By placing their "kept homes" in the adjacent high-end residential complex, Ethan had no worries about a "battlefield."
A battlefield of chaos could never happen to Ethan.
When all the tedious procedures were finally completed, Ethan drove Mia back to The Hudson Residences as night fell, and the sky outside the car window was already soaked in deep blue.
The city lights were just coming on, illuminating the city's lifeblood.
In the distance, the newly purchased "Sky Residence" stood amidst countless dazzling lights, like a pearl set in the night sky, silently proclaiming the supreme power and wealth of its new owner.
The McLaren P1 glides smoothly into the garage.
...
In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Mia stood quietly.
Beneath her feet flowed the veins of the city, where the lights of ten thousand homes and the distant reflection of the river intertwined into a dazzling galaxy.
Her gaze pierced through the glass and landed on the black ribbon of water that seemed to flow silently in the night, carrying an almost devout intoxication.
Ethan's voice broke the deep silence, carrying a hint of barely noticeable inquiry: "Why are you standing by the window so long?"
Mia didn't turn around. Her voice seemed to be soaked in the flowing light outside the window, carrying a dreamy, ethereal quality: "It's so beautiful... I only ever caught a glimpse of this in photos before, but only standing here does it really hit you what it means for a city to look drunk on its own light at night."
She sighed softly, her tone faint: "This vantage point, looking down on everything — it carries a kind of fatal allure. It's not just a house — it's more like... the pinnacle dream of a life within reach."
Ethan walked over, not far beside her, his gaze also fixed on the distance, his tone casual: "Do you like it here?"
Mia finally turned her head, a self-mocking smile curling at the corner of her mouth: "Of course I like it. Who could resist a home in the clouds like this? Just standing here already feels like reaching the peak of life."
Her voice dropped, her tone faint: "It's just that I'll never be able to afford a place like this in my lifetime."
Ethan chuckled softly, his laughter sounding especially clear and resonant in the spacious living room: "You don't have to buy anything. If you like it, just stay here."
"I live here?" Mia was momentarily stunned.
Ethan met her gaze. The warm light in the room gently outlined the contours of his handsome profile, his gaze deep and calm: "That's right."
Two words: clear, direct, and undeniable.
The air seemed to freeze.
Mia looked at Ethan's face, so close that she was staring into those bottomless eyes, and her heartbeat suddenly went out of control.
She was silent for several seconds before forcing an extremely awkward smile, trying to wave off the overly blunt shock with a joke: "Ethan... don't joke like that."
A man and a woman alone together — the implication was so blatant it made her anxious.
Ethan's smile remained unchanged, even clearer, but his tone grew more serious: "I'm not someone who jokes about things like this. You can stay here whenever you want."
His words were like a huge stone thrown into the lake of her heart, instantly drowning out Mia's rational defenses.
Mia almost blurted out without thinking: "But you... don't you already have a girlfriend?"
After asking, she regretted it, feeling that her question was way too inappropriate, and quickly lowered her head.
It's over!
How could she ask something so reckless, so out of line, and... one that exposed the truly wavering feelings inside her!
A strong sense of shame and regret surged like a tide, her cheeks burning hot, and her ears flushed red as if about to bleed.
She didn't dare meet Ethan's eyes anymore; her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost shattering her ribs.
But when she confirmed Ethan wasn't joking, her first reaction was actually happiness.
After all, Ethan choosing to let her live here was enough to prove that her own appeal had registered with him.
Being noticed by a young, handsome, and incredibly wealthy guy is a joyful thing for any girl.
If he'd said he didn't have a girlfriend, she would have agreed on the spot. Thinking of this, Mia secretly regretted it. She'd never made mistakes like this before, so why did she keep losing her composure in front of Ethan?
Ethan shrugged indifferently and said calmly, "It's good that I have a girlfriend — and not just one."
Hearing this, Mia couldn't care less about her embarrassment. She suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment!
She'd imagined every possible way he might deflect or evade, but never expected Ethan to admit it so openly and bluntly!
Although reason told her that given Ethan's status and wealth, it was perfectly normal for him to have several women around him.
She'd even seen more than a few balding, overweight middle-aged tycoons brazenly bringing mistresses in and out of the bank.
But when those sleazy scenes got overlaid onto the young, handsome, and powerful Ethan in front of her, the impact hit completely differently!
Even for her, it still felt hard to accept — wasn't this just juggling several people at once!
She'd originally figured that living here knowing Ethan had a girlfriend would, at worst, get her labeled a "homewrecker."
Now it seemed she'd probably not even rank as "number three" or "number four"! The huge contrast and a sense of humiliation, like being belittled, instantly gripped her.
She opened her mouth, but it felt like something was caught in her throat, and no words would come out.
The look in Ethan's eyes was somewhat complicated.
Ethan walked toward the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, his voice carrying a strange, penetrating quality in the spacious living room: "You work in banking, so you must be familiar with the 80/20 rule, right?"
Mia nodded instinctively, not understanding why he'd suddenly brought up this cold economic principle.
Ethan turned around, his gaze landing on her as if it were tangible, his tone calm: "The so-called 80/20 rule means that in any industry, 20% of the people hold 80% of the wealth. In other words, resources are fixed — the top 20% hold 80%, while most of the pool is left for a small share."
Mia's expression was somewhat bitter. Ethan's words were cruel but also very real — that's just how the real world works.
"That's true, but it's different. How can matters of the heart be compared to that stuff!" Her pushback felt weak even to her.
Ethan smiled at Mia and said calmly, "So, do you really believe that in this world, truly high-quality partners, regardless of gender, aren't also a scarce resource? Don't they follow the same distribution pattern?"
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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