As soon as Jessica settled into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, her eyes keenly caught the unusual gleam on Ethan's wrist.
"Wait—"
She leaned over curiously and looked at the watch carefully, "When did you get a new watch? What brand is this? It looks so unique and has such strong design!"
The more she looked at it, the more exquisite it seemed, and she couldn't help but ask, "Is it expensive? If the price is reasonable, I'd like to get something similar."
She thought it might be an entry-level watch worth a few hundred bucks.
Ethan didn't answer directly, but casually adjusted the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, saying vaguely: "Not expensive. I always wear a watch—did you just notice it today?"
He avoided mentioning the brand and price.
Jessica frowned and tried to recall: "No... When you dropped me off yesterday, I clearly remember your wrist was bare..."
Her face was full of confusion, but seeing that Ethan didn't seem to want to discuss it further, she waved her hand: "Oh, forget it, forget it. Maybe I'm remembering wrong."
The corners of Ethan's mouth curved up slightly, and he didn't explain further.
He suddenly stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like red lightning, leaving the Courtyard by Marriott in an instant.
Not far away, the woman who'd failed at hitting on him earlier hadn't gone far.
She watched the supercar driving away, her eyes full of unwillingness and jealousy.
She quickly pulled out her phone and took several photos of the Ferrari's rear end, the clear license plate, and Ethan's profile barely visible in the car.
Then she clicked on a group chat called "NYC Influencer Resource Sharing."
Her fingers rapidly typed out a message: "Ladies! Major find! Fresh top-tier catch! [Photo] [Photo] [Photo]
"Red Ferrari, brand new! But the key is the owner—young! Ridiculously hot! Wearing a Patek Philippe Grand Complication on his wrist, conservatively worth several hundred thousand! More expensive than the car!
"I just tried hitting on him, a bit cold, but definitely a real big fish! Sharing the resource—may the best girl win!"
When the message sent, the previously quiet group exploded instantly.
"OMG! Did you get the plate number?!"
"Patek Philippe Grand Complication? Are you serious?!"
"Drop the location! I'm camping at Time Warner tomorrow!"
"That look... I'm obsessed! Ladies, let's hunt!"
The "influencers" in the group all had sharp eyes, and their connections and activities covered major high-end spots in Manhattan.
Tracking Ethan's whereabouts wouldn't be difficult for them—it was just a matter of staking out those luxury stores, upscale restaurants, and five-star hotels to try their luck and see who had better fate.
The woman who sent the message looked at the group chat rapidly filling with responses and snorted proudly.
So what if Jessica was beautiful?
In her opinion, two fists couldn't beat four hands, and a hero couldn't stand against a pack of wolves. She didn't believe that with the "professionalism" and "numbers" of their "sisterhood," they couldn't win over one man.
Little did she know, in the eyes of players at Ethan's level, their mass-produced "knockoff designer lives" were far less attractive than unique "authentic goods" like Jessica or Sophie.
Ethan drove the Ferrari back to the familiar underground parking garage entrance at the Time Warner Center.
Jessica looked at the familiar glass curtain wall outside the window and asked suspiciously: "Ethan, why did we come back here? Aren't we going sightseeing?"
Ethan unfastened his seatbelt and looked at her sideways, his tone carrying a bit of teasing: "Didn't you want to buy a watch like mine? In all of Manhattan, this is probably the only place that can meet your little goal."
Jessica's face flushed red all at once. Thinking of her bold statement in the car just now, she was immediately embarrassed: "You did that on purpose! How much does that watch actually cost? I can't afford one that expensive!"
She already had a faint guess in her heart, but still held onto a fantasy of a few thousand dollars.
Ethan's expression remained casual, as if saying something ordinary: "A bit over 880, not too bad. Not expensive."
"880 dollars?" Jessica's eyes widened, then she felt ridiculous, "Impossible! How could an $880 watch be sold at Time Warner Center?"
She finally realized the unit after that number must be thousand. Over 880 thousand! This number made her feel a bit breathless for a moment, her cheeks burning hot.
Ethan looked at her embarrassed and cute appearance, couldn't help but smile, and pushed open the car door: "Come on, we're already here."
Jessica was both embarrassed and annoyed, gently slapping him on the arm: "You're so mean! You knew I couldn't afford it and you brought me here just to watch me be embarrassed, right? I can't afford a watch worth nearly a million dollars!"
"Who said you're buying it?"
Ethan naturally took her hand and pulled her toward the main floor of the mall, "Look at your bare wrist—you don't even have a decent watch. Don't flight attendants have to wear watches to check the time?"
Jessica explained: "I wear one for work, but it's just an ordinary quartz watch worth a few hundred bucks, purely functional. Of course I don't wear it when I go out."
Ethan didn't take her to the Patek Philippe where he'd bought his watch, but went straight to Cartier's flagship store.
Although he had the ability to buy Jessica any watch, including a Patek Philippe women's model, he felt it was unnecessary.
Too fast and too expensive gifts could easily breed unrealistic desires and an unbalanced mentality.
Cartier's price point, combined with its popularity and fashion appeal among female consumers, was just right as a thoughtful gift—it could show consideration without seeming excessive.
Cartier's interior had soft lighting and an elegant atmosphere.
A well-dressed female sales associate greeted them with a professional and warm smile: "Sir, ma'am, good afternoon. Welcome to Cartier. How can I help you today?"
Ethan gestured to Jessica beside him and said concisely: "Help her choose a watch suitable for daily wear."
"Of course, no problem, sir."
The sales associate immediately understood, turned to Jessica, and smiled kindly, "Ma'am, please come this way. We have many beautiful styles—I'm sure there's something you'll love. Sir, you can relax in our lounge area."
She motioned for Ethan to sit in the comfortable sofa section.
Ethan nodded, sat down on the sofa, and immediately a staff member served Evian mineral water and delicate pastries. The sales associate led Jessica, who seemed a bit overwhelmed, to the women's watch display area.
Inside the glass counter, intricately designed Cartier watches set with diamonds shimmered charmingly under the spotlights.
Jessica's eyes were instantly drawn to them, especially to one watch with a classic and elegant design.
The sales associate read her expression, immediately put on white gloves, and took the watch from the counter: "Ma'am, you have excellent taste. This is our Ballon Bleu de Cartier collection, 33mm dial, stainless steel with diamond setting."
She gently placed the watch on a black velvet tray and pushed it in front of Jessica: "It has a beautifully rounded design and is very comfortable to wear. You see, the crown is set with a sapphire and surrounded by 26 brilliant-cut round diamonds—very classic and timeless. With such fair and slender wrists, wearing this would be absolutely stunning."
As she spoke, the sales associate carefully picked up the watch and offered to try it on Jessica.
Jessica instinctively wanted to refuse, but looking at the exquisite watch in front of her, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
She asked the question she was most concerned about: "This... how much is it?"
The sales associate maintained a perfect smile and gave a clear quote: "Ma'am, the official price for this watch is $25,800."
"Twenty-five thousand!" Jessica's body trembled suddenly, as if she'd been burned, and she subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back from the sales associate and quickly remove the watch.
At that moment, Ethan's low voice sounded behind her: "So? Do you like it?"
He'd come over at some point.
There are 120 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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