing him a condescending glance.

Ethan didn’t even flinch at her words. Instead, he focused his attention on Aria.

“Five thousand? I’ll offer you fifty thousand to take it back.” He replied firmly.

Aria’s face froze, her eyes narrowing in irritation. She wasn’t used to anyone challenging her, especially not like this. Natalie’s expression darkened as well, the playful amusement fading into annoyance.

“Who do you think you are?” Natalie shot back, stepping forward.

“Fifty thousand? As if we’ll believe you even have five hundred!” Greg added, furious at Ethan’s words.

“What a load of bullshit. You’d better take the money while you can. This is a one-time offer.” Aria spat back, furious at Ethan’s words.

“Then keep your money. I don’t need it.” Ethan fired back.

Aria’s gaze hardened at Ethan’s words.

“You’ll regret this. Let’s see how far your lie takes you.” Aria said angrily. With that, Aria and Natalie turned away.

The crowd followed them, exchanging murmurs as they walked toward the lavish Crystal Hotel for the dinner that Greg had promised them. They tossed smug glances over their shoulders, leaving Ethan standing alone with Victoria.

As the group disappeared through the doors, Victoria remained behind, her expression unreadable as she watched them go.

“It appears you’ve made quite the impression.” Victoria said, her voice light.

“I don’t need to impress anyone.” Ethan shrugged, unaffected by the events that just occurred, and started to make his way outside. Victoria didn’t hesitate one bit and decided to follow him.

They walked outside together, stepping into the cool evening air. As they reached the curb, a sleek, black luxury car pulled up smoothly, its polished surface gleaming under the streetlights. The driver, dressed in a sharp, formal suit, stepped out and opened the door with a respectful nod towards Ethan.

Victoria’s eyes widened slightly, though she quickly masked her surprise. She had suspected that there was more to Ethan than he let on, but this fully confirmed it. She would recognize the insignia on the car, no matter where she saw it. 

It turned out that he wasn’t bluffing earlier!

“So you really do know the Crestwoods.” Victoria spoke softly, her voice tinged with admiration.

Ethan looked at her briefly but didn’t reply to her statement. He didn’t feel the need to explain anything to her. Seeing the urgency on the driver’s face, he smoothly stepped into the car. As he settled into the plush leather seats, the driver closed the door behind him, and the car smoothly pulled away from the curb.

As Victoria watched the car disappear down the street, her mind started spinning with various possibilities.

If Ethan really had connections to the Crestwoods, then he was more powerful than anyone in that room had realized. Furthermore, if she could remain by his side and win his heart, it would be highly plausible for her to become his girlfriend!

This was a very huge discovery to her, and she couldn’t let anyone find out about this, no matter what!