Once the overall investment direction was confirmed, the next phase became far more complex.
Negotiations over cooperation structure, profit distribution, government participation, and contract clauses had to be handled carefully. These were technical matters that required professional expertise.
Olivia took full charge.
Jason Carter only needed to steer the big picture and approve key decisions.
The contract itself involved multiple departments and would take time to finalize. Since Ellie was just a real-estate agent with no authority in government negotiations, she excused herself and left the Municipal Hall.
Back at the Sales Office
The moment Ellie returned, she saw Tanya Covell and Lucas still waiting.
They hadn't been able to find Jason anywhere and had no choice but to linger here.
The instant Tanya saw Ellie, she hurried over.
"Ellie," she asked quickly, "did Jason go look at more houses with you? Did he buy another one—cash or mortgage?"
Ellie frowned slightly.
After Tanya's earlier attitude, she felt no obligation to be polite.
"Whether he bought anything or not," Ellie replied flatly, "that's none of your business."
Tanya forced a smile.
"I'm just asking as a classmate."
"If you're curious," Ellie said coldly, "ask Jason yourself. If you're not close enough to ask him, then it's not convenient for me to say anything either."
Lucas scoffed.
"I'm telling you, he definitely didn't buy anything else. He's probably already tightening his spending. Qiuhe, stop clinging to false hope—he's going bankrupt. Why won't you accept it?"
Ellie finally lost her patience.
"Bankrupt?" she snapped. "You're the one who'll go bankrupt first."
She looked straight at them.
"Jason didn't buy another house—but he invested in expanding Lakeview Park, real-estate development, a public library, new schools, and road infrastructure."
"Total investment: two billion dollars."
"There's no universe where he goes bankrupt before you."
The Shattering of Illusions
"Two… two billion?" Tanya's eyes went wide.
At their last hometown reunion, an amusement park worth fifty million and a hotel worth thirty million had already sounded unreal.
And now—
Two billion dollars?
Lucas immediately shook his head.
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible. How could someone 'about to go bankrupt' invest two billion? And investing that much in the City makes no financial sense at all."
Ellie smiled faintly.
"Ever consider that Jason might not care whether he makes money?"
"Maybe he just wants his hometown to get better. If it makes money, great. If it doesn't, he doesn't mind."
"He's signing contracts at City Hall right now. If you don't believe me, go see for yourselves."
Lucas sneered.
"My uncle works at City Hall. I'll call him right now. Let's see how fast your boring lie falls apart."
He pulled out his phone and deliberately put it on speaker.
The call connected.
Before Lucas could even speak, his uncle's voice burst out—excited beyond measure.
"It's real! It's all real! Two billion dollars—can you believe that? I've never seen anything like this in my life. The entire City Hall is in chaos."
"You said you're his classmate? Then you better stay close to him! If you can earn his favor, why worry about money or connections? Heck, even a single word from him could get me promoted."
"Find a time and introduce us—seriously."
Silence
Lucas's face turned pale.
His mouth hung open.
This wasn't a rumor.
It wasn't exaggeration.
It wasn't fake news.
Jason Carter wasn't bankrupt.
On the contrary—
His true power was far more terrifying than Lucas had ever imagined.
In a city this small, Jason casually threw in two billion dollars.
So how much wealth did he really have?
The answer was something Lucas didn't even dare to calculate.
And at that moment—
He finally realized something devastating:
The gap between him and Jason…wasn't something effort could ever bridge.
At this point, Tanya Covell was completely certain—
The so-called "bankruptcy news" was fake.
And that realization hit her with both shock and regret.
The shock was obvious.
Jason Carter was still a terrifyingly wealthy man.If she could get close to him, she wouldn't just marry into money—she'd step directly into the upper tier of wealth.
Compared to that, someone like Lucas—a so-called "small rich second generation"—suddenly felt painfully inadequate.
The regret, however, cut deeper.
Her attitude earlier had been terrible.
When Jason wanted to look at houses, she hadn't helped. Worse—he had seen her standing next to Lucas. From Jason's perspective, that scene alone was enough to leave a bad impression.
He might already be angry.
Tanya Covell — Favorability +32
The favorability she had lost because of the fake news not only returned instantly—she even gained two extra points.
Without hesitation, Tanya pulled out her phone and sent Jason a message.
Tanya: Jason, I'm free now. Do you still want to see houses? I can personally take you around—I know City properties very well.
Then she suddenly remembered how she had rejected him earlier in the alumni group.
That rejection… might've embarrassed him.
Her heart tightened.
She quickly opened the group chat and tagged him again.
@Jason CarterI'm back in City! I'll take you to see houses and treat you to a meal!
Group Chat Chaos
The alumni association group went quiet for a moment.
Then confusion spread.
Everyone was baffled by Tanya's sudden change in attitude.
Even Josh couldn't make sense of it anymore and wisely chose to stay silent.
Meanwhile, Natasha sent Tanya a private message.
Natasha:What's going on? Didn't you say Jason was about to go bankrupt? You're treating him to dinner now? Aren't you afraid of getting burned?
Tanya replied immediately.
Tanya:The news was fake. I just found out—he's not bankrupt at all. He just invested two billion dollars into the City.
There was a long pause.
Then—
Natasha:…How much?
Tanya:You heard right. Two billion. Lucas's uncle works at City Hall—he just called and confirmed it.
Natasha:Holy crap… that's absolutely worth a dinner. You should've agreed from the start.Do you think he's angry about the rejection?
But with your looks, if you act a little cute, he'll forgive you.You HAVE to seize this chance. If you really marry into wealth, let me enjoy some of the benefits too.
Tanya smiled faintly at the screen.
Tanya:I'll do my best. If I really win him over, I won't forget you.
Natasha:By the way, Rick knows Jason pretty well. He mentioned organizing a class get-together. I'll talk to him.
Natasha immediately added Rick and sent a message.
Natasha:Didn't you say you wanted to organize a class reunion? When—tonight or tomorrow? Where?
Rick replied quickly.
Rick:I was just saying it casually. Everyone's back for New Year's, so we could meet up. I'm staying in town anyway, so I'll host.
Natasha:Did you invite Jason? Will he come?
Rick:Not sure yet. Why? Since when are you interested in Jason? Never noticed before.
Natasha:Don't worry about that. Just make sure Jason attends.Tanya and I will both be there.
There was a brief silence.
Then—
Rick:Wait—Tanya's coming too?Then we HAVE to do it. No question.
Natasha understood immediately and relayed everything to Tanya.
Tanya smiled when she read the messages.
Everything was lining up again.
Lucas Loses Everything
Standing nearby, Lucas watched all of this unfold.
His expression darkened.
He forced a smile and said stiffly,"Tanya, don't worry about Jason anymore. No matter how rich he is, it's his business."
"Didn't you want to see my villa? I'll take you now. Tomorrow I'll take you to a farmhouse resort—relax a bit."
Tanya didn't even look at him.
"I'm attending the gathering tomorrow. I won't be going."
After saying that, she walked away briskly, chatting happily with Natasha on her phone.
Lucas stood frozen.
Then—
He slammed his fist against the wall.
"Why… why is it always like this?!"
Every time.
Every single time.
The moment Jason Carter appeared—everything he thought he had… vanished.
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