2024-11-22 11:19:02Aria narrowed her eyes at Ethan, irritation and anger bubbling under her cool exterior.
Judging from the plain clothes that were littered on the floor, he didn’t even seem like he could afford to take care of himself.
She strongly disliked people like Ethan, who clearly told and spinned lies about their capabilities to get on her good side. After all, as a top beauty of the prestigious Tussauds University, meeting those kinds of people wasn’t exactly a new occurrence to her.
“I mean it.” Ethan said firmly.
"You must be joking," Aria scoffed, letting out a harsh laugh while glaring at him coldly, regarding him with the same contempt she regarded other nobodies who had tried their luck with her.
“I’m not kidding. I can take care of you.”
She stared at him for a moment, unable to decide if she should pity him for being so delusional or feel irritated that he was wasting her time.
“Look,” she finally said, shaking her head, “you’re clearly just another guy who thinks he can talk big to impress me. But the powerful people I know? They could make someone like you disappear without a second thought.”
Instead of backing down at her words, Ethan chuckled softly.
“Is that so? They might want to be my friends once they know who I am.” Ethan replied with an amused smile. It was almost as though he didn’t care about any powerful person she knew at all.
Aria rolled her eyes at his cocky response, and she felt her patience significantly run out at his words.
“You must be out of your mind. I’m not going to give you a single penny, and don’t even think about using what happened last night against me. It was a mistake, and if you’re smart, you’ll keep your mouth shut about it.”
“Or what?” Ethan said, raising an eyebrow at her subtle threat.
“Or I’ll make sure you regret it. Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to see your face again.” Aria threatened, her voice cold.
Surprisingly, Ethan didn’t argue with her. He simply watched her for a moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face before he stood, grabbing his own clothes and quietly leaving the room. There was some tension lingering in the air, but Aria didn’t bother to look at him again as he walked out.
The moment Ethan stepped into the hallway, the expression on his face shifted. The lighthearted, almost playful facade he had worn with Aria melted away, replaced by a calm seriousness.
He entered the lift, pressing the button to the ground floor, his mind racing back to the events of the night before.
He hadn’t mentioned it to Aria, she was poisoned by the letha aphrodisiac.
If he hadn’t intervened, Aria would have died. Sleeping with her hadn’t been his choice; it was the only way to save her life.
Nonetheless, he felt no need to explain that to her. If anything, it would only complicate matters further.
Now the most important was finding the woman he was engaged to, that's the why he transferred here.
The elevator dinged as it arrived on the ground floor, and when the doors slid open, Ethan was met with an unexpected sight. A group of men, all dressed in sharp black suits, stood in a line, waiting for him; and at the very front was a middle-aged man, tall and imposing, who stepped forward and bowed slightly.
“Master Ethan, welcome to Tussauds,” the imposing man said, his voice respectful.
Ethan’s face remained impassive, but there was a trace of recognition in his eyes.
“Edward Crestwood, I told you to keep a low profile.” Ethan said coldly.
The middle-aged man straightened his posture before glancing around at the other men and motioning for them to disperse.
“I apologize, Master Ethan. We simply wanted to ensure your safety.”
“Your father requested we make sure your time here at university is as discreet as possible.” Edward offered a small smile and replied.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“Discreet? And you brought a whole group of men in black? That doesn’t seem very discreet to me.”
“A temporary measure, I assure you.” Edward chuckled lightly, dismissing the rest of the team with a wave.
As the last of the men left, Edward pulled out a sleek, diamond-encrusted black card from his suit breast pocket and handed it to Ethan.
“This is your new card, Master Ethan. This card is the first of its kind in the world, offering unlimited usage. There are no restrictions on the location or amount. It also has a twenty-four-hour service for all your needs.”
Ethan glanced at the card but showed little interest.
“There’s also a self-driving sports car waiting for you in the lot. Like the card, it is the very first of its kind and is filled with phenomenal features.” Edward added, although he could see Ethan wasn’t particularly impressed by the car and any of the features he mentioned.
“I don’t need it,” Ethan replied coldly, his gaze narrowing. “I’m here to keep a low profile, remember?”
“Understood, Master Ethan.” Edward nodded in affirmation.
He had also arranged a beautiful villa for Ethan, but from his earlier actions, he was confident that he would instantly reject the offer. Therefore, he did not bother mentioning it to him.
“Please at least accept this card; you will find it useful.”
Ethan nodded and tucked the card into his pocket.
“Will you now tell me the real reason why you came all the way here to find me?” Ethan asked coldly, his eyes darkening as he awaited Edward’s answer.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 3
Edward stared at Ethan with a look of surprise on his face. He did not expect Ethan to see through him so easily. Otherwise, how would he have known that he had another reason for seeking him out?"Are you not going to answer me?" Ethan asked calmly, interrupting Edward's thoughts.Edward jolted a bit before begging in a tone filled with desperation."Please, Master Ethan, you have to save my daughter.” Edward pleaded.“I have tried everything possible. Doctors, specialists, and herbal treatments, but nothing has worked so far.” His voice faltered as he spoke, his eyes filled with hopelessness."Please, Master Ethan, I’m not sure how much time she has any longer!” Ethan’s expression remained unreadable as he stood across Edward. He exhaled slowly, seemingly unperturbed by the gravity of the request.“I’ll meet her tomorrow.” Ethan said, agreeing to Edward’s request.“What?” Edward blinked, taken aback by Ethan’s swift agreement. After all, the rumours he had heard about the young man
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 4
Aria stormed inside the villa, her heels clacking angrily against the polished marble floor. She had enough of Ethan’s ridiculous lies and smug attitude. However, just as she turned to close the door, her eyes widened when she saw Ethan casually walking inside the villa just behind her.“Are you insane?! What do you think you are doing right now?!” Aria snapped, her voice laden with irritation and anger.“Are you going to keep up your stalker activities here?!” Aria asked angrily, glaring at Ethan fiercely.Ethan stopped walking and stared at Aria with annoyed expression on his face. He always prided himself on being calm, but with the constant barrage of accusations from Aria, even he could not help but lose his patience.“I’ve told you already, I’m not a stalker, and I’m here to meet someone.” Ethan replied angrily.“Oh? And who exactly are you here to meet?” Aria instantly crossed her arms, glaring at him.“My fiancée, Aria Whitman.” Ethan replied firmly.The words hit Aria like a
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 5
"Aria will marry Gregory Holden," Margaret declared in a firm voice.The tension in the room became extremely suffocating, and Henry Whitman stood tall, his arms crossed as he stared down at his wife, Margaret, who had just made an outrageous declaration. Her statement that Aria would marry Gregory Holden had shocked everyone in the room, and Henry’s expression instantly turned to one of pure disgust.“Gregory Holden? That hypocrite’s son? You must be out of your mind.” Henry sneered, his voice filled with disdain.Margaret remained unflinching at her husband’s harsh words, her posture stiff and resolute.“Greg is a fine young man, and he works for the powerful Crestwood family. It is surely a connection that will be invaluable to us one day.”Henry shook his head, his patience wearing thin.“The Crestwood family may be powerful, but Greg himself is nothing. His father is a mere lackey who can’t even manage his own affairs, and you want our Aria to be engaged to such a person?”“He’s
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 6
Before Ethan could get another word in, Aria walked off and approached a sleek, black Porsche. The car's door opened, and a beautiful girl stepped out. Her designer outfit clung tightly to her slim figure, and every inch of her oozed wealth and privilege. “This is my best friend, Natalie.” Aria said.Ethan extended a polite hand, "Nice to meet you."Natalie didn’t even look at his outstretched hand. Her eyes flicked up and down, taking in his simple clothes with a disgusted sneer.“So, this is the guy?” she asked, her voice dripping with contempt. Ethan withdrew his outstretched hands, but he didn’t comment on it. After all, he had no interest in playing their petty games.“We’re heading to Gregory Holden' party. You should come,” Aria said."Why not?" Ethan shrunk his shoulders.“Come on, it’ll be fun. Besides, Greg is dying to meet you.” Natalie said in a nice tone. But actually she had told Greg earlier. Greg was going to let Ethan know the result of stealing his girl.Everyone
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 7
Ethan stepped outside the club vicinity and pulled out his phone after he was in a silent area. He dialled the customer service number embossed on the back of his black unlimited card, and on the very first ring, the phone call connected, and a friendly but professional voice answered immediately. “Welcome to Zenith. How can I assist you?” the voice asked professionally. “I need my membership registered for tonight’s event at a club called Oasis,” Ethan said, his tone firm but calm. The process took less than a minute. With a level of efficiency only the most elite memberships could offer, the operator confirmed his registration. Ethan pocketed the card, knowing full well that the only reason he could easily become an exclusive member at Oasis was because of the card. It had been mentioned by Edward Crestwood that only a handful of individuals worldwide had the privilege of becoming members with this card. It was a mark of wealth, power, and connections that most people could only
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 8
"Are you crazy? How dare you set your sights on that car?" Aria interrupted. "Exactly, is that car even something a person like you deserves to drive?" Natalie chimed in. "If you have the ability to win, then it's yours," Greg said with a smile.The limited edition Lamborghini was regarded as a family heirloom in the Holden family. However, Greg was so confident of his victory in this fight that he bet it without any hesitation. “Big mistake, man.” Ethan sneered.Greg stood in the center of the arena, a smug grin plastered across his face. He glanced over at Ethan and asked in a mocking tone.“Is this your first time fighting?”“Yes.” Ethan replied curtly.Greg’s grin widened as he cracked his knuckles, stepping into the center of the ring. There was no way that Ethan, a complete rookie fighter, was going to emerge victorious over him.“This is his first time fighting? He must have a death wish!” one of the people in audience muttered.“A death wish is too mild! By the time Greg i
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 9
As Ethan stepped out of the combat room, the crowd that had gathered in the underground fight club was buzzing with shock and disbelief. "He's cheating!" someone shouted from the back, followed by murmurs of agreement."Of course he won, look at that suit! No wonder he managed to pull off those moves. He didn’t beat Greg fairly!" another voice joined in.Ethan ignored the accusations, his expression impassive, but Victoria, standing beside him, stepped forward and glared at the crowd.“Mr. Ethan did not choose the excellent equipment I provided. His skills are what decided the fight.”The crowd erupted in laughter at her words.“Yeah, right. Do you expect us to believe some random guy just walked in and beat the Gregory Holden?” One of the onlookers sneered.Aria, who had been watching from the front row suddenly stood and sauntered over with a smirk on her face.“Greg will have his revenge soon enough,” she said in a mocking tone.“This win means nothing. You cheated, Ethan. Everyon
The Underestimated Tycoon Chapter 10
“What a joke!” Aria sneered after hearing Ethan’s words. There was no way that his words would be true. She thought Ethan was bluffing. After all, why would someone like him be an important guest at a dinner hosted by the powerful Crestwood family?Just looking at his poor outfit alone, he didn’t even fit in among the city’s elite. How then would he be the important guest to the powerful Crestwood family?It was obvious that he was blatantly lying to their faces. He was a boastful fraud after all.It appeared that it wasn’t just Aria who thought the same way, as the crowd joined in and started to insult Ethan.“Do you really expect us to believe that?” one of the audience uttered, and the rest of the crowd murmured in agreement, with several of them glaring at him with disdainful sneers.“You have quite the imagination.” Greg, ever eager to humiliate him, remarked with a mocking smirk.“It’s not too late to back out of this lie you’ve told before you embarrass yourself even more.” Gre
Latest Chapter
Chapter 49
Back at the Whitman manor, Aria, Natalie, and Greg made their way to the luxurious sitting room. There, Aria’s parents, Andrew and Eloise Whitman, as well as her grandparents, Henry and Margaret Whitman, were already seated in the sitting room.The reason for their gathering was none other than the pressing issue regarding finding an ally. They were looking to explore other options as they had no faith that they would get an ally anymore.“I think we need to face the reality of the situation.” Margaret Whitman said with a deep sigh, and her eyes flicked between her son, Andrew, and her husband, Henry.“We can’t continue to wait and hope that a big family will change their minds and decide to ally with us.” Margaret added in a somewhat dejected tone.“What are you suggesting, mother?” Eloise asked carefully as she glanced at her mother-in-law warily, as she could sense where the conversation was headed.“I think we should sell our ownership stake in the company. We’ve built it up enoug
Chapter 48
Eastwood Manor, Eastwood Street.While Aria and Natalie were celebrating and rejoicing at the Whitman family being selected as an ally for the Crestwood family, Ethan was at his luxurious apartment working on some important documents.He had been extremely busy for the past 48 hours, as he had to complete several major business deals for his father. Due to the large scale of the business, he hadn’t even had the chance to do anything else. Fortunately, with his work ethic, he had managed to complete everything that he needed to do. He just needed to drop off the documents at their family headquarters in the city, then he would no longer be occupied.As he closed the documents that were on his work desk, he suddenly remembered that the Crestwood family was supposed to release their list of allies today. He didn’t know whether the Crestwood family later chose the Whitman family as their ally.“I can’t believe I forgot.” Ethan muttered as he reached for his phone. He was just about to pla
Chapter 47
For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. It was as though everything had stopped moving, and Aria couldn’t believe her ears. She stared at the phone screen in shock, her mind struggling to process what she had just heard and what was written on the phone screen as well.“We’re number one on the list?” Aria repeated in shock, the tone of her voice incredulous. She was having a hard time believing that what she saw was real. She felt like someone was playing tricks on her eyes.“Yes! The Whitman family is the first name on the list, and your family was awarded a very coveted business contract by the Crestwood family! It’s a very important business contract, and being in charge of this would give your family a lot of edge!” Natalie exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief and her tone laced with shock.Aria felt a flood of emotions rush through her body—relief, disbelief, and joy. She couldn’t believe it, and she felt like she was dreaming. She even pinched herself twice, and the sh
Chapter 46
The days went by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed since Vivienne’s charity party. Aria hadn’t heard from Ethan in those two days, and while it was surprising to her, she didn’t think too much about it. As a matter of fact, she was quite glad that Ethan had not spoken to her in the past 48 hours. She did not want to have to deal with Ethan.At the moment, Aria and Natalie were in the garden of the Whitman manor and having a conversation regarding an ally for the Whitman family. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting a soft light on the manicured bushes and blooming flowers, but Aria was far too anxious to appreciate the beauty of nature around her.Aria knew what was at stake. Although the Whitman family could still be considered wealthy, their business wasn’t doing too well anymore, and if they weren’t able to secure an ally, they were on a fast track to falling from grace to grass.“Calm down, Aria. It’s not the end of the world.” Natalie, who had
Chapter 45
Jason remained quiet for a brief moment as he contemplated Ethan’s words, but it didn’t seem like he was going to change his mind. Although Ethan had a mysterious background and identity, this was a different ball game entirely, and moreover, he couldn’t make this decision on his own.“I will think about it seriously and speak to my father about the Whitman family. However, he is out of the city currently for business, and he will be coming back in the next three days. When he is back, I will speak to him, and we will release the list of allies we have decided to work with.” Jason said with a pleading tone. It was as though he was trying to pacify Ethan.Ethan looked at him for a few seconds before ultimately nodding his head in agreement.“Thank you. I look forward to seeing the list.” Ethan said, and exchanged goodbyes with them before turning and walking away, his steps as calm and composed as ever.As Ethan walked away, he was already thinking about his next move. He planned to me
Chapter 44
The curtains on the charity event had been pulled already, and in less than twenty minutes, the grand and luxurious hall of the VIP section where the guests were the elite of the city gradually emptied, leaving in the same flashy way they arrived. The journalists and reporters who were still present continued to take several pictures of them, but the fervour was vastly different from the moment of arrival.Aria, Greg, and Natalie all left together as usual, before parting ways on the route to their various homes. They didn’t even bother to look for Ethan or offer him a lift, choosing to completely ignore him and go about their own activities.Ethan as well didn’t bother with them. If they chose to ignore him, then he would respect their decision. Besides, he would rather they ignored him than them reaching out to him only to insult him again.Meanwhile, inside the luxurious grand hall, Jason and Vivienne Crestwood stood near the polished oak doors of the hall, speaking in low voices a
Chapter 43
The party continued in its lavish atmosphere, and soon enough, the charity auction began mere minutes after Vivienne’s speech. The guests settled down, and the lights in the luxurious hall dimmed as an auctioneer took to the stage.“Good evening everyone. I trust you all are having a pleasant evening!” The auctioneer, a handsome man in his early forties greeted politely as he positioned himself properly on the stage. His voice was rich, commanding the attention of everyone present as he presented the first item that was up for auction—a luxurious painting from a world famous artist.The proceeds from the auction, as Vivienne mentioned earlier, would go toward several charitable causes that needed it.In a gathering with such exclusive people in the city, several high-end and luxurious items were presented, including artworks, jewellry and rare collectibles. These were all items that were highly sought for by the guests present, and they placed their bids on their interested items with
Chapter 42
“What a showoff.” Greg sneered as he watched Ethan walk away from them.“He has nothing and yet he’s acting like that! How dare he lie to us?” Natalie added, her voice dripping with disdain.“Vivienne Crestwood got him the outfit? What a fraud.” Natalie scoffed and muttered under her breath, visibly irritated by the thought.Aria’s eyes flickered with surprise at Ethan’s attitude, but she still remained silent. She didn’t know whether to believe his words or not.“He definitely has some nerve, walking around so righteously when he just stood there and lied to our faces.” Greg uttered angrily as Ethan disappeared into the crowd, clenching his fists as he did so.Aria still remained silent, sporting a small frown on his face as she stared at Ethan disappearing figure. She didn’t know what to make of Ethan’s claim. Since his demeanor was so calm and composed, wasn’t there the possibility that his words could be true?“Let’s just ignore him. He’s no one important anyways. He’ll just end u
Chapter 41
For a moment, the three of them stared at Ethan in silence. The words Aria wanted to say got stuck in her mouth, and her jaw dropped. Natalie widened her eyes as she stared at Ethan, while Greg who was sporting a smug expression saw his expression falter. None of them had expected that response, and they could not believe their ears.“Vivienne? What do you mean Miss. Vivienne?” Natalie asked, her voice filled with disbelief.“Do you mean Vivienne Crestwood?” Aria asked, her voice clearly showing her shock.“Yes.” Ethan replied coolly, giving her a small nod of agreement.“You’re such a liar, Ethan. Why would Vivienne Crestwood get someone like you an outfit?” Greg immediately rebutted, not believing his words for a single second at all.Ethan didn’t respond to Greg’s insult, and opted to remain silent. He had already answered their questions, and whether they believed him or not was left to them, as he had no intention of explaining any further to them. He already expected them not to
