Chapter 27: Stealing Luck Points!
Ethan's breath hitched. Cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck as he felt the collective pressure of the room bearing down on him.
"Why… Why is this happening?" Everything was fine before! He had used this same technique before… He had gained praise, admiration, and influence. But now.
Now it has completely backfired. It felt like an unseen force was suppressing him. No, not just suppressing. Crushing him. His gut twisted in alarm, but the more terrifying part was.
He had no idea why. The Fortune Skills he had used should have worked! There was no reason for this to happen.
Unless… His panicked gaze flickered toward Alex Reid. That calm, unbothered expression. That hint of amusement in his eyes. That damn smirk. Ethan's fingers twitched.
"No way… No way in hell… Could it be…?" A horrifying realization began to take root in his mind.
"Did he interfere with my Fortune Skills?!" But how? No…impossible! Alex was just some Industry heir, not a Fortune Master! Yet. Everything had gone wrong the moment Alex challenged him.
The mocking whispers filled the Party hall, each word a dagger to Ethan Carter's pride. His face burned red, his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth might crack.
He could feel it… the loss of control, the unraveling of everything he had built up. The admiring gazes that once surrounded him were gone. Now, all that remained were eyes filled with disappointment, doubt, and even contempt.
Harold Winter, who had previously placed his full trust in Ethan, now looked at him as though he were nothing more than a fraud.
Walter Lane… He looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself, he had personally vouched for Ethan, after all.
But the most gut-wrenching blow? Rose. She had once looked at him with admiration, as if he were a knight in shining armor. Now? Now, her gaze had dimmed, her confidence in him shattered beyond repair.
Ethan felt his breath hitch, his chest tightening.
If it weren't for his protagonist's fate and novel plot armor protecting him, he swore he might have spat out a mouthful of blood right then and there.
Just as Alex was enjoying the view and sensation, a System Notification… A crisp, mechanical voice rang in Alex's mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully suppressing the protagonist!]
[You have stolen 777 Luck Points from Ethan Carter!]
[Protagonist's remaining Luck Points: 4922.]
[Due to the successful suppression of the protagonist's fate, the company's downfall event has been delayed…]
Alex's lips curled into a smirk.
'Not bad, not bad at all.' Suppressing the so-called 'Chosen One', robbing him of his precious protagonist's fortune, and even delaying his company's scheduled demise…
'I must say… A perfect evening.' Alex thought as he enjoyed the view and the tingling sensation of the moment.
'I should keep pushing him down whenever I get the chance. Who knows? Maybe I can delay my company's collapse indefinitely.' His thoughts flickered with amusement, but he knew—this was far from over.
With a casual wave, Alex turned from his position and then began to go toward the party hall exit.
Just as he reached the grand doors of tge Winters mansion. He suddenly stopped. Then, turning his head slightly, his voice rang out clearly for all to hear.
"Rose." His tone was calm, but the weight of his words sent a shiver down her spine. "Don't forget what I told you. If I don't receive the two hundred millions dollars in my account by this afternoon—"
"I'll make sure you… that this situation would look like an amusement park compared to the place you will be going to go together with your whole family.." His gaze was ice-cold, indifferent, as if he were merely stating a fact, not making a threat.
And then… he turned to Harold Winter, his expression filled with an almost mocking politeness.
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"Mr. Winter, I sincerely wish you good fortune in your future business endeavors. You're going to need it." A small snarky laugh escaped Alex mouth as move and with that… Alex walked out.
The second his figure disappeared beyond the doorway, reality crashed down upon the Winter family.
And within moments… The sharks closed in. The Fall of the Winter Family officially Begins. The moment Alex left, the remaining businessmen in the hall sprang into action.
One by one, investors, creditors, and business partners surrounded Harold Winter like a pack of starving wolves.
"Mr. Winter, let's settle the payments now!" Said one of the guests who was listening and seeing the whole thing.
"You borrowed ten million from me—don't even think about running away from it!" Said one of the creditors.
"My company can't afford to wait any longer, you need to return my investment immediately!" Another rapid angry voice came from the group.
"Your family is finished anyway—just pay up!"
Harold Winter felt his head spin. His face twisted in agony, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
"Alex… you ruthless bastard!" He had cut off all business ties, thrown their financials into chaos, and left the Winter family to fend for themselves.
Now— Now, they were drowning.
….
One Hour Later:
Winter Estate:
For the next hour, Harold Winter did everything he could. He made promises, begged for extensions, tried to negotiate settlements— But deep down, he knew— The Winter family was finished.
Their business was crumbling, their financial partners were pulling out, and their stocks were plummeting like a sinking ship.
The foundation he had built for years… was turning to dust right before his eyes. High-ranking employees were resigning in groups, all of them not even wanting to have ties with the Winter family.
Company shareholders were scrambling to sell off their stocks, hoping to escape before the inevitable collapse.
The once prosperous Winter family name. Had turned into a financial death trap overnight. And when the dust settled. Harold Winter finally collapsed into a chair, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
For the first time in his life. He felt completely, utterly powerless. His hands trembled, his body numb with shock. A dark thought crossed his mind.
"Is it even worth living like this anymore…?" His gaze turned vacant, his mind drifting to the idea of ending it all. But before he could sink any further into despair.
His eyes landed on Rose. And in an instant. That numb despair transformed into pure, burning rage. Rose, sensing his father's gaze, instinctively took a step back.
"Dad…? Why are you looking at me like that?" Before she could react…
SMACK!
Chapter 28: Do Whatever It Takes!
"Dad…? Why are you looking at me like that?" Before she could react…
SMACK!
A sharp slap echoed through the hall, sending her stumbling backward. A red mark immediately bloomed on her cheek like her name Rose.
The Party hall! The very same hall that had once been filled with prestige and luxury. Now stood frozen in shocked silence. Rose clutched her stinging cheek, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Her father… had just slapped her.
"I'LL TELL YOU WHY I'M LOOKING AT YOU!" Harold Winter roared, his voice hoarse with fury.
His hands shook, his chest heaving with uncontrollable rage.
"I WARNED YOU! I TOLD YOU TO STOP PLAYING AROUND AND JUST MARRY ALEX!" All the rage he had been holding was now finally coming out from his body.
"HE ADORED YOU! HE WOULD'VE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING! BUT NO—YOU HAD TO KEEP HIM CHASING YOU LIKE A FOOL!"
Rose staggered, her ears ringing from the loud angry voice of his father and the slap that had done half the work.
"Dad, I—" She tried to speak for herself but Harold Winter wasn't finished.
"AND NOW LOOK AT US!" His eyes were bloodshot, his rage consuming him.
"YOU TOYED WITH HIM FOR YEARS—AND NOW HE DOESN'T WANT YOU ANYMORE! AND BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID GAMES… DIGNITY— OUR FAMILY IS RUINED!"
His voice shook with bitterness, with regret, with unfiltered hatred toward her stupidity.
"Was your act worth it? Was pretending to be a pure, untouchable goddess WORTH DESTROYING OUR FAMILY?!"
Rose's knees buckled, her mind blanking out.
The sudden slap had left Rose stunned, her cheek burning from the impact. But more than the pain. It was the public humiliation that made her tremble with anger and disbelief.
"Dad! How could you yell at me like this?" she cried out, clutching her cheek, her eyes welling with unshed tears. Her voice trembled, but it still carried an undertone of defiance.
"I never liked Alex to begin with! He was the one who willingly out of his own will chased after me, throwing money at my feet like an obedient dog!" Tears escaped from her eyes as she continued.
"I never forced him to do anything—if he wanted to spoil me, how is that my fault?!" Her words, so brazen and unapologetic, sent a wave of murmurs through the banquet hall.
Yet! One voice stood out above the rest.
"Exactly! She's absolutely right!" The person speaking? None other than Ethan Carter. Despite being utterly humiliated moments ago, he still found himself nodding in agreement, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Rose is a goddess—of course men should worship her." A twisted grin formed on his lips. "It's Alex who's truly disgusting. A man who willingly becomes a lapdog should accept his fate. He had no right to take back what he gave."
It was clear. The so-called 'protagonist' had morals just as twisted as hers. Before Rose could even process Ethan's pathetic attempt at justifying her actions, a sharp, disdainful scoff reached her ears.
It came from her own mother, Lillian Winter. The older woman crossed her arms, her lips curled in disgust.
"You're really something, aren't you?" Lillian sneered. "Sure, Alex was doing that out of his own will… but do you think men will keep throwing money at you forever?"
"Even a dog expects a treat after doing tricks!"
Rose's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her own mother was siding against her?!
Lillian shook her head, clearly exasperated. "Look at you. You've been acting like a damn princess, thinking you could keep leading Alex on forever." Her gaze turned icy cold.
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"Do you even understand the situation we're in right now?" Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
"Without Alex, we're finished." Rose bit her lip, but before she could refute, her mother leaned in closer… And spoke words that made her heart clench in dread.
"You should've at least given him something. If you'd just let him have you once, he'd still be under your control." The Party hall fell silent. Even Ethan Carter, who had been nodding along a moment ago, froze in place.
But Lillian wasn't done. "Instead, you strung him along, keeping yourself 'pure' like you were some untouchable queen. Now, look what happened." Her tone was icy, ruthless.
"Alex is done with you. You lost your golden meal ticket, and because of you, our entire family is on the verge of collapse!" She clenched her fists, her expression twisted with rage.
"How does it feel, Rose? How does it feel knowing you're the reason your family is going down in flames?!" Rose staggered, her breath hitching in panic. She wanted to scream, to argue… But she couldn't.
Because deep down… she knew her mother was right. She had overplayed her hand. She had been so sure Alex would always crawl back to her, no matter what.
And now… Now, he had cut her off completely. And without him, she was nothing.
Harold Winter, who had been silent all this time, finally took a deep breath.
When he spoke, his voice was grim, unwavering. "There's only one way to fix this." His cold gaze landed directly on Rose.
"You need to make Alex forgive you." His words felt like an iron decree, each syllable pressing heavily against her chest. "Without his backing, our company is doomed. The Two Hundred Million Dollars he's demanding? That's just the beginning."
His fingers tightened into a fist, his expression dark.
"Rose, you need to go to Alex's house immediately. Do 'whatever' it takes to win him back." The implication in his words was clear. Nothing was off-limits.
Rose's stomach twisted. "I'm not going!" she protested, shaking her head violently. "He was just my lapdog! You want me to beg him now?!" Her voice cracked in desperation, but her father's expression remained cold and unmoved.
Lillian Winter stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with calculation. "You don't have a choice. If Alex still wants you, that's our only hope." Her lips curled into a cruel smirk.