Putting down the phone, the room fell into darkness, only the ambient lighting on the ceiling still glowing hazily.
Ethan breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling that the hustle and noise of the day had settled down and was replaced by a quiet warmth.
The next day.
Ethan stretched his arms, and the fatigue from the previous night had already dissipated.
He carefully selected a bag of premium Rainier cherries and imported organic teething biscuits for infants and toddlers, and took an Uber to Victoria's house.
After the doorbell rang, there was a brisk sound of footsteps in the apartment.
At the opening of the door, Victoria was wearing a yellow apron, and the tips of her hair were stained with some flour.
Her eyes lit up:
"Perfect timing! My crab cakes just came out of the pan~"
"Sister Vic's cooking is getting better and better."
Ethan smiled and handed over the gifts.
When Victoria took the bag, he noticed a shallow burn mark on the inside of her wrist, which must have been accidentally left while working in the kitchen just now.
"You're spending money again!"
Victoria glared at him playfully, but carefully put the teething biscuits into the snack cabinet.
"The baby has been teething recently—this is just right."
She bent down and took out a pair of brand new gray slippers from the shoe closet. "Specially prepared for you—matching our style, right?"
In the dining room, the golden crab cakes were crispy, and the edges of the lobster mac and cheese were perfectly browned.
When Victoria took off her apron, Ethan caught a glimpse of a small patch of sweat on the back of her T-shirt. The sunlight shone through the potted plants next to the table, casting dappled light and shadow on the dishes.
"Try this salmon—it was caught fresh at the market this morning!"
Victoria gave him a piece of fish, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly when she spoke. The once resolute businesswoman now even had maternal gentleness in her tone when offering food.
The two of them chatted while eating, and the atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable.
Victoria asked Ethan about his plans after the exam, and Ethan also cared about the current situation of her e-commerce company.
Victoria's company wasn't large, but it was running quite steadily. Still, a trace of fatigue occasionally flashed between her eyebrows, which made Ethan know how difficult it was for her to support herself.
After the meal, Victoria quickly cleaned up the dishes, and then said to Ethan mysteriously:
"Ethan, I'll go get you the gift I promised last time when you finished the SATs!"
There was a sound of small footsteps, and then a small, heavy box was stuffed into his hand.
In his hand was a long jewelry box with a dark blue velvet surface, which looked very sophisticated. He was a little surprised—he didn't expect it to be this.
"Open it and take a look!"
Victoria looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining.
Ethan gently opened the box. What was lying inside wasn't the tie clip or cufflinks he'd expected.
It was a brand new, smooth-lined, technologically advanced smartphone! The latest iPhone 6—worth a lot of money.
"Thank you, Sister Vic. I love it!"
Ethan wasn't polite and accepted it directly!
Back home in the afternoon!
Ethan received a call from Michael Wilson and agreed to sell it to Ethan for $32.5 million.
"Mom and Dad, I want to go to New York tomorrow!"
"Go to New York now?"
"Yeah! Take advantage of summer break to go there for a few days—just check out NYU first!"
"Okay, then see if I or your dad will go with you!"
"No, I can go by myself. No one needs to come with me—I'm old enough that I won't get lost!"
Ethan bought a plane ticket from their city to New York for the next day.
Before leaving, Linda gave Ethan $10,000, asking Ethan to pay attention to safety on the road!
July 9th!
The morning light had just dispersed the mist at JFK Airport in New York.
Ethan and Diana appeared in the arrival hall.
Both of them traveled light.
Ethan was dressed in casual clothes. Diana wore a well-tailored off-white suit dress with low-heeled pointed shoes, long hair pulled up, revealing an elegant neck—capable with a hint of charm—and a small rolling suitcase at hand.
"Little man, shall we go directly to the hotel now?"
Diana pushed the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and looked at Ethan.
"Yeah, settle down first."
Ethan nodded, his eyes sweeping over the slightly wet ground outside the airport. "It seems like it rained last night."
"New York—it's only beautiful when there's a light rain."
Diana laughed lightly and waved to stop a taxi.
The hotel was located in a five-star hotel near Hudson Yards, with excellent views.
Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows, brand new skyscrapers lined up in rows, outlining the city's vibrant skyline.
Ethan's eyes fell on one of the five-story buildings with a sense of design and relatively independent shape—that was the goal of his trip, the property under Michael Wilson's name.
When he arrived at the hotel, Ethan first called his parents to report he'd arrived safely.
Then he turned on messaging, and notifications immediately sounded like dings. Jack's dozen or so unread messages occupied the entire screen:
"Ethan, you asshole!"
"You're really not cool enough!"
"Going to New York by yourself and not taking me with you???"
....
Ethan replied to him:
"Good son, Dad has something to do this time. Next time for sure!" It also came with a very cheap emoji.
Almost at the same time, the top of the dialog box displayed "Jack is typing...", and then Jack's message bombardment came:
"Dude!"
"The friendship has faded—let's break up!"
"Unless you treat me to lobster rolls!"
.....
Ethan didn't rest and directly dialed Michael Wilson's phone.
On the other end of the phone, Wilson's voice was full of politeness and finally relief:
"Mr. Miller, you're here? Thanks for coming all this way! I've prepared the contract and related property rights information. How about we sign at ten o'clock tomorrow morning at my office (in that building)? After signing, we'll go directly to handle the transfer procedures."
"No problem, Mr. Wilson. Then tomorrow at ten AM."
Ethan's tone was calm, and you couldn't hear the slightest wave.
Hanging up the phone, Ethan looked at Diana who was sorting out her clothes:
"It's done. Sign the contract tomorrow morning."
Diana paused, and a hint of complexity flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Although she'd been shocked by Ethan's courage and $5 million startup capital that day in the café, the acquisition of $32.5 million in real money that was about to happen still made her heart beat faster.
She took a deep breath and smiled:
"The little man is really decisive—your bad aunt likes it!"
Afternoon!
The sky cleared, the sun shone through the clouds, and the air was moist and fresh.
For the time being, there was nothing to do. Ethan suggested:
"It's still early. First time in New York—want to take a walk along the High Line?"
"Okay!"
Diana readily agreed, took off her suit jacket, and put on a softer silk blouse:
"I've long heard of the charm of the High Line Park."
Ethan grabbed her hand and laughed lowly:
"Bad aunt, aren't you afraid of being hit on wearing such eye-catching clothes?"
Her eyes rolled and she leaned on his shoulder:
"I'm scared~, so the little man has to hold me tight."
In the evening, the High Line Park—the lights were on, and the elevated park walkway stretched through the city.
In the shadow of the modern landscaping and lights, the converted railway and industrial architecture blended with contemporary art installations to create a unique picture.
The two walked along the pathway, the breeze carrying the scent of planted gardens and a faint floral fragrance.
There are 60 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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