The Ultimate Billionaire Check-in System
Copyright© 2026 by BillMax
Chapter 23: The Nightfall That Silenced The Doubters
Victoria Lang’s car carried Ethan in the passenger seat and Ava in the back. The atmosphere inside felt a little strange.
In the backseat, Ava kept glancing between Ethan and Victoria, sensing an unusual vibe between them.
She noticed that this beautiful neighbor of Ethan’s looked at him with a special glint in her eyes.
Ava’s mind spun quickly. Maybe she should speed things up and advance her relationship with Ethan.
Lost in thought, they soon arrived at Harbor University.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
After saying farewell to Ava, Ethan and Victoria headed back toward The Sovereign Villas.
With Ava gone, only Ethan and Victoria remained in the car. The atmosphere grew even more tense.
Ethan didn’t feel much, but Victoria’s heart was racing uncontrollably.
Last time at Ethan’s villa, she had overheard his phone call with his mother and mistakenly believed he was subtly hinting for her to make the first move because he was too shy.
For the past few days, Victoria had been avoiding Ethan, feeling extremely conflicted.
“Was that little girl your real sister earlier?”
Trying to ease the mood, Victoria started a conversation.
“No, she’s the daughter of my hometown neighbor, Uncle Bai,” Ethan explained.
Not a real sister?
“Ethan, be my boyfriend.”
Victoria said abruptly.
Ethan was stunned. Thanks to the Ragdoll cat Baby, he and Victoria had indeed grown closer.
But this was too sudden.
For a moment, he was confused.
“No, don’t get me wrong.”
Seeing Ethan’s silence, Victoria quickly explained,
“I mean, pretend to be my boyfriend. In a few days, my parents are coming to New York.”
“They’ve been pressuring me to get married and give them grandchildren. This time they’re coming to take me on a blind date, so I need your help to deal with them.”
Victoria explained the situation.
For some reason, when Ethan didn’t immediately respond to her “confession,” Victoria felt a bit disappointed.
“Oh, I see.”
Realization dawned on Ethan. He even felt a twinge of sympathy — wasn’t his own mom exactly the same?
“Last time, I accidentally overheard your phone call with your mom. If you don’t mind, I can also pretend to be your girlfriend.”
Victoria added quickly, afraid Ethan might refuse.
“Huh?”
Ethan’s eyes brightened.
Victoria’s idea was perfect!
Last time when his mom called, Ethan had lied and claimed his girlfriend was a company president and top-tier heiress to explain his sudden wealth.
He had originally planned to ask his secretary Natalie Brooks to play the role, but they weren’t close enough, and it might feel awkward.
Now that Victoria offered, Ethan readily agreed.
“No problem.”
“Thank you.”
Hearing Ethan’s answer, a soft smile appeared on Victoria’s face.
Back at The Sovereign Villas, Victoria and Ethan went home, played with Baby for a while, then returned to their own villas.
Time passed quickly. Three days later, at noon, Ethan received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello, is this Mr. Caldwell?”
“This is Ethan. May I ask who this is?”
“I’m the tenant of Shop No. 7 on The Linden Row. My lease is about to expire, and I’d like to discuss future arrangements with you?”
A polite voice came through.
“Okay, let’s meet at two in the afternoon.”
Glancing at the time, Ethan nodded.
“Thank you, Mr. Caldwell.”
Half an hour later, Ethan headed to The Linden Row.
Coincidentally, Victoria was also heading to her company. Since it wasn’t far and he didn’t feel like driving, Ethan asked her to drop him off.
Upon reaching The Linden Row, Ethan found Shop No. 7.
“Dongli Teahouse.”
So this place was a teahouse.
As Ethan walked in, a young man in uniform approached.
“Sir, you...”
Seeing Ethan, the young man started speaking but suddenly stopped.
“Ethan?”
The young man said in surprise.
“Xander Quinn?”
Ethan was surprised as well.
Before receiving the System, Ethan had taken a part-time job but resigned after the boss maliciously deducted wages.
Xander Quinn had been his coworker back then.
“What a coincidence,” Ethan said.
“After resigning, what have you been up to?” Xander asked curiously.
“Not much, just been idle.”
Ethan answered casually.
“I see.”
Xander nodded, feeling a bit smug.
Back at that company, Ethan’s performance had been slightly better than his, but he had resigned in the end.
Now, seeing each other again, Xander felt his own career had flourished while Ethan seemed to have stagnated.
That was comparison for you.
Being handsome isn’t always useful, huh?
For a moment, Xander felt a swell of pride.
“Are you here for tea? Please come in. It’s rare to meet; it’s on me.”
Xander pulled Ethan into a private room on the second floor.
“This teahouse belongs to my girlfriend’s uncle, so make yourself comfortable.”
Xander said somewhat boastfully.
Not long after Ethan resigned, Xander also left and got a girlfriend. Through her introduction, he came here to help out.
After learning the ropes, he planned to open his own teahouse and become his own boss.
“By the way, Ethan, did you notice the shop at No. 12 when you came?”
Xander asked.
“No. 12 shop?”
“It seems it’s closed and empty,” Ethan replied.
A week ago, the tenant of No. 12 had ceased operations. Ethan hadn’t leased it out yet.
“What do you think of it?” Xander inquired.
“Not bad.”
Of course his own shop would be good.
“Hehe, that’s mine.”
Xander said with clear show-off intent.
Due to the bustling business on The Linden Row, he had discussed with his girlfriend’s uncle to rent No. 12, with himself as the boss.
Today, his girlfriend’s uncle was meeting the owner of Shop No. 12, and he believed the deal would go through soon.
Of course, to show off in front of Ethan, he claimed it as his own.
After all, Ethan wouldn’t know. Bluffing temporarily wouldn’t likely be exposed, right?
“That shop is yours?”
“I thought I heard that the owner of that shop doesn’t have the surname Quinn?”
After hearing Xander’s words, Ethan raised an eyebrow and said slowly.
Instantly, Xander’s face went pale.
Utterly embarrassed.
“This...”
Xander hurried to explain.
He never expected that Ethan would actually know who the owner of that shop was.
He didn’t even know it himself.
“I wasn’t precise. It’ll be mine in a few days.”
Xander quickly explained.
“I’m currently in discussions with the shop’s owner.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ethan nodded.
The door to the private room opened, and a waiter walked in.
“Please enjoy the tea.”
After placing the tea, the waiter left.
Seeing this, Xander nodded in satisfaction. Xiao Li is quite competent, serving tea without being asked.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.