Victoria Crawford looked at Ethan with deep irritation, unable to fathom what flattery or connections he could possibly have used to earn this kind of treatment from Miss Gongsun.He was such a nobody. He had no business drinking tea here, let alone having her serve him personally. Why was this happening?"Bring a glass of boiled water," Ethan said plainly."Boiled water? Oh — no, our establishment doesn't serve anything that low-grade. If you want boiled water, go drink at a roadside stall," Victoria said with contempt.What a country bumpkin. Drinking boiled water at this teahouse? He probably had no idea about the pricing or origin of the tea here, or perhaps he was simply too afraid he'd be expected to pay for anything more expensive."Miss Gongsun, why are you having tea with someone this provincial? It's beneath you entirely," Victoria said, then turned a cold look at Ethan. "Boiled water, really? Are you trying to insult Miss Gongsun? I doubt you can even afford it here — are y

"Who are you? Are you not going to apologise for deliberately blocking the road?" Grace demanded angrily, adjusting her glasses.Victoria sneered and looked Grace over from head to toe.Then her gaze fixed on Ethan, her fist clenching, clearly furious.Ethan stepped out of the car without expression."Victoria — are you serious? What if something had actually gone wrong driving like this?" Ethan asked in a low voice.Victoria really was acting recklessly. If she crashed into someone else's car, that was one thing — but what about Grace getting hurt in the process? Was Victoria not even concerned about her own safety?"Wait — cousin, do you know this reckless woman?" Grace asked, puzzled, studying Victoria carefully, clearly turning something over in her mind.Was this his wife? No — she had heard her cousin's wife went by Sophia. What was this woman's name — Victoria?Looking her over, though — quite beautiful, an impressive figure. Perhaps a woman her cousin saw outside his marriage.

"Who are you? What are you doing breaking into Harrison's Jewelry Group with all these strangers?" James demanded, his expression stern, completely unaware that Sterling had already wet himself in fear."He—he's..." Sterling stammered, his face pale with panic.James's expression changed instantly. He stared at Jake in disbelief."Y-you're Jake?" he asked in astonishment."Oh?"Jake sneered and ignored James completely. Instead, he fixed Sterling with a cold stare."Sterling, have you forgotten what I told you? How dare you show your face in front of me?""I-I'm sorry, Mr. Jake! I was wrong! I'm leaving right now!"Sterling slapped himself twice before dropping to the floor and desperately crawling toward the exit.The scene made perfect sense.Ever since his humiliation at the Crown Club, Sterling feared Jake as though he were facing a strict parent. He no longer dared to act arrogantly in front of him.Jake was no longer the insignificant manager Sterling had once trampled without c

"Oh."Ethan sneered, looking at Ryan with genuine interest."And who exactly are you?""If you don't already understand the situation, let me explain."Ryan straightened proudly."In this city, aside from the family elders, who has ever met me without showing respect? Ryan Zheng? How dare a nobody from the East Sea Province act arrogant in front of me?""Bodyguards—here!"With a sweeping gesture, Ryan summoned two tall foreign bodyguards in sunglasses. Their dark skin and powerful builds made them look especially intimidating."You were arrogant at the airport today, weren't you?"Ryan looked at Ethan coldly."Let me teach you something—in Gaoyang Province, you need to understand how things work here. I don't care how convincingly you've fooled Grace back in the East Sea Province.""Now get on your knees and kowtow in apology, then admit you're a fraud."Ryan pulled out a camera, intending to record Ethan kneeling and confessing to being a con artist. He planned to show the footage to

"What — not convinced?" Grace asked coldly."No, Miss Gongsun — it's just, this is rather difficult," Zheng Tong said, his expression sour."Yes, Miss Gongsun, how can you defend a fraud like this? This is entirely unreasonable," one of the Zheng family's middle-aged members said carefully."I'll say this one final time. Apologise to Ethan, or face the consequences," Grace said with mounting anger.This group genuinely had no idea what was good for them. Being asked to apologise was an opportunity to survive this.If they truly angered her cousin, a simple apology wouldn't be enough to resolve anything."This—"Every Zheng family member present flushed red, completely humiliated.What disgrace, having to apologise to a country bumpkin from the East Sea Province!Especially since it was this bumpkin who had publicly injured Ryan and struck the family patriarch Zheng Tong across the face — trampling on their dignity entirely.But seeing Grace's rare display of anger, her expression dead