Chapter Fourteen: "Mall Mogul and a Mall Stroll with Sophia"

Ethan's Bentley purred at a red light when his phone lit up—Abigail "Abby" Carter, his cousin, calling at this hour? Weird. "Yo, sis, what's up?" he answered, half-expecting a crisis.

"No drama, just plans!" Abby chirped. "Me and Sophia are hitting the mall tonight—girl's night, but you're invited. Come shop!"

Ethan raised a brow. Abby was still playing Cupid, relentless as a rom-com montage. Her plan was obvious: drag him along, fake an "emergency," and ditch, leaving him and Sophia Winters to bond over overpriced pretzels. "Poor Abby," he smirked. "Out here breaking her back for my love life."

"Me crashing your vibe sounds… awkward," Ethan said, testing the waters.

"Nonsense!" Abby shot back. "Fall's coming, and you're a freshman—bet you didn't pack a single jacket. We're fixing that. Be there, or I'm telling Mom you're dodging family duties!"

She hung up before he could argue. Ethan sighed. "Fine, mall it is." Truthfully, his closet was thin—Westfield's chilly nights would hit hard. Plus, Abby deserved props for her hustle. With his net worth past $25 million—$5M villa, $20M PrimeBite, $600K Ferrari, and more—Ethan could afford a gift for her. Maybe a Gucci bag to say thanks for the matchmaking, even if it was 0-for-2 so far.

Ding. His phone buzzed as the light turned green. Monthly Pay $3,000, I'm the World's Richest had a notification. Ethan pulled over and tapped it:

[Optional Challenge]

[Option 1: Join Abby and Sophia for Mall Night]

[Reward: Ownership of NewWest Plaza]

[Option 2: Skip the Mall, Chill at Villa]

[Reward: $5,000,000 Cash]

Ethan's jaw dropped. NewWest Plaza was Westfield's crown-jewel mall—100 acres, 100,000 square meters, packed with Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Cartier, the works. Worth at least $100 million. Option 2's $5 million was pocket change by comparison. "No-brainer," he grinned. He'd already said yes to Abby, and bagging a mall sealed it. "Another hundred mil in the bank? I'm gonna need a bigger wallet."

His net worth was sprinting toward $200 million—two days, two "small goals" crushed. "This game's making me a mogul faster than a crypto bro on X," he chuckled, merging back into traffic.

Meanwhile, the campus gossip storm over Ethan and Sophia's Ferrari moment was fizzling—sort of. A new X post dropped pics of Sophia hopping into Ethan's car at the gate, not a hotel. "False alarm!" one fanboy crowed. "She just caught a ride!" Sophia's icy rep held—no way she'd shack up with a rando. Probably cousins or something, right?

The dudebros exhaled, their "find Ethan and fist-bump him aggressively" plans shelved. Ethan's classmates, too, eased up. "Told y'all, me and Sophia? Just pals," Ethan had said. Now they believed him—mostly. The guys' jealousy cooled, replaced by a smidge of schadenfreude. No Ice Queen for you, hotshot.

But the girls? Oh, they were activated. Ethan was single, stacked, and stupidly handsome—prime real estate. His Ferrari and $5.6M Patek Philippe weren't rumors; they were verified. Since last night, his phone pinged nonstop: classmates, random sophomores, even senior girls sliding into his DMs with "Heyy, saw your car 😎." Sophia's shadow had scared them off, but now? Open season.

At morning training, Ethan hit the field and got mobbed—not by haters, but by fangirls. "Ethan, hydration's key!" one chirped, thrusting a water bottle. "Try my matcha latte!" another cooed, waving a cup. A junior in yoga pants batted her lashes: "Need a study buddy?"

Ethan blinked, drowning in attention. "Uh… thanks?" He waded through the estrogen gauntlet to his roommates, Jake, Mikey, and Tim, who were cackling.

"No Sophia, but damn, you're the campus heartthrob now!" Jake teased.

"Stay strong, bro," Mikey added. "Plenty of fish—hot ones, too!"

"Man, you went from 'Sophia's man' to 'every girl's plan' in 24 hours," Tim grinned.

Ethan groaned, half-laughing. The drill sergeant's whistle saved him—training resumed. Post-session, he bolted to Villa #8, showered, and swapped camo for a crisp jacket. He fired up the Bentley—perfect for hauling Abby and Sophia—and cruised to campus.

At the dorms, Abby and Sophia stepped out, ready for mall night. Abby had prepped Sophia: "Ethan's tagging along—cool, right? He'll drive." Sophia, expecting a girls' night, didn't mind. A tiny spark of curiosity flickered—Ethan wasn't just the villa-owning, restaurant-running mystery anymore. He was… interesting.

They hit the gate, spotting Ethan's Bentley. "Nice upgrade," Abby whistled. "Ferrari's cool, but this screams 'I've got taste and room for shopping bags.'"

"Hop in," Ethan said, popping the doors. Sophia slid into the passenger seat, Abby in the back, already plotting her exit strategy.

As they pulled out, Ethan's phone buzzed:

[Challenge Accepted: Mall Night with Abby & Sophia]

[Reward Pending: NewWest Plaza Ownership]

[Auto-Purchase Detected: Space Station, $50.00 – Processing]

[Warning: Reality's Unraveling. Eyes Open.]

Ethan glanced in the rearview. That black SUV was back, tailing them through Westfield's streets. "Space station?" he muttered. "What's next, my own planet?" The mall was about to get a new owner—but something bigger was closing in.