Chapter 3 003

The sting of Mia’s slap still burned on Ethan’s cheek, but it barely registered. He looked at her, then at Lucas, and a short, sharp laugh escaped him. It wasn’t a laugh of pain or embarrassment — it was pure amusement.

“Stalking you?” Ethan scoffed, shaking his head. “Mia, please. You’re not that special. I’m here to shop for myself.”

Mia’s eyes narrowed, her face turning red. “Not special? How dare you! You were just begging me to take you back an hour ago!”

“Begging?” Ethan raised an eyebrow. “I was asking what was going on. You were my girlfriend — or so I thought. Guess I was wrong.”

“You thought wrong, pauper!” Lucas cut in, stepping closer to Mia with his arm still wrapped possessively around her. “She’s with me now. You’re nothing. You’ll never be anything.”

“Oh, I’ll be something,” Ethan replied calmly. “Just watch, both of you.”

Their loud argument quickly drew attention. A well-dressed sales associate hurried over, clipboard in hand. When she saw Lucas, her face softened into a respectful smile.

“Mr. Harrington! Is everything okay?” she asked politely.

Lucas puffed out his chest. “Everything’s fine, Emily. Just dealing with a minor annoyance.” He waved dismissively at Ethan, who was still wearing the full clown costume. “This guy wandered in from the streets and claims he’s here to shop.”

Emily’s eyes widened as she looked at Ethan’s ridiculous outfit. “Shop?” she repeated, clearly skeptical. “Sir, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Ethan said, his voice steady. “I need new clothes and a few other things.”

Mia burst out laughing, loud and mocking. Lucas joined in with a deep, superior chuckle.

“You, Ethan? Shop here?” Mia shrieked, holding her stomach. “Are you serious? This isn’t a cheap store! Everything here starts at ten thousand dollars minimum.”

“Yeah, Blake,” Lucas sneered, wiping a tear from his eye. “Last I checked, you barely had three grand to your name. Where are you getting ten thousand for a single shirt?”

Ethan just smiled — a slow, confident smile that made Mia furious. “Don’t worry about my money. You’ll find out soon enough.”

At that moment, the System’s calm voice spoke clearly in his mind:

“Inform Mia Harper that you will attend her birthday party tonight with your beautiful new girlfriend.”

Ethan blinked. A new girlfriend? He didn’t have one. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to go to Mia’s party after what she had done.

“System, I don’t have a girlfriend,” Ethan thought back, a flicker of panic rising. “And Mia… she’s the most beautiful girl I know. Who could be prettier than her?”

“The instruction stands. Compliance is required to progress the task.”

Ethan sighed inside. He had no choice but to trust the System — it had already delivered the million dollars. He took a deep breath and faced Mia and Lucas again.

“You know what, Mia?” Ethan said, his voice now filled with confidence. “You don’t need to worry about my money. You’ll see it all tonight when I show up at your birthday party with my beautiful girlfriend.”

Mia and Lucas stopped laughing. Their faces shifted from amusement to pure disbelief.

“Your… beautiful girlfriend?” Mia stammered, eyes wide.

Lucas roared with laughter again. “His beautiful girlfriend! That’s hilarious! Which desperate girl on campus would ever date you, Blake? Your best shot was Mia, and she dumped you without a second thought!”

Ethan just shrugged, his smile steady. “You’ll see. Don’t worry about it.”

Mia’s eyes narrowed, a calculating smirk forming on her lips. She knew Ethan’s financial situation better than anyone. There was no way he could pull this off — this was her perfect chance to humiliate him even more.

“Fine, Ethan,” Mia said, her voice dripping with condescension. “Let’s make a bet. If you actually show up at my birthday party tonight with a girl willing to be your date… then I’ll apologize to you publicly for everything that happened today.”

Ethan’s smile widened. “Deal.”

“Oh, this is going to be entertaining,” Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s completely lost it.”

“Don’t be late, clown,” Mia added with a mocking grin.

She turned to the sales associate, who was watching everything with a mix of wonder and suspicion.

“Emily, keep an eye on him. He has a habit of… sticky fingers. Call security if he tries anything.”

Lucas nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s probably just here to cause trouble. Stay away from him.”

With that, Mia and Lucas turned and walked out of the store, their laughter echoing as they disappeared around the corner.

Emily stared at Ethan, her eyes cold. “Sir,” she said threateningly, “I’m watching you. One wrong move and I’ll have you removed.”

Ethan ignored her. His eyes were already scanning the racks. He picked out a sharp black suit, a crisp white shirt, a sleek silk tie, and polished leather shoes. He could feel Emily’s suspicious gaze on him the whole time, but he didn’t care. He was on a mission now.

As he approached the counter with the clothes in his arms, something caught his eye in a special cordoned-off section. On a velvet pedestal sat one exquisite designer bag — the top-tier Fendi Custom Glow, priced at a staggering one hundred thousand dollars.

Standing in front of it, gazing at the bag with dreamy eyes, was Aria Voss.

Ethan’s breath caught. Aria Voss — the most beautiful, elegant, and untouchable girl on campus. Every guy had a crush on her. Every girl wanted to be her. She stood there effortlessly, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her presence commanding the entire space.

The answer was right in front of him.

With a million dollars in his account and a bet to win, a bold, crazy idea formed in Ethan’s mind. He needed a new girlfriend — and fast.

Taking a deep breath, he adjusted the clown hat on his h

ead and walked straight toward Aria Voss with his risky plan already taking shape.