Alex simply smirked. The moment Alex spoke, the entire party hall fell into a tense silence. Ethan Carter’s expression darkened instantly.
His heart pounded, a mixture of rage and deep-seated unease gnawing at him. This was not how things were supposed to go. He had been the one in control, the one commanding the room’s attention.
But now— Now all eyes were on Alex. And worse— They were looking at him with something he had never seen before.
Genuine trust. Alex leaned back slightly, his smirk unwavering. His tone was smooth, effortlessly cutting through Ethan’s outrage.
“You’re asking why I doubt you? Why I call your Feng Shui amateurish?” His gaze sharpened, locking onto Ethan.
“It’s simple.” He gestured toward Walter Lane, his tone carrying a note of mocking amusement.
“Walter, you were impressed because this clown helped you make you over millions in a day, right?” Walter hesitated for a second, then gave a slow nod.
“Yes… That’s true…” Alex chuckled, the sound carrying a chilling certainty. “And tell me—since that day, has your fortune continued to improve?” Walter frowned. He hadn’t thought about it before— But now that Alex mentioned it, he realized something.
His investments had been stagnating ever since. In fact— Everything had felt off. A growing discomfort settled in his chest as he muttered, “No… actually, it hasn’t…” Alex’s smirk widened.
“Exactly. Because Ethan Carter didn’t bring you fortune. He stole from your future.” Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Ethan’s face twisted in fury. “You’re lying!” he snarled. But Alex? He wasn’t even fazed. Alex turned next to Stane, his voice calm yet undeniable.
“And you.” Stane stiffened.
“You were ready to rip Walter apart over a vase, convinced he stole your fortune.” Stane gritted his teeth.
“Damn right I was!”
Alex chuckled softly. “Then answer me this—if that vase was truly a fortune-bringer, why didn’t Walter’s wealth skyrocket the moment he took it?”
Stane froze. Because… It hadn’t. And Walter? His expression darkened with realization.
“Now that I think about it… my finances didn’t change at all after getting that vase… In fact, I completely forgot about it.” The hall fell silent.
Ethan’s hands trembled. “This… this is just a coincidence!” He was losing ground. The once adoring crowd was turning into a jury ready to pass judgment.
And then… Alex delivered the final blow. Alex’s voice lowered, but the weight of his words was suffocating.
“Stane, tell me something. When you first got that vase… long before you even met Ethan… did it ever crack?” Stane’s face twisted in shock.
“How the hell did you—?” Alex’s smirk deepened.
“I knew it.” His next words sent a chill through the banquet hall. “That vase was never a treasure. It was a time bomb. The moment it developed a crack, it stopped gathering fortune and started leaking disaster.” He let that sink in before delivering the final truth.
“If Walter hadn’t taken it from you… You wouldn’t just be losing money right now. You’d be dead.” Stane staggered backward, his face drained of all color.
Walter Lane’s hands clenched tightly, sweat dripping down his temple.
The guests… The same people who had praised Ethan minutes ago… Now they looked at him silently.
And Ethan Carter? He was frozen in place. This wasn’t just a debate of skill anymore. Alex had dismantled everything.
Stane stood frozen, his brows furrowed deeply, his mind spinning as Alex’s words dug into his psyche like a sharp blade.
Everything made sense.
“If that vase really was a fortune-bringer, like Ethan said… then why didn’t Walter’s wealth explode after he took it?” His chest tightened, his gaze flickering toward Ethan Carter, who was trying his best to keep his composure.
“Did I really get deceived?” The confidence he had just moments ago— It was crumbling. And before the tension in the air could settle— A sudden ringing sound shattered the silence.
Ring! Ring!
Ring! Ring!
Walter Lane’s phone vibrated violently in his pocket, the sharp ringtone cutting through the thick atmosphere of the banquet hall.
He frowned, pulling out his phone, and without hesitation, answered.
The voice on the other end— Shaking. Panicked. Almost desperate.
“Sit! Sir! It’s an emergency!” Walter’s expression darkened instantly.
“What is it?” His secretary’s voice trembled, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.
“Sit, the three million worth of stocks you invested in yesterday… they just hit their lowest possible amount!” Walter’s grip on his phone tightened.
“What did you say?” His breath caught in his throat, but before he could process the information—
The secretary’s next words sent a cold chill down his spine.
“No, wait—another stock just hit their lowest amount! And another! Oh my god—Sir, all of your stocks are collapsing!” Walter’s heart slammed against his ribs, a cold sweat breaking out across his back.
A sudden, sinking dread settled in his stomach as the gravity of the situation crashed down on him.
“Sir, listen… although you made three million yesterday…” The secretary choked on his words, his voice cracking under pressure. “But in just this single day… You’ve lost at least thirty million!”
“You have lost at least ten times of the profit that you made!”
BOOM.
It felt like a thunderclap inside Walter’s mind. The party hall, once filled with whispered conversations and murmurs, suddenly felt eerily quiet.
And in that silence, Walter felt his blood run cold. Ethan Carter had promised him fortune. But instead… He had brought him ruin.
Walter Lane’s hand trembled slightly as he gripped his phone, his mind still struggling to process the shocking revelation.
“I made three million yesterday… and today, I lost ten times of that amount total thirty million?” His voice came out as a barely audible whisper, more like he was repeating it to himself rather than asking for confirmation.
A chill ran through him. And in that moment, Alex words from earlier echoed in his mind.
“This is what happens when you recklessly borrow fortune from your own future.” His fingers slowly curled into a fist, his breath growing uneven.
He turned his head, his gaze dark and full of suspicion… Straight at Ethan Carter. And he wasn’t the only one. Stane, Walter, and the other business leaders in the room all slowly turned to look at Ethan.
Their expressions ranging from doubt to outright hostility. They had put their faith in him. They had believed in his so-called “Fortune Skills.”
And now? Now, they wanted answers.
(A/N: Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!! And thank you ‘GiovanniG’ for supporting through golden ticket.)
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