The Ultimate Billionaire Check-in System
Copyright© 2026 by BillMax
Chapter 26: The Periodic Table That Broke the Rich Kid
Being excitedly shaken by Mr. Lang, Ethan Caldwell was half-afraid the man might suddenly declare, “Bosom friend, let’s swear brotherhood!”
If that happened, wouldn’t he instantly become Victoria Lang’s uncle? The family hierarchy would be completely ruined.
What would he even call Victoria then? “Big niece”?
“Hello, big niece.”
Honestly, it didn’t sound like a bad deal.
Unfortunately, Mr. Lang didn’t say anything of the sort.
Holding Ethan’s hand tightly, Victoria’s father spoke with sincere emotion:
“I’m very confident leaving Victoria in your care. So ... when are you two getting married?”
Cough, cough.
Luckily Ethan hadn’t been drinking water, or he definitely would have spit it out.
Respect. Absolute respect.
This Mr. Lang really knew how to drop a bombshell after staying quiet.
The leap was so massive it caught Ethan completely off guard.
Was he really this at ease handing Victoria over already?
Trading a real periodic table of chemical elements for Victoria Lang felt like he’d made the deal of the century.
Cough. Of course, Ethan only thought about it casually. No other intentions.
“Cough cough, dear,” Mrs. Lang cleared her throat several times to remind her husband.
“What’s wrong? Feeling sick? Quick, drink some hot water.”
Seeing his wife cough, Mr. Lang immediately showed concern.
After hearing her husband, Mrs. Lang looked truly helpless.
Beside them, Victoria touched her forehead. These were definitely her biological parents.
Just because of one gift, and she was already “sold” to Ethan?
Way too casual.
But then again ... if she really ended up as a couple with Ethan, it might not be so bad.
Meanwhile, Harrison Bowen, curious about the actual value of the “periodic table of elements,” checked his phone.
The next second, he was completely stunned.
“Two hundred million per gram?”
Looking at the information on his screen, Harrison couldn’t believe his eyes.
Too expensive!
His own imperial kiln porcelain suddenly looked worthless.
Although he could also drop a couple billion if needed, just to please Victoria’s parents, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
That guy Ethan truly had bigger balls than him.
Harrison had to admit it—Ethan’s courage was impressive, daring to “go all in” like this.
If he succeeded, he’d become the son-in-law of the powerful Lang family. If he failed, billions would vanish down the drain.
“Just a few billion and you think I’ll give up? Impossible.”
If Ethan had thrown out several hundred billion at once, Harrison would’ve surrendered without a word. But right now, it was only a few billion.
Mr. Lang looked at the display shelf with satisfaction and finally handed his phone to his wife.
“Take a picture for me.”
“I want to show off to those old fellows that I have an outstanding son-in-law.”
Seeing a genuine periodic table of the elements today felt like a dream. If those old friends saw the photo, they’d definitely be green with envy.
Mr. Lang was quite proud and extremely satisfied with Ethan as a potential son-in-law.
Because of this extravagant “gift,” Mrs. Lang’s impression of Ethan improved slightly. At least it showed he valued their first meeting.
But that was all.
In Mrs. Lang’s mind, Ethan was still just a “pretty boy.”
She had to admit he was incredibly handsome—probably the most handsome and elegant young man she had ever seen.
However, aside from being wealthy, he hadn’t shown any other real merits or abilities yet.
For young people, money wasn’t everything. They needed ambition and capability.
At first, she thought Harrison Bowen was quite good. His family background was solid, but more importantly, he was already the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company that he had built from the ground up. That spoke volumes about his talent and success.
Until now, she hadn’t seen any of Ethan’s actual capabilities, so her attitude toward him remained rather indifferent.
She suspected Ethan had won over her picky daughter purely with his looks.
“Uncle, Aunt, if you have time this afternoon, why don’t you visit my company?” Harrison said confidently.
Since he couldn’t compete with Ethan in sheer audacity, he would compete with real strength and achievements.
“Let’s talk about it later,” Mr. Lang replied coolly, showing little interest.
A few minutes later, the group prepared to leave Ethan’s villa at The Sovereign Villas at Hudson Lake and head to the Lang family residence.
“Wait, Ethan, can you bring Baby along?” Victoria suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
Everyone froze in confusion.
Baby?!
Ethan and Victoria already had a baby?
So soon?!
“Victoria, you...” Mrs. Lang, who always valued propriety, looked furious.
“Didn’t you two just start seeing each other? How could there already be a baby?” Mr. Lang asked in shock.
The most devastated was Harrison Bowen. His face turned green, and his body trembled with rage.
He felt like a complete fool. Had Ethan moved that fast?
No!
Seeing her parents’ reactions, Victoria couldn’t help but laugh. She quickly explained:
“Dad, Mom, what are you thinking? Baby is my cat. She’s staying at Ethan’s place.”
Phew!
Mr. Lang and Mrs. Lang both let out long sighs of relief.
It was just a misunderstanding. Thank goodness.
“Damn it,” Harrison cursed inwardly. So that’s what it was. He still had a chance.
Ethan picked up the fluffy Ragdoll cat, and the group walked out of the villa, preparing to head to the Lang residence.
At that moment, a silver Rolls-Royce Ghost pulled up smoothly not far away.
A middle-aged man in an impeccable suit stepped out.
“Is that him?” Harrison recognized the man instantly.
The newcomer was none other than Zachary Grant, President of Summit Capital—the famous New York investment powerhouse.
Half a month earlier, Harrison had been negotiating with Summit Capital, hoping to secure their investment in his company.
He never expected them to value him so highly that the president himself would come all the way to Manhattan to meet him—and even follow him here.
For a moment, Harrison felt extremely proud.
He stepped forward boastfully and introduced the man:
“Uncle, Aunt, this is Mr. Zachary Grant, President of Summit Capital. He came specifically to discuss investment matters with me.”
“Huh? Summit Capital?”
Hearing the name, both Mr. Lang and Mrs. Lang were stunned.
The Lang family was an old-money powerhouse with extensive business interests. Although the company was mainly run by Victoria’s grandfather and uncles, and Mr. Lang focused on research, they had still heard of the major players in the Northeast investment scene.
Being one of the top ten investment firms in the region, Summit Capital was naturally familiar to them.
“Little Harrison is impressive.”
“Truly a young and promising talent,” Mrs. Lang couldn’t help saying.
Even Mr. Lang glanced over with slight surprise at Harrison’s connections and influence.
He was starting to feel a bit worried about Ethan.
Victoria, like her father, also grew concerned after hearing Harrison’s words.
This Harrison Bowen!
“Just average,” Harrison responded humbly with a smile, though he was clearly pleased with the praise.
As Zachary Grant walked over, Harrison stepped forward eagerly to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. Grant.”
He extended his hand with a confident smile.
However, the next second, something he never expected happened.
Zachary Grant walked straight past him without even glancing his way, completely cold.