"Come, Mark, let me introduce you!" Ethan deliberately pulled Mark David over, a mischievous glint in his eye. The two approached Beckham and his companions, who had just closed the door, while Walsh behind them was practically choking with laughter.
"This is Manchester United superstar and newly appointed England captain, David Beckham. Next to him is his beautiful and charming wife, Victoria, and this is the popular Hollywood actress, Miss Eva Snow."
At that moment, Mark David felt as if he should find a hole to crawl into, but he still shamelessly shook hands and greeted the three of them. However, his eyes nearly popped out of his head immediately afterward.
Eva gently pushed the mischievous Ethan and playfully complained, "What are you doing?"
Ethan smiled and shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just too happy. This is Mark David, John's brother and my best friend, the one I often mention to you. He just came back from America today!"
Eva politely greeted David again, and then everyone took their seats. David quickly moved his seat next to Walsh. Even if he were completely blind, he could tell that Ethan's girlfriend was the very Eva he had just praised as a fairy descended from heaven.
He was utterly impressed with Ethan. He could not connect Ethan with a Hollywood superstar, yet it was genuinely happening in reality, and they were even having dinner together.
The group chatted and laughed while eating, naturally discussing everyday life and work matters.
"By the way, Victoria, I hear your album is selling really well. Congratulations!" Ethan raised his glass in congratulations.
"Thank you, Ethan. I owe it all to you. You reminded me that I should put my sales online, and that brought in more album sales. The record company is very happy, and I'm very grateful to you!"
Ethan humbly shook his head. His suggestion at the time had only been a casual remark.
"Also, the investment company Eva and I established recently received the real estate investment report from the Netherlands and Belgium. We made a lot of money, and that's also thanks to you, Ethan!" Victoria thanked him again.
"Please don't say that, Victoria!"
Not long after he and Eva confirmed their relationship, Ethan had met with Victoria, who mentioned investing. Ethan had previously told Eva about the investment potential in real estate, and Victoria also thought it was feasible. So, in addition to investing in properties near Manchester and London in the UK, Ethan had also suggested they invest in the Netherlands.
In his previous life, Ethan knew that the European Championship had driven a real estate investment boom in the Netherlands, with prices rising rapidly. So he casually mentioned it, and to his surprise, Victoria took it seriously. She immediately had her management team handle it, and it really did make a lot of money, reportedly several million pounds.
"Eva and I have been researching things lately, and we plan to create several clothing brands of our own, as well as perfumes and cosmetics. We intend to collaborate with manufacturers on their development, so you'll have to give us plenty of advice when the time comes!" Victoria said with a smile.
Ethan immediately nodded in agreement. He was Eva's boyfriend, so there was no reason to refuse.
"By the way, David, why are you so quiet?" Ethan asked, a little puzzled.
Beckham gave a wry smile. "You probably don't know yet, do you, Ethan?"
"Know what?" Ethan asked, somewhat confused.
"Edwards has already sold his shares in Manchester United, and Sky TV is also considering selling its shares in Manchester United. The buyer is reportedly the same company, with American funding!"
Ethan was a little surprised. Could it be Glazer?
According to the history he knew, Glazer's first acquisition of Manchester United shares should have been in 2003, but it was only 2000 now. Why would it be earlier? And if he had bought Edwards' shares in one go, would that not mean he already owned fifteen percent of Manchester United's shares?
"Do you know who the buyer is?" Ethan asked with concern.
Beckham shook his head. "It should be announced publicly soon, but the board has been very contentious lately. The old man has long been dissatisfied with Edwards, so he teamed up with his Irish friend Magnier to keep pushing Edwards. This time, Magnier originally hoped to acquire Edwards' shares, but who knew they would be taken by an American consortium instead?"
The internal strife at the club made Beckham and some of the Manchester United players feel very depressed.
At this moment, Beckham could not help but recall what Ethan had said earlier. Within ten years, Manchester United would be swallowed by capital. Now, less than two years later, some of the problems of being a publicly listed company were already appearing.
"Murdoch's acquisition was like stabbing Manchester United. It would hurt a little, but the terrifying thing is that it drew blood, and that will attract a large group of hungry sharks. The coming period will be a turbulent one!" Ethan shook his head helplessly.
In his previous life, he had witnessed Manchester United's ups and downs, and he did not expect it to be the same after his transmigration.
"All right, let's not always talk about football. How about we talk about us?" Eva said with a smile.
"What is it?" Ethan asked curiously.
Victoria, sitting across the table, chuckled. "Our company bought a villa near Manchester. It's very nice, and Eva liked it a lot after seeing it. So she wanted to ask for your opinion on whether to move in. If it's suitable, we won't sell it later. We'll keep it for you two!"
Ethan frowned slightly. This seemed to have a different meaning.
He glanced suspiciously at Victoria, who shrugged, indicating that if there were any problems, they should solve them themselves.
"What do you think?" Eva asked with concern.
Ethan smiled. "I'm quite happy living in the apartment, but if you like it, then buy it. We can move in then, and it will be more convenient for you!"
Their relationship was only known to a few close friends. The outside world was unaware of it.
...
After dinner, the group chatted for a while in the private room, then dispersed.
Ethan drove Eva back to the apartment he had lived in for more than two years. As he drove into the residential complex, he looked up at the three-story house and realized that he was a little reluctant to leave.
"That villa also has three floors, with a garden, an indoor swimming pool, a smart garage, a courtyard, and so on." Eva clung affectionately to Ethan's arm, listing all the features of the new villa.
"You really like it there?" Ethan asked with a smile.
"Mhm, you'll like it too, really!" Eva said with certainty. She understood Ethan and knew what he liked.
"But I live here. I have friends and neighbours. If I move to the villa, it'll be very lonely!" Ethan deliberately put on a sad face.
Eva giggled, leaned close to Ethan, kissed him hard on the cheek, and whispered, "Then I'll come back more often to keep you company, okay?"
"Can you do that?" Ethan teased.
"It should be me who's afraid you can't!" With that, Eva giggled, got out of the car, and ran all the way upstairs.
After Ethan closed the garage door, he chased after her and rushed inside.
The outcome was exactly as expected!
...
"George Clooney and Brad Pitt recently co-starred in a remake action film called Ocean's Eleven." Eva lay lazily on Ethan's chest, her slender fingers tracing circles on his body.
Ethan felt a little ticklish but enjoyed it very much. "This is a good movie."
"They invited me to participate. You know, everyone who received an invitation is a big name!"
"So, did you agree?" Ethan asked with his eyes closed, enjoying the moment.
Seeing his expression, Eva immediately increased the tickling. "Not yet. You're my expert, so of course I have to ask you before deciding. I won't shoot any movie you don't approve of!"
She trusted Ethan's judgment completely. In the past two years, she had risen rapidly in Hollywood, with Ethan's support behind her. Now, several films she had starred in were blockbusters, and she was even regarded as a box office queen in Hollywood, extremely popular.
Previously, when casting began for the highly anticipated game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Eva, encouraged by Ethan, had taken part in the audition. To her surprise, she defeated Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie in the competition and became the actress chosen to play Lara.
This was also Eva's first time independently taking on the lead role in a film, and it was an action-adventure film, which Eva found challenging. She worked very hard, but she did not expose herself like the female lead in the Tomb Raider film from Ethan's previous life. She requested changes, only wearing somewhat sexy clothing, because she knew Ethan did not like it.
After finishing Tomb Raider, she then filmed The Bourne Identity. This time, she played a helpless beauty alongside a secret agent, which was another kind of challenge for her, but her role was not very extensive.
Both films had already wrapped, so she had to plan her work for next year.
"If it were me, I'd suggest you rest. You know you've been too busy lately and haven't had time to accompany me!" Ethan pulled her back onto the bed.
"I want to, but I can't!"
"Why?" Ethan found it strange.
Eva quietly leaned close to Ethan's ear. "I've already planned it. I'll work hard on filming these few years to build my reputation, then I'll announce our relationship to the public, marry you, and have a child for you. As for whether to make a comeback, we'll see then!"
Ethan shook his head, feeling helpless. He knew Eva was not doing this for money, because he, Ethan, was not short of money at all now. Eva wanted to have her own career. Even if she got married in the future, she did not want to rely entirely on her husband.
Of course, this did not mean Eva was not gentle enough or not sincere toward Ethan. On the contrary, Ethan could feel Eva's attachment to him. She was just stubbornly trying to prove that her original choice was not wrong.
"So, what about Spider-Man, the one you mentioned before?" Ethan asked again. He was gradually guiding Eva toward becoming Hollywood's top commercial actress.
In fact, Eva's reputation in Hollywood was already very strong, especially since the box office results of the films she starred in were all very high. Many big-name directors and producers favoured her.
However, this somewhat conservative actress's conditions for joining a film were simple. She would not film movies where the female lead had to be exposed, and even kissing scenes had to be faked. This was quite a headache, but compared with her box office appeal, these were all completely acceptable, because problems that could be solved technically were not big problems.
"Following your advice, I agreed. They said filming would start after Christmas, so I can't stay with you for too long!" Eva said with some reluctance.
Sometimes she really wanted to stay with Ethan forever, silently sending him off to work, quietly guarding their home, and waiting for him to return.
But she knew it was not possible yet!
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)