....
Diana looked at the lights of the city below and said softly:
"I always thought New York was a very harsh city, but I didn't expect it to have such a soft and creative side."
Ethan's gaze was withdrawn from the city view and fell on Diana's profile, which was particularly soft in the lights:
"Cities, like people, are multifaceted. Just like Diana—you're sharp in bed, but at this moment you're gentle and picturesque."
When Diana heard this, the tips of her ears became slightly hot, and she glanced at him playfully:
"The little devil has learned to be smooth now?"
There wasn't much blame in her tone, but there was a hint of imperceptible sweetness.
Ethan smiled and didn't answer, but naturally stretched out his hand and held her slightly cool hand.
Diana's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed and let him hold it, interlocking their fingers. The two of them walked along the pathway, enjoying this tacit intimacy and tranquility amidst the bustling flow of people.
The lights, city views, and the temperature of the person beside them constituted a New York night with ambiguity and warmth that only belonged to this moment.
....
When they returned to the hotel, it was already late at night.
There were only a few ambient lights in the room, and the light was dim.
The beautiful atmosphere of the afternoon riverside quietly fermented in the private space.
Without saying too many words, a look, one approach, ignited the spark latent in the air.
The clothes slipped silently, and the touch of skin-to-skin was scorching warm. Diana's low moans and Ethan's heavy breathing were intertwined in the quiet room, melting all the fatigue of daytime business planning and travel into the turbulent tide of passion....
After the passion, the two hugged each other, enjoying the tranquility and warmth after the storm.
Diana's hairpin had slipped off at some point, and her dark hair was spread across the snow-white pillows.
Her fingertips unconsciously traced the beads of sweat on Ethan's collarbone, and her voice still had unfading desire:
"What time is it... honey?"
Diana's voice was lazy and hoarse afterward, and her cheek was pressed against Ethan's sweaty chest.
After this warmth, Diana had changed how she addressed Ethan to "honey"!
This title made Ethan's heart tremble:
"Why did you suddenly call me honey?"
Diana burrowed into his arms again, and the tip of her nose rubbed against the red mark on his chest:
"I just wanted to call you that all of a sudden..."
The words disappeared between the lips that fit again.
Good God, this was complete surrender...
Ethan fumbled and picked up his phone from the bedside table:
"It's almost three in the morning. The World Cup—Brazil vs. Germany—the show is about to start."
"Oh?"
Diana yawned lazily. As a die-hard fan of the Argentine team, she wasn't interested in this matchup:
"It's not Messi's game... But... since it's on, let's watch and see the excitement."
Before the words fell, a tsunami of cheers erupted on the TV.
In the broadcast screen, the Mineirão Stadium in Brazil was packed, and the yellow-green ocean was surging, full of enthusiastic expectations for the home team.
As the camera swept over the Brazilian players, the shadow of Neymar's absence due to injury shrouded the whole team. The German team appeared calm and focused.
"Honey, who do you think will win?"
Diana leaned into Ethan's arms and asked casually, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his chest.
"German machine!"
Ethan's answer didn't hesitate—it was more like waiting for the outcome of a trial that had been predicted long ago.
"So sure?"
Diana was a little surprised. But thinking of Ethan's previous "prophetic" performances, she felt it seemed to be taken for granted.
The game began.
In just the 11th minute, Müller opened the scoring for Germany!
Diana's eyes widened slightly:
"Ah! So fast?"
Ethan's expression didn't change at all.
23rd minute.
Klose scored! Germany 2-0! The stands of Brazilian fans fell silent.
"Oh my God..."
Diana covered her mouth, incredulous.
In the 24th and 26th minutes, Kroos scored two goals in two minutes! 4-0!
The game completely lost its suspense!
The Mineirão Stadium was in great shock and sadness, and there was even a close-up of a young Brazilian fan in tears.
"Crazy! Completely crazy!"
Diana sat up straight, completely shocked by the massacre-like scene on the field. "What did the German team take today?"
Ethan was still silent, but his eyes were a little deeper.
What he focused on wasn't the process, but the final score engraved in his memory.
In the 69th and 79th minutes of the second half, Schürrle scored two more goals! 6-0!
"Oh my God... Completely insane!"
Diana was speechless.
90th minute.
Oscar scored a consolation goal for Brazil.
The final score was fixed at 7-1!
When the final whistle blew, the German players were celebrating making history, and the entire Mineirão Stadium was immersed in great grief and disbelief. Ethan's tense body finally relaxed.
He breathed a long, silent sigh of relief, as if he'd unloaded a thousand pounds.
It's done! History hadn't changed because of his rebirth! This tragedy that shocked the world was still coming as promised!
Diana was still immersed in the huge shock brought by the game and didn't notice Ethan's subtle movements and changes in his eyes.
"It's terrible... 7-1, still in the home semifinals in Brazil... This will definitely be the most humiliating night in World Cup history."
She shook her head, her tone full of sighs.
"Football is round—anything can happen."
Ethan said lightly and turned off the TV. "Go to sleep. There's business tomorrow."
Diana nodded, snuggled into his arms, and soon fell asleep with the shock of the game and the expectation of signing tomorrow. And Ethan kept his eyes open in the dark until the sky showed the first light of dawn.
He was waiting, waiting for the text message notification announcing that his capital strength had leaped again.
July 10, early morning.
A slight but continuous vibration woke Ethan from his light sleep.
He opened his eyes almost instantly and grabbed the phone next to his pillow.
The screen lit up, and it was a text message from the sports betting app. The content was extremely concise:
[Valued User]: The match you bet on (2014 World Cup semi-finals: Brazil vs Germany, score 7-1) has been successfully settled. The principal amount is $8 million, the odds are 1:1000, and the pre-tax bonus is $8 billion. According to the relevant agreement, 20% tax ($1.6 billion) has been deducted, and the net income of $6.4 billion has been remitted to your designated account (suffix 7623). Please check your account.
Immediately afterward, almost at the same time, several notifications popped up in a row on his Chase Bank app:
[Chase Bank] Sports Betting Settlement transferred $6.4 billion to your account 7623 at 8:35 AM on July 10, 2014. Available balance: $6.4 billion.
Ethan stared at the long string of dizzying numbers on the screen. Even though he was reborn and his mind was already as solid as a rock, his breathing involuntarily became a little faster at this moment.
$8 billion! After deducting taxes, a full $6.4 billion was lying quietly in his bank account! His cash flow had swelled to the point where it was enough to support him for a much larger layout!
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the agitation in his heart, and got up gently, not waking Diana, who was still asleep.
He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and overlooked the Hudson Yards area that was gradually waking up in the morning light.
The five-story building wasn't inconspicuous against the backdrop of many skyscrapers, but at this moment, in Ethan's eyes, it was shining with an incomparably dazzling light—that was the first substantial flame that his "Red Bean Capital" was about to ignite.
There are 60 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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