Chapter 47: Potential Man (1) [20 GT Bonus Chapter]

From that point, the next few days became a blur of motion.

Evelyn prepared for the closure of her shop, handling the place alone while Ethan visited their new house in Arcane City frequently, monitoring the renovation of the building.

He also began to plan for the shopping complex he had bought earlier. He chose the best shop on the ground floor, then began to modify it into what a fruit stall would look like.

All of this cost him money, of course. However, Ethan had already planned for the expenses.

From the moment he had scammed—no, spoken with Joe and earned a huge sum from him, he had taken half of the money and invested it into the shares of a rapidly rising company.

The company was bound to fall in a few months, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t benefit from it. He’d simply withdraw at the last moment.

Using the profit he was steadily gaining from his investment, he was able to modify the shop into something far better than the one Evelyn currently had.

"Sometimes, appearance matters a lot."

He smiled to himself as he watched the workers finalize their work.

Just then, his phone rang. Checking, it was Lucas who was calling him.

"You finally remembered me, Lucas," He said with a chuckle. "Ah, I feel honored."

"Hahaha! Brother Ethan, don’t say it like that! How could I ever forget you?" Lucas’s voice boomed from the other end of the phone. "I was just busy with the paperwork of my deal with the Moonbeam."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Hm? So you’re taking the gamble?"

Lucas answered, probably nodding. "Of course, I am. Brother Ethan, you can see much farther ahead than I can, why wouldn’t I listen to you? It’ll be a great loss."

Ethan’s lips twitched, and he asked, "What if I’m just trying to scam you?"

"Uh... I’m pretty confident you won’t do that," Lucas replied, his voice steady. "You’re not the type of person who’s deeply interested in business, and I can tell that you don’t have a grudge with me. So I trust you on that."

Ethan nodded and began walking down the streets. "Alright, alright. Why did you call me?"

Lucas’s voice dropped low like he was sharing a secret. "Did you know? The government is planning to move one of the country’s best schools to Cold River District!"

Ethan faked surprise, though it failed to enter his voice. "Oh? I’m very surprised."

Lucas laughed. "Brother Ethan, you’re really something else. You don’t sound surprised at all. I guess you also knew about this before."

Not bothering to deny it, Ethan shrugged. "Maybe I just heard the president talk about it in passing."

"Ha-ha, not funny at all." Lucas laughed dryly. "Anyway, I’m sure several people will be flocking that place soon. Thankfully, I listened to you and bought some lands and properties there. I’m really going to make it big, brother. All thanks to you."

"Well, let’s simply say you’re owing me another favor," Ethan replied.

"I understand, I understand. I’ll definitely do anything you need."

After talking for a while longer, Ethan ended the call and stopped.

Right in front of him was a modest coffee shop. It didn’t look attractive from the outside, only plain with a single signboard advertising coffee.

Ethan stepped inside. The bell at the door chimed as he opened it, drawing everyone’s attention.

There were few people inside, but they all shared something in common. They were all heavily built, with thick arms and biceps as big as birthday cakes.

’What a disguise.’ Ethan cringed and covered his face in embarrassment. They all ignored him, turning back to their drinks.

Ethan ignored them too and walked to the counter, taking a seat there. The waitress flinched and asked, "What do you want, sir?"

Ethan raised two fingers. "Two cups of coffee. One for me and one for you."

The woman stared at him, stunned. Was he hitting on her?

Ethan remained calm, simply taking out his phone to browse on the internet while waiting for the order.

The woman’s lips twitched, and she did as she was told. She handed one cup to Ethan and took the other for herself.

"Here it is. Thank you."

Ethan nodded casually, and without taking his eyes off his phone, he asked, "Where is your brother?"

The woman stiffened, her eyes widening as she took a step back. The muscular men in the shop also began moving, standing up from their seats and walking slowly towards Ethan.

He glanced at them and shook his head, calmly taking a sip of the coffee.

"W-what are you talking about? I don’t have a brother." The woman denied it.

Ethan sighed, feeling one of the men already reaching for him. He stood up and said to her, "You better call him to come here right now."

....

A few minutes later, Ethan sat back in his chair, looking at the coffee with a sour expression. Somehow, it had become lukewarm.

’I didn’t take too long, no?’

Behind him, the men were piled against each other, groaning in discomfort. Ethan had made sure none of them took a punch. Only slaps here and there.

’Men really shouldn’t be violent. They should learn from me.’

He looked towards the woman and asked, "Have you called him?"

She nodded stiffly.

"You should drink your coffee before it gets cold. This one is already getting cold," He said to her, downing his own cup in one go.

Naturally, she ignored his advice and only stared at him warily. Ethan also didn’t pester her and simply focused on his phone, sending cute stickers to Evelyn.

About ten minutes later, a luxurious car parked outside the building and three men stepped inside.

The one in the center was obviously the boss, judging by his calm expression. By his side stood two bouncers who were taller and had a bigger build than him.

The man looked around the shop and saw the people he had assigned to protect his sister groaning on the ground.

His eyes shifted to his sister, and he sighed after seeing she was fine.

Finally, he looked at Ethan who was engrossed in his phone.

"Who are you?"