Ethan stood frozen in place. His mind had already been shaken once tonight, but Jason's next sentence completely shattered what remained of his composure.
"I have a girlfriend," Jason said calmly. "I won't be adding you."
Simple. Direct. No hesitation.
Ethan's eyes widened again. Damn it, don't be so ungrateful!
In his eyes, Tara and Wanda were goddesses—the kind of women men dreamed of but could never touch. Yet Jason rejected them without even blinking.
What Ethan didn't know was that Jason had already read Tara's full background report. Every detail. Her past relationships, including the "sponsor" phase early in her career, and an ambiguous connection with an elderly benefactor.
It wasn't illegal. Nor immoral under her circumstances. Her family burden had been heavy: a gambling father, a chronically ill mother, a younger brother still in school. She had carried everything alone.
The report even stated: no character issues, mature, pragmatic, highly self-disciplined.
Jason respected that. But discomfort still lingered.
Friendship? Fine. Romance? No interest.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Tara's eyes, but she didn't give up immediately. Her voice softened further. "I won't bother you often. I just hoped to see your posts occasionally." She smiled gently. "If it's inconvenient, I'll regretfully give up."
Jason remained unmoved. "Sorry. I have a girlfriend. It wouldn't be appropriate."
No ambiguity. No loopholes.
Tara exhaled slowly, then nodded with a composed smile. She turned to leave, pulling Wanda along, who was still unwilling.
But after two steps, Tara stopped. Turned back.
"Young Master Carter," she said politely, "I specialize in fashion styling, makeup, skincare, and image design. I've even designed several clothing lines myself. They're not famous due to limited promotion, but they're well received within niche circles."
She met his gaze calmly. "I wonder, would I have the honor of working for you?"
Wanda blinked in shock. Is she stupid? If you can't become his woman, what's the point of working for him?
But Jason's expression changed slightly, for the first time tonight. Interest.
"Can I see your designs?" he asked.
At that moment, Julia returned from the restroom. Tara immediately stepped half a pace back, maintaining distance from Jason. Then she opened her phone gallery and showed the designs openly, even angling the screen so Julia could see clearly.
Jason browsed briefly. The designs were elegant—feminine yet modern, graceful but commercially viable.
He turned to Julia. "What do you think?"
Julia's eyes lit up. "They're beautiful. You really designed these yourself?"
Tara smiled sweetly. "Yes. And you're so beautiful—you'd look even better wearing them. I'll send you a few sets later. You'll be the best advertisement."
Jason nodded slightly, then said, "Contact my secretary, Olivia, later. She'll handle the details. I'm planning to establish an image design and fashion branding company. You're welcome to join."
He paused, tone turning firm. "But I expect personal matters to be handled cleanly. Don't bring outside complications into the company."
The warning was subtle but unmistakable.
Tara understood instantly. He knew. Her past. Her burdens. Everything.
She nodded vigorously. "I've already resolved those issues. I promise to dedicate myself fully to company operations."
Jason gave a small approving nod. "Good. Then work hard."
Tara recognized the dismissal cue. She bowed slightly, then left obediently.
Wanda lingered, unwilling. But Jason didn't spare her even a glance. After a brief awkward silence, she had no choice but to follow Tara away.
Ethan stood there, completely dumbfounded. His worldview had been overturned again.
If it were him, either woman flirting earlier would've made him lose sleep from excitement. Yet Jason? Didn't even blink.
Instead, he turned a seduction attempt into a job recruitment.
Ethan swallowed hard. For the first time, he truly understood the gap between them. It wasn't just money. It was level. Power. Control. And the ability to decide who could stay and in what capacity.
Ethan left quietly. He didn't even say goodbye. Staying beside Jason any longer only made the gap between them feel more suffocating.
After walking across half the campus, he suddenly stopped beneath a streetlamp. For some reason,. His thumb hovered over the chat box, hesitating.
He hadn't pursued Emma for a long time, but he had never deleted her contact either. Old habits. Old obsessions.
He still saw her Moments occasionally, so he knew she had gotten a new boyfriend recently. A flashy rich kid. But Ethan instinctively disliked the guy. There was something unreliable about him. Superficial. Impulsive. The type who looked glamorous on the surface but felt hollow underneath.
Compared to him, Jason suddenly seemed far more dependable. Even if Jason had multiple girlfriends now, Ethan still felt Jason wouldn't truly mistreat a woman who stayed by his side.
After all, Jason had once chased Emma for three whole years.
After struggling for several minutes, Ethan finally typed: "You should think carefully about your current boyfriend. From what I've seen, Jason isn't anywhere close to bankruptcy. Choosing someone with an unclear background might be worse than staying with him."
He stared at the message, then sent it. Immediately after, he forced himself to delete Emma's contact. Completely. No hesitation this time.
On the other side, after leaving the night market, Tara made a phone call.
"Sister Sweetie," she said calmly, "this will be my last report. I failed to become Young Master Carter's woman. I've accepted a position under him. From now on, my stance will be entirely on his side."
Sweetie was slightly surprised but also appreciative. "Understood. As long as you don't harm his interests, we can still cooperate in the future. I'll arrange for other girls to approach him. If it's inconvenient for you, just stay out of it. I'll handle Wanda's matter."
Wanda, standing nearby, panicked instantly. "Sister Sweetie! Let me explain—I didn't mean to cause trouble—"
Click. The call ended.
A second later, her phone buzzed.
You have been removed from the group.
Wanda's face turned pale.
Elsewhere, inside a luxury five-star hotel suite, a floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the glowing skyline of Harbor City.
In the marble bathtub, a stunning woman soaked in a milk bath. Her skin was smooth and luminous under the warm lighting.
Her phone chimed. She glanced lazily, then froze slightly when she saw the sender: Sweetie.
Her eyes sharpened. She opened the file attached. It was Jason Carter's profile.
The more she read, the brighter her eyes became. Business empire, political connections, financial warfare, acquisitions, tourism megaprojects, national used-car export dominance.
By the time she finished, she unconsciously licked her lips. Closed her eyes. Thinking. Calculating.
Then she sent a friend request to Emma.
In her view, Emma herself wasn't valuable. But Jason had pursued her for three years. That meant Emma possessed something, some trait Jason once valued deeply.
And right now, Tara and Wanda had both failed. If they wanted a breakthrough, they needed a new angle.
Emma might be the key.
At the University, Emma had just been dropped off at her dorm by her new boyfriend. She hummed happily while climbing the stairs, phone in hand.
First, she saw Ethan's message. Her brows furrowed. Why is he suddenly speaking for Jason? She felt confused but didn't think much of it.
Then she noticed the friend request. Diana Drake. From the same elite socialite training circle.
Emma accepted.
At first, Diana chatted casually. Topics like how to attract high-value men, fashion signals men notice, psychological flirting tactics.
Emma listened with great interest. The more they talked, the more excited she became.
But gradually, Diana steered the topic. Subtly. Carefully. Toward Jason.
Emma's interest dropped instantly. Her tone even carried faint disdain.
She couldn't understand these people at all. Didn't they read the news? Didn't they know the rumors? Jason Carter was about to go bankrupt.
And they were still obsessing over him?
In her eyes, these girls simply couldn't grasp reality. They were clinging to an outdated image of Jason, blind to what she believed was his impending downfall. It was almost pitiful, really—how desperately they wanted something that was clearly crumbling.
Diana, on the other end, sensed Emma's shift in tone immediately. She didn't push. Instead, she pivoted smoothly to other topics, maintaining the friendly rapport while mentally filing away Emma's response.
This would require a different approach. Emma wasn't going to be swayed by logic or reason. She was convinced of her own narrative. But that conviction, Diana realized, might be the very weakness to exploit later.
For now, she simply smiled at her phone and continued the conversation as if nothing had changed.
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