DUMPED BY MY GIRLFRIEND, CHOSEN BY A SUPERSTAR

Chapter 6

Ethan spent the next few hours navigating the chaotic administrative offices, finalizing his official campus registration. By the time he walked out of the final building, the sun was already dipping below the horizon. Pulling out his phone, he speed-dialed his head of security.

"Commander Vance," Ethan said, walking quickly toward the campus gates. "Has my wardrobe arrived from the city house yet?"

On the other end of the line, Vance sounded deeply apologetic. "My profound apologies, Chairman. We encountered a major technical difficulty with the logistics transport, and your personal cargo has been delayed. It won't arrive until tomorrow morning."

Ethan sighed, looking down at his soot-stained gray t-shirt and creased trousers. "Great. No problem, Vance. I'll handle it."

He ended the call, realizing he had no choice. He was already running late for Cynthia’s welcome party. He checked the address on the gold-foiled invitation card and rushed toward the luxury estate venue.

As Ethan approached the grand entrance to the mansion, the sound of aggressive shouting cut through the evening air. He stopped, watching from a short distance as Julian Stone aggressively dragged another student down the steps, shoving him roughly onto the pavement.

"This party is exclusively for the elite only!" Julian yelled, his face twisted in disgust. "We don't need poor scum like you mingling with us and staining our reputation! This isn't a place for you, and I don't ever want to see your pathetic face here again!"

The boy on the ground couldn't even raise his head. He just stared at the floor embarrassed as Julian continued to berate him.

Julian scoffed, pointing a finger at the boy's wrist. "I mean, seriously? Who wants a literal man-child who still uses a plastic Pokémon watch even in college? Get lost!"

With a final sneer, Julian turned on his heel and marched back inside the venue.

Ethan walked up to the base of the stairs just as Julian disappeared. He looked at the doorway, shaking his head. "What an absolute jerk."

Turning toward the humiliated student, Ethan extended a hand to help him up. "Hey, dude. Are you okay? Don't listen to that idiot."

The guy reluctantly met Ethan's eyes, blinking in confusion. He looked at Ethan's dusty, unbranded clothes and frowned, clearly thinking Ethan was a bit strange. "Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks."

Ethan reached for his own left wrist, unclasping the heavy, luxury watch he had been wearing since he left his city. "Here. Why don't you take my watch, and I'll take yours?"

The guy stared at Ethan like he had lost his mind. But as Ethan stretched out his hand, the guys eyes suddenly went completely wide. His jaw dropped. "Dude... that’s a real, solid-gold Rolex. My watch is literally just a cheap plastic Pokémon watch."

Ethan shrugged, a small, genuine smile on his lips. "Yeah, well, I really like Pokémon. Consider it an even trade. You can have it."

The guy stared at the priceless luxury watch, then at Ethan, his expression shifting into profound gratitude. "I... I really appreciate it, dude. Seriously." He unclasped his plastic watch and handed it over. "Just, uh, don't forget to change the battery every six months."

"I won't," Ethan smiled, studying the watch. 

The boy smiled broadly, clutching the Rolex tightly as he quickly turned and walked away, his humiliation completely forgotten. Ethan watched him leave, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"I didn't know you were entirely that sweet."

The voice came from right behind him. Ethan turned around, and his jaw instantly hung wide open. 

Cynthia Rose stood under the estate's entrance lights, looking absolutely breathtaking. She was wearing a stunning, short pink silk dress that stopped mid-thigh, held up by delicate, elegant spaghetti straps. The vibrant pink color perfectly complemented her flawless, warm complexion. Her makeup was expertly done—not sparkly or over-the-top, but cool, soft, and completely natural. Her hair was elegantly swept up with a few soft, loose tendrils framing her face perfectly.

"Wow," Ethan breathed, genuinely stunned. "You look... so incredibly pretty, Cynthia."

Cynthia’s cheeks flushed slightly, a warm, genuine smile breaking across her face. "Oh, thank you."

Ethan immediately looked down at his ruined, dusty t-shirt, coughing awkwardly. "I am so incredibly sorry. I am completely underdressed for this. My personal wardrobe ran into a technical delay. But I promise I'll start looking a lot better once my private jet is 

 refueled and able to bring the rest of my clothes down here."

Cynthia burst into a laugh, shaking her head as if she didn't believe a single word of his story. "Yeah, sure, Ethan. A private jet. I'll believe it when I see it."

Her expression then turned serious, and she stepped a few inches closer to him. "Listen, we need to be on our best behavior. I just found out that the owner of HVLX Corporation is actually going to be attending this party tonight."

Ethan blinked, a subtle, highly amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Well, he thought to himself, that would be me.

He kept his face perfectly straight, simply nodding. "Oh, really?"

"Yes," Cynthia insisted, stepping right into his space. She reached out, her manicured hands gently straightening the collar of his t-shirt and brushing away  imaginary dust from his shoulders. "So, everything tonight needs to go absolutely perfectly. Which means, if anybody tries to do anything stupid to me or my boyfriend..." She paused, looking him dead in the eye. "...I will personally destroy them on a molecular level with my fame, my money, and my power."

Ethan’s smirk widened, thoroughly charmed and surprised by her intense protectiveness. "Hmm. It's really nice to hear that you've got my back like that."

Cynthia smiled warmly, but before she could reply, her designer phone began buzzing loudly in her hand. She glanced at the screen and sighed. "Ugh, that's my publicist. I have to take this."

She quickly thrust her small, heavy designer purse and her gold invitation card into Ethan's hands. "Here, hold my purse and the card. Go on inside, I'll meet you right at the base of the stairs in a few minutes."

"Alright," Ethan nodded.

Flanked by her heavy security guards, Cynthia walked off to the side to answer the call. Ethan watched her leave for a brief moment before turning and walking through the grand mansion doors.

He walked down the magnificent staircase at the entrance, looking around at the lavish venue. The entire ballroom was beautifully decorated with chandeliers and elegant floral arrangements. He nodded to himself, thinking Cynthia would definitely approve of the setup.

When he reached the base of the grand stairs, Ethan paused, stepping off to the side to wait for her as promised. But as he stood there, a  familiar, high-pitched voices echoed from the top of the stairs. He froze, instantly recognizing exactly who it was.

"Oh my God, Julian!" Chloe’s voice squealed in excitement. "I still can't believe your family is the one that gets to host the welcome party for Cynthia Rose! You are so incredibly amazing, babe!"

Julian’s arrogant chuckle followed. "Yeah, of course I am, babe. My family has the best connections in Aethelgard. I told you I run this place."

"I'm just so excited," Chloe giggled loudly. "The moment I meet Cynthia tonight, I'm going to show her my new cosmetic makeup line. If she likes it and agrees to promote it on her social media platforms, I'll literally make billions overnight!"

"Sure thing, babe," Julian replied smoothly, his voice getting closer. "You know I'll do absolutely anything to boost your career and status."

Ethan rolled his eyes hard, keeping his back turned toward them. He stared straight ahead, completely pretending like he hadn't heard a single word of their conversation.

The sound of their footsteps clicked against the stairs, drawing closer and closer to the base of the stairs. Suddenly the footsteps stop.

A horrified gasp cut through the air.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!" Chloe shrieked.