The text message notifications of incoming funds sounded one after another, and Ethan carefully checked the account balance:
Argentina's 9-to-1 odds bonus against Nigeria was $3.6 million, and the take-home bonus was $2.88 million after deducting 20% personal income tax.
Coupled with the previous $1.152 million from Spain, after deducting the $500K startup capital given to Diana, the current available funds were $3.532 million.
Of these, $8 million was earmarked for the Brazil vs. Germany game, so only $3.532 million could be used now—wait, he still needed to transfer funds to prepare for that bet.
After finishing a bowl of ramen at noon, Ethan went straight to Bank of America.
When applying for a new account at the counter, he specifically requested to open large transfer permissions. With a text message notification from "ding," $350K was transferred from the Chase account to the new account, ready to be handed over to Linda.
He'd tell his mother he withdrew $50K, and then the remaining $300K was given by NYU—a total of $350K—and hand it directly to Linda for safekeeping.
As for the fact that he had money now, Ethan didn't plan to tell his family. There was too much money to explain.
They could only wait for the company to open. They'd naturally know how much property he had, and they wouldn't ask where the money came from!
Buying a new car for Robert and his mother's spa membership could only be discussed with his mother. If his mother didn't agree, he could only wait for a while.
At the very least, he had to wait until he opened the company before he could buy it with the money he had now. Otherwise his family would ask too many questions! It was hard to explain!
As for buying a car for his sister, he'd wait until after school started!
In the afternoon, he was going to take a nap at home.
He tossed the phone onto the pillow casually, and his whole person sank into the soft bedding. This kind of hearty sleep on a summer afternoon was intoxicatingly satisfying.
It wasn't until dusk that he was awakened by his gurgling stomach.
The phone screen lit up, displaying a message from his parents: [We have a work dinner tonight, you can handle dinner yourself]
After taking a cold shower to get rid of his drowsiness, he put on a pure white cotton T-shirt, paired it with light gray casual shorts, stepped into flip-flops and went out.
The evening breeze blew through the young man's refreshing short hair, and his simple outfit gave him an outstanding temperament.
Just as the street lights were on, a girl with high heels suddenly stopped in front of him.
"Hey handsome~"
She waved her phone, her eyes brushed with mascara blinking. "Want to add me on Instagram? When you're free, we could... get to know each other better."
The end was deliberately prolonged, with ambiguous hints.
It had to be said that Ethan in this simple outfit revealed a clean handsomeness all over.
Under the street lamp, Ethan's silhouette was plated with soft warm light.
He was born with good bone structure—defined brow bones, a high nose bridge, and a clean jawline. He was over six feet tall with an upright posture, and he'd received several contact attempts along the way.
What was even more exaggerated was that a young woman wearing a bodycon dress leaned directly into his ear and whispered:
"My sink is always clogged... Want to help me unclog it?"
After saying that, she blinked meaningfully.
Ethan was speechless for an instant and didn't know how to reply for a while, so he sighed:
"Hey! Being handsome is also a burden!"
"Pfft!"
A familiar chuckle suddenly came from behind him.
Ethan turned around and saw Ms. Claire covering her mouth, with a smile in her eyes and eyebrows.
Today she was wearing a white chiffon dress, the skirt blown in the wind, and the pair of designer heels on her feet made her ankles look even slimmer. The soft light of the street lamp coated her with a hazy halo, and even her hair glowed with a gentle luster.
Once again, Ethan's eyes lit up.
"Mr. Miller!"
She tilted her head slightly, her red lips curling up in a playful arc. "It seems the valedictorian's troubles are very special."
Ms. Claire stepped forward in her heels, and the hem of her skirt swayed gently with her steps.
She tilted her head slightly, and the loose hair by her ears trembled slightly in the evening breeze:
"I just wanted to say hello to you, but I heard Mr. Miller sighing that being handsome was a kind of burden..."
Ethan blinked and asked deliberately:
"Ms. Claire, are you going on a date?"
Ms. Claire's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the chain of her handbag, and the smile at the corner of her mouth faded a little:
"What date would I have?"
Ethan's eyes swept over her carefully matched outfit:
"Then why are you dressed so beautifully?"
"Smooth talker."
Ms. Claire laughed softly, with shallow lines at the corners of her eyes.
The night wind blew away the faint jasmine fragrance on her body, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol.
Ethan said half-jokingly:
"Ms. Claire is so beautiful—your husband is really blessed."
Ethan was also curious. He only knew that Ms. Claire was married, but he didn't know the specific situation!
As soon as the words fell, the air suddenly froze.
Ms. Claire raised her head, moonlight flowing on her slender neck.
She suddenly took out a small document from her bag, and the words "Divorce Decree" on the cover were particularly prominent under the street lamp.
"I just got it this afternoon."
Her fingernails pressed shallow crescent marks on the document, and her voice was soft as if she was telling herself.
"Ah!!"
Ethan was stunned and said in surprise:
"How could it be..."
Ms. Claire sighed, with a bitter arc at the corner of her mouth:
"I'm not afraid to tell you, Ethan! My ex-husband gambles, drinks—he's proficient in everything! I forgave him again and again, but now it's evolved into domestic violence. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I divorced!"
The night wind messed up her long hair, and the bruise on the left corner of her forehead that hadn't completely subsided was faintly visible between the strands.
So that's it! Ethan sighed internally. No wonder he'd heard that Ms. Claire hadn't had a good life in the past in his previous life, and her husband not only gambled but also committed domestic violence.
However, in his previous life, he'd only heard Jack mention it after he'd succeeded in starting a business. How could it appear so early in this life? Was it because of the butterfly effect of rebirth?
She suddenly chuckled, but tears flashed in the corners of her eyes:
"This time he lost all the down payment I'd saved to buy a house... and smashed my forehead with an ashtray. How ironic—this injury became the best evidence for the divorce."
Ms. Claire looked at the street ahead, the breeze blowing through her temples, lifting a strand of hair. Her expression was more relaxed than ever, but mixed with a lot of sadness!
Ethan was speechless for a while and didn't know what to say!
"Ms. Claire, have you had dinner?"
Ethan asked suddenly, his voice particularly clear in the night.
Ms. Claire was stunned and raised her eyes to look at the student in front of her, who was nearly ten years younger than herself. That man had never asked her if she'd eaten or if she was sick. At this moment, this simple concern actually made the tip of her nose sour. She sighed and shook her head.
"Ms. Claire, let's have a meal together! I didn't eat either—I'm treating! No one's at my house tonight, and I'm hungry now!"
Ethan was indeed hungry, and as he spoke, he took Ms. Claire's hand and walked forward.
Ms. Claire was pulled forward several steps before coming back to her senses.
The night wind blew across her face, blowing away the wetness in her eyes.
Looking at the youthful boy in front of her, she finally felt relaxed! She suddenly realized that she was only twenty-seven years old.
The two entered an Italian restaurant.
Ethan flipped through the menu and quickly ordered lobster ravioli and grilled ribeye.
Ethan poured a glass of sparkling water and pushed it over, saying:
"What are Ms. Claire's plans for the future? Continue teaching?"
There are 50 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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