Chapter 601: Who Can Compare with Her?

The semifinals in Ironport City had ended, but the buzz on the internet was still incredibly intense.

Many people were discussing which school beauty from the next three regions could replicate such success?

Under the guidance of the organizers, many posts appeared online calling for fundraising and voting for various school beauties.

Ethan Cole also made several posts on related topics to ride the trending wave.

At that moment, he was already on a high-speed train back to Empire City with Grace Bennett and a group of bodyguards.

Meanwhile, he had chartered two planes to make a detour via Kolvern and head to Terrapin Isle.

For this island that belonged solely to him, Ethan Cole was eager to see it with his own eyes.

He was also taking the opportunity to bring some supplies there.

Grace Bennett, who heard they were going to Terrapin Isle, was excited but also a bit worried.

Ethan Cole knew what she was worried about and reassured her, “Don’t be scared. This time we brought a hundred bodyguards. It’s more than safe.”

In addition to the bodyguards, they also brought along some talents in construction, as well as experts in sailing and maintenance.

These technical personnel were personally selected by Harold Briggs, vetted one by one, ensuring there was not a single issue with any of them before bringing them over.

Furthermore, Ethan Cole had legally purchased five high-powered fishing boats that could hold twenty to thirty people each, through domestic channels.

There were also ten speedboats, among other parts and such.

In total, it cost over fifteen million.

In the future, once Terrapin Isle was fully equipped, the speedboats would take on the task of patrolling the island every day.

By then, they could also buy some large yachts for tourists to use.

Of course, the most important thing was that Ethan Cole planned to build a branch of his conglomerate on Terrapin Isle.

If possible in the future, he was even thinking of…

Forget it, those matters were too far off, and there was no need to consider them in the short term.

They reached Empire City in the evening.

After eating something and taking a bath at home, Ethan Cole fell asleep with the very tired Grace Bennett in his arms.

Their own chartered plane could leave whenever they wanted.

The next morning, Ethan Cole woke up before Grace Bennett.

Online, it was all about the School Beauty Contest.

In the top ten trending list, Grace Bennett occupied nine spots, and Chloe Winters one.

Of course, once the second semifinal in Ashgrove started at noon today, the heat would definitely diminish.

Online, many people were already posting, guessing how many votes Daphne Reyes from Ashgrove could secure.

Would there also be a tycoon who would splurge?

Ethan Cole then checked on Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner.

The two of them had also made it to the finals.

Isabelle Whitfield’s vote count was fixed at over three million seven hundred thousand.

Olivia Turner was at nine hundred and sixty thousand.

Upon opening Olivia Turner’s profile, there were quite a few comments below.

Ethan Cole laughed out loud as soon as he read them.

“This Sister Wang has a nice face and figure, but… why do I feel like she doesn’t look like a senior student?”

“’94 ’94, she seems to be at least twenty-six or seven, right?”

“Uh, maybe she just looks older?”

…

The eyes of the masses are bright.

Although Olivia Turner had put on makeup, having been in society for several years, she no longer had the air of a young girl.

It was clear that Olivia Turner also saw these comments.

She was so angry that she personally stepped in to argue with these people.

Olivia Turner: Just look closely, where do I look like I’m twenty-six or seven!

Olivia Turner: Are you being polite? Are you being polite!

Olivia Turner: You must be a competitor sent to smear me; I’m just over twenty!

Ethan Cole couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Over twenty wasn’t wrong, it’s just that the “over” part was stretched a bit longer.

It’s like our country’s ships, eighty-thousand-plus tons, with that “plus” being quite a few tons—it’s the same logic.

Afterwards, Ethan Cole dealt with some matters.

Most notably, “MelodyStream” was preparing to go public.

Thanks to Ethan Cole’s initial efforts to purchase a large number of online streaming rights at extremely low prices,

MelodyStream was well-founded from the start.

Tens of thousands of classic, evergreen songs were enough to sustain MelodyStream for a very long time.

With subsequent strategies that gathered a host of young lyricists, composers, and young singers,

MelodyStream’s effective song library had already surpassed one hundred and fifty thousand songs, and it had long since become profitable.

This subsidiary’s IPO could send Ethan Cole’s net worth skyrocketing by ten to twenty billion.

Ethan Cole was in high spirits.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

Before long, Grace Bennett woke up as well.

After a tender moment, they washed up, had breakfast, and then packed their luggage, ready to set off.

Ethan Cole had also figured out the weather on Terrapin Isle.

Due to its geographical location, the island had fewer windy and rainy days compared to other islands – it was mostly sunny.

However, there were no buildings there yet, so they had to bring some tents over.

Two hours later, the two chartered planes took off.

Actually, the nearest route was through Kolvern.

But since Ethan Cole had deeply offended Kolvern’s father, he would be arrested immediately upon landing there.

So Ethan Cole first flew to Selayu and then took a boat to Terrapin Isle.

“Wow, it’s so big, and the air is so fresh,”

Once on the island, Grace Bennett stretched her arms open, letting the sea breeze blow against her, her clothes fluttering loudly.

Ethan Cole hurriedly draped a coat over her.

The wind revealed her figure without reservation.

Thankfully, the bodyguards were busy checking the surroundings, so no one saw.

Not far away, excavators and bulldozers were hard at work,

leveling the uneven roads on the island.

Some of it had already been completed.

One boat after another shuttled back and forth, transporting various materials.

All these materials had been purchased from the closest place in Selayu.

Hmm, the prices were much cheaper than back home.

The island was quite barren with very few plants.

After leveling, the land would still need to be fertilized.

Grace Bennett, looking like a curious baby, tugged at Ethan Cole to walk around and have a look everywhere.

“What is that?” Grace Bennett pointed to a pillar over two meters tall not too far away.

Ethan Cole smiled, “It’s a signal antenna, otherwise we wouldn’t get internet access here.”

“Oh… Hey, they are building houses over there.”

Not far away, houses were being rapidly erected.

In fact, these were modified containers,

mostly semi-finished products.

The only things that required some effort were digging latrines and laying pipes.

The island was too large to get around by foot alone.

They had also acquired several tricycles on the island.

Ethan Cole took one and drove Grace Bennett around.

Watching this poor, desolate island slowly being transformed, Ethan Cole couldn’t help but feel expectant.

Once all the transformations were complete, this place would become his most important support for a long period of time.

Without realizing it, they had driven over ten miles.

Suddenly, Ethan Cole noticed something and stopped.

Chapter 602: Grace Cries

“Ethan, what’s wrong?”

“Look over there.”

Grace Bennett followed the direction of Ethan Cole’s pointing finger and her eyes lit up instantly, “Wow, is that a hot spring?”

She hopped off the car and skipped over to it excitedly.

A fairly large hot spring was continuously gushing out hot water.

The smell of sulfur was quite strong.

The quality of this hot spring seemed very high.

It was just a pity that it was summer now. If it were winter, soaking in it would definitely be very comfortable.

“Since there’s a hot spring here, let’s build our living quarters nearby,” Ethan Cole said.

“Sure.” Grace Bennett nodded, her lively eyes twinkling, “I’m actually looking forward to winter now.

I read in a book that on islands that have recently formed, if there are hot springs, their quality is very high, with skin whitening and improvement benefits…”

As she said this, Grace Bennett gently shook Ethan Cole’s arm, “Can we get someone to set up a simple shelter now? I want to soak in it tonight.”

Ethan Cole couldn’t help but laugh.

Indeed, no girl could resist the temptation of skin whitening and improvement.

As for his fiancée’s small request, Ethan Cole naturally wouldn’t refuse it.

He made a phone call, summoning a bunch of people to come over and start building a house around the hot spring.

Materials were being transported over by ships, and there was no shortage of food or drink.

While the house was being quickly constructed, Ethan Cole took Grace Bennett for a stroll and then found a flat spot to start cooking.

The one thing you never lack at sea is a variety of seafood.

The workers brought over lots of preprocessed seafood.

For convenience, they decided to make a big pot of seafood noodles.

Grace Bennett found some stones nearby to set up a stand and placed a pot on it.

Ethan Cole lit the charcoal and poured in mineral water.

This was practically like camping out.

“Let me do it, Ethan, you take a break.”

Grace Bennett volunteered eagerly.

She used to do these things all the time when she was younger and was very skilled at it.

Even now that she was very rich, she hadn’t forgotten her old skills and didn’t think doing these things was beneath her.

If it weren’t for the many people on the island now, Ethan Cole would have wanted to pull Grace Bennett aside to work on practice questions.

Using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a mat, blowing in the sea breeze, doing practice questions—what a delightful thing that would be.

The water boiled, they added the noodles, starting with the seafood that took longer to cook, followed by various shrimps and squids.

A rich fragrance immediately filled the air.

The aroma of this freshly caught and cooked seafood was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Just add a bit of salt, no need for any other seasonings.

“Wow, it smells so good.” Grace Bennett served a bowl first for Ethan Cole, “Try it and see.”

“Hmm, it’s perfect.” Ethan Cole couldn’t stop praising it, “My wife’s cooking is so delicious, sweet, full of love.”

“Smack!”

Grace Bennett looked around, and seeing that no one was nearby, she leaned in close to Ethan Cole and kissed him on the cheek, then stood there grinning foolishly.

Ethan Cole watched the lovely woman in front of him with a face full of indulgence.

He had to make sure she stayed this happy forever.

Anyone who coveted Grace Bennett and planned to steal her from him, no matter who they were, would be dealt with harshly.

After eating their fill and taking a brief rest, Ethan Cole hopped back on the three-wheeler and took Grace Bennett around the island again.

Before they knew it, it was past six in the evening.

The island had a significant temperature difference between day and night.

During the day it was over thirty degrees, but now it was just over ten.

The temporary living quarters weren’t ready yet, so Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett stayed on one of the fishing boats docked at the shore.

A large room had been prepared in advance, cleaned up neatly, with new bed coverings, toiletries, and everything else fully supplied.

Grace Bennett longed to soak in a hot spring.

But the makeshift houses over there wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow, so she could only take a hot bath today.

In the bathroom, the sound of splashing water echoed.

Grace Bennett was taking a bath.

Ethan Cole, on the other hand, was on the phone with Harold Briggs.

Harold Briggs: “Boss, the brothers have settled in nicely in Aurelia, and we’ve already picked up a bit of information.”

Ethan Cole’s gaze flickered, “Speak!”

Harold Briggs: “That person’s son is running a company over here, valued at tens of billions.

Besides that, this person keeps a very regular schedule, seemingly just going to and from work and rarely elsewhere.

He’s also got bodyguards following him in secret, making it difficult for us to get close anytime soon.”

Ethan Cole paced back and forth in the room, various ideas flashing through his mind.

Then he said, “Take a two-pronged approach: one is to see if you can get close using a woman. The other, check out that company for any issues.”

Harold Briggs was overjoyed, “Boss, you’re brilliant, coming up with a breakthrough strategy on the fly. My admiration for you is simply…”

“Enough, enough, spare me the flattery,” Ethan Cole cut off the bootlicking man: “The mission is important, but so is your safety.

If you spot anything wrong, run first, then we can figure out the rest later.”

By now, Harold Briggs had become the head of his own intelligence agency.

Many things required his personal involvement, and Ethan Cole did not wish to lose him.

Training another would be time-consuming and laborious, and it was not a given that they would be as capable as Harold Briggs.

“I know, I certainly will,” said Harold Briggs, gratefully.

“Okay, that’s it then,” Ethan Cole thought for a moment and then added, “Tell the brothers.

If this mission is accomplished, everyone will get an extra twenty million as a reward, and you will get an additional two hundred million.”

If they could obtain some leverage over that man’s son, their odds of success would be even higher.

He was always very generous with his own people.

Harold Briggs was so excited he almost shouted out loud.

After ending the call, he gathered everyone together.

With a beaming face, he said, “I just got off the phone with the boss, and he asked me to tell you all.

If we succeed in this mission, each person will get an extra twenty million in bonuses!”

“Really?”

“Holy shit, that’s awesome!”

“For this task, I’d stake my life to complete it!”

“Working for the boss is truly bliss!”

“If the boss is willing, I’d even offer up my girlfriend to him.”

…

Everyone was energized.

A twenty million bonus, spent wisely, could generate enough interest to support a family of four for fifty years.

After all, dealing in cold, hard cash was more substantial than any words.

Not just them, even Harold Briggs at this moment couldn’t wait to directly rush to the man’s house to gather evidence.

…

The next morning.

When Ethan Cole woke up, Grace Bennett was not beside him.

Startled, he bolted upright, forgoing his clothes and ran outside.

Seeing her gazing into the distance from the deck, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He went back inside to grab a coat and draped it over her, “Why are you out here so early when it’s chilly? You didn’t even think to wear a coat.”

“Ethan~” Grace Bennett turned her head, making Ethan Cole’s heart tremble.

Because at that moment, the tears were streaming down the young girl’s face.

Chapter 603: Netizens Are All Talented

Ethan Cole seldom saw Grace Bennett cry so heartbreakingly.

His heart felt hammered, and he panicked, a terrifying murderous aura swirling in his eyes, “Did someone bully you?”

“No,” Grace Bennett shook her head, her nose twitching, “I… I had such a scary nightmare. I dreamed that you were with another woman, that you had children with her, and you didn’t want me anymore. You even kicked me out of the house.”

Ethan Cole breathed a sigh of relief, then smacked Grace Bennett’s shock absorber forcefully several times, “I thought something big had happened, my heart almost stopped just now.”

Grace Bennett covered the shock absorber with both hands, crying even more heartbreakingly.

Ultimately, Ethan Cole couldn’t bear to scold her anymore and took her into his arms, looking at the distant sea, “Silly girl, dreams are always the opposite.”

“Mhm,” Grace Bennett rubbed her head in Ethan Cole’s arms, wiping her tears on his clothes.

Then she lifted her head and said with tear-stained cheeks, “I want to have children~”

“Now?”

“Mhm.”

Ethan Cole saw a deep obsession with having children in her eyes.

Without saying a word, he picked her up around the waist and headed back to the room.

Under the prerequisite of Ethan Cole investing a large amount of capital, Terrapin Isle hired over a thousand workers.

The construction progress on the island was changing with each new day.

One week after Ethan Cole’s arrival, the entire island’s filling work was completed.

And they had also built a number of simple residential areas.

The next step was to build various infrastructures.

Hotels, roads, beaches, and so on.

Watching the island undergo changes every day was indeed a very fulfilling experience.

It was like playing a game, step by step watching the game’s characters get stronger.

After spending a few days on the island, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett also got involved in the work.

There was too much to deal with.

The construction of the entire island, route planning, layout, and so on, all required hands-on management.

According to Ethan Cole’s plan, this island would be divided into four areas.

One was the office area for Future Group’s division.

In it, there would be employee dormitories, supermarkets, basketball courts, soccer fields, parks, and more.

Two was the commercial area for external leasing.

Three was the residential area, such as hospitals, neighborhoods, supermarkets, and so on.

Four was the amusement area for tourists to enjoy.

If you wanted to build everything, it would probably cost around 1.5 billion.

Yes, that’s right, it’s that cheap.

The building materials were actually not that expensive; what’s expensive was the land, and the money for the land had already been paid.

At night, stars dotted the sky.

Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett were already staying in a temporarily constructed house.

With courtyards in front and back, and bodyguards guarding around the clock.

“Ah, comfortable, a bit more to the left, harder.”

Surrounded by hazy mist.

In the newly built hot spring pool, Grace Bennett was kneeling behind Ethan Cole, massaging his shoulders.

Through the mist, the outline of Grace Bennett’s exquisite figure could be faintly seen.

This haziness only amplified her charm manifold.

Ethan Cole enjoyed the service of the beautiful lady while looking at his phone.

The competition in the third district had ended yesterday.

School beauties popped up like mushrooms after the rain.

However, the most popular were still those few who had stood out from the start.

Their scores were also far ahead.

The representative of Ironport City: Della Munson, twenty-two million points.

The representative of the Capital: Harmony Vance, twenty-three million points.

The representative of Rosemont City: Skylar Payne, nineteen million points.

Ridgemont’s representative: Vienna Choi, eighteen million points.

Ashgrove’s representative: Daphne Reyes, one point nine billion points!

For other regions, this was essentially a cliff-like lead.

After all, Daphne Reyes resembled Grace Bennett a bit.

There’s a saying, isn’t there?

If you have three parts of her beauty, you’re already a peerless beauty.

Of course, Grace Bennett was still the strongest, with over five billion points, any contestant who saw that would feel nothing but despair.

Online, there were some bloggers who liked to stir things up, comparing Daphne Reyes with Grace Bennett.

Some supported Daphne Reyes, others supported Grace Bennett.

As the comparisons went on, the fans of the two sides started arguing.

“Grace Bennett is old news, Daphne Reyes is the new favorite.”

“Haha, why don’t you take a look at what you’re saying? What does Daphne Reyes have to compare with Grace Bennett?”

“If Grace Bennett is a peacock, Daphne Reyes is a phoenix; they can’t even be compared.”

“Stop farting out of your ass, Grace Bennett is number one in the world!”

“Get lost, get lost, get lost, if you’re not convinced, come and have a real-life face-off!”

“Who’s afraid of whom? If you don’t come, you’re a coward!”

…

Online, the debate over whether Grace Bennett or Daphne Reyes was more beautiful escalated more and more.

In the process of this debate, the popularity of both parties grew higher day by day.

Even Ethan Cole and DailyPulse received a boost in popularity as a result.

Primarily because the fans of Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes, while arguing, brought up the topic of their boyfriends.

“My Grace Bennett has the best boyfriend in the whole world. Let’s see yours, Daphne Reyes?”

“Haha, my Daphne doesn’t rely on a man!”

“If you don’t have one, just admit it instead of being so stubborn.”

“What’s so great about that Ethan Cole? Isn’t he just a billionaire with a successful career at a young age, a bit more handsome, a bit more talented, and with…”

“Hey, why did your voice get softer all of a sudden?”

…

Ethan Cole laughed as he read these comments.

The netizens were all so talented.

He also had to thank this wonderful era that allowed everyone to have enough food to spare time for nonsense online.

Feeling tired, Grace Bennett leaned against Ethan Cole’s back, her soft arms wrapping around his neck.

She was also reading these comments.

With a slight frown, she said, “Isn’t this rather bad for Daphne? Should I intervene and mediate?”

She didn’t like this, stepping on others to climb higher.

“It’s no use,” Ethan Cole shook his head, “These fans are too heated now.

If you speak out now, they’ll think you’re timid, which might cause a massive loss of fans.”

Ethan Cole had seen such things many times in his past life.

After all, for now, fans from both sides were just arguing online. It wasn’t a real problem.

“Alright~” Grace Bennett let go of Ethan Cole and walked to the edge of the pool, resting her hands on the edge while squinting her eyes, her face expressing complete comfort.

The quality of the hot spring water here was really high.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt like her skin might actually have become a bit whiter.

“Once this is all set up, I’ll invite Sister Isabelle and the rest to try it out too,” Grace thought to herself.

Ethan Cole gazed at Grace’s perfect back, feeling moved.

He thought of a teacher’s latest work sent by Derek Hayes yesterday, which introduced a new area of knowledge.

It was a perfect moment to try it out.

With that in mind, Ethan Cole stood up and walked towards Grace Bennett…

Chapter 604: Megan Price’s Blind Faith in a Secret Recipe

Grace Bennett’s delicate body suddenly trembled.

Soaking in the hot spring pool, her face, already flushed, turned even redder.

“Husband~” She bit her lip slightly, “You’re bad.”

Ethan Cole chuckled mischievously, “How am I bad?”

Grace Bennett: “Just bad~”

Ethan Cole: “Come on, tell me, how am I bad?”

One of the joys of life was teasing his fiancée.

Grace Bennett stopped speaking, or rather, she couldn’t speak at that moment.

She just bit down on her lip a little harder.

…

Wrentham family.

Inside Sawyer Wrentham’s study.

He was reviewing the intelligence on Ethan Cole’s recent movements delivered by his subordinates.

His face showed no emotion, but his heart was filled with immense envy. “This guy is really living it up, dumping all the dirty and tiring work on me while he takes off with his stunning fiancée to have fun, and…”

He never imagined that Ethan Cole could actually become the master of Terrapin Isle.

That was a status he had longed for in his dreams.

With that status, he could do many more things, and do them with ease.

If he had gotten Terrapin Isle, even the person backing him would show him more respect.

“Could it be that there really is such a thing as luck in this world?” Sawyer Wrentham was very discontent. “It feels like Ethan Cole takes all the good luck for himself, damn it!”

While his mind wandered over various troubles, Sawyer Wrentham picked up the landline: “We can proceed to the next step.”

…

In the capital city of Nordkren, Moscow.

After finishing a day’s work, Megan Price headed to her villa’s bathroom while taking off her clothes.

By the time she finished undressing, she had reached the bathroom.

“Heehee~” Megan Price turned twice in front of the full-length mirror and nodded in satisfaction:

“Lately, my figure has gotten even more perfect. All the daily exercise and honey water is paying off.”

Nordkren was vast with sparse population and abundant fertile fields, producing highly nutritious natural farm products.

Not long after arriving here, Megan Price heard that drinking honey water consistently could make ‘them’ bigger.

So, with a try-it-and-see attitude, she had persevered for a while.

Coupled with the massages from a female masseuse, she did indeed experience some growth.

“Ah, if I keep this up, sooner or later, I’ll surpass Grace Bennett,” Megan Price thought delightedly.

‘Splash’!

She stepped into the bathtub, causing water to splash everywhere as she sat down.

The water in the tub was drawn in the morning and had a temperature control feature; it maintained the same temperature for a long duration.

White jasmine flowers floated on the surface, complimenting her skin beautifully.

As she soaked in the bath, Megan Price opened an app, browsing domestic news.

The hottest topic back home lately was the School Beauty Contest, which she was following.

And feeling quite annoyed about it.

It just had to start at this time.

If it had been a bit earlier, she could have used a little trick to qualify for the competition.

With her assets, wouldn’t she be on a killing spree?

After soaking for half an hour, Megan Price stood up.

Without drying off, she walked into the living room wet all over and plopped down on the couch.

The curtains in the house were drawn, so there was no possibility of being peeped at from the outside.

She loved this feeling of freedom.

Of course, another very important reason was that she had heard of a certain folk remedy.

“Let ‘Thunder’ minimize constraints to facilitate second growth,”

Whether others believed it or not, she certainly did.

After sipping a glass of red wine, Megan Price picked up the laptop on the table, and immediately, her eyes sharpened.

She opened the official website of the domestic School Beauty Competition.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and countless data streamed across the screen like flowing water.

“Hehe, the firewall’s pretty advanced, huh? Still, it’s not smart enough to keep this lady out,”

Megan Price chuckled with pride.

Once inside, she left a backdoor and copied all the website’s data.

This data included all the profit points and traces of funds for Universe Entertainment during this time.

Megan Price didn’t know about the issues between Ethan Cole and the Wrentham family.

But as soon as she saw Grace Bennett personally participating, and Ethan Cole accompanying her all the time, she realized something was off.

So recently, whenever she had free time, she had actually been preparing to hack into Universe Entertainment’s internals.

Today, the opportunity was ripe, and she successfully infiltrated the network on her first try without them noticing a thing.

“My skills have grown a lot stronger,” Megan Price was quite pleased with herself.

She backed up the data but didn’t send it to Ethan Cole right away.

“Hmm… What’s this?”

Just when Megan Price was about to log out, she found a hidden database within the company’s system.

“Oh, this is high level…” Megan Price’s interest spiked, her fighting spirit soared, and she went into battle mode instantly.

After struggling for more than two hours, Megan Price finally cracked it.

Without alerting anyone, she sneaked in.

However, once Megan Price uncovered even deeper secrets, her complexion changed dramatically.

“The Wrentham family… actually…”

Even for someone as fearless as her, coming across such secrets all of a sudden shook her to the core, causing a moment of panic.

But shortly after, she became excited.

Over the years, under Ethan Cole’s influence, her ‘condition’ improved a lot, but it hadn’t completely healed; the frequency and occurrences had just reduced significantly.

Now, with Ethan Cole not around for a long time, it was as if the seal was gradually loosening.

Stumbling upon such earth-shattering secrets, amidst her fear, ignited Megan Price’s ‘death-seeking’ trait.

She didn’t log out right away but decided to delve in deeper, to unearth even more information.

It was far more thrilling and risky than walking a tightrope over a cliff.

Megan Price took ‘each step’ with utmost care, advancing slowly.

The laptop’s fan whirred at top speed, but the temperature still rapidly shot up.

She breached layer upon layer of security and copied down data after data.

At one moment, Megan Price stopped.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to continue, but the computer’s memory was full.

“Phew.”

Megan Price let out a breath and paused.

After waiting for the computer to cool down to a normal temperature, she briefly reviewed the data she had stolen.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Megan Price, eyeing the data with a peculiar gleam in her eyes, mused, “What kind of shockwaves would it send if this got out?”

She was tempted to try but thought better of it and restrained herself.

For the time being.

The timing wasn’t right yet; she needed to strategize and completely remove her traces.

She also had to think, what substantial benefits would there be for herself in doing so?

After getting the serious work done, Megan Price stretched lazily.

She placed her laptop on her legs and opened a certain video.

She watched the video while…

Chapter 605: Grace Bennett’s Thoughts

Early in the morning, the wind on the island was quite strong, bringing with it bursts of salty and damp air.

After Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett finished breakfast, they would take a stroll around before starting their day’s work.

Ten days had already passed since they arrived at Terrapin Isle.

The changes on the island were earth-shaking.

Cement roads appeared one after another, and some buildings now had their rudimentary shapes.

At this pace, it would take at most another half a month for a small portion of the buildings to be completed.

The reason for such swift progress was the implementation of a three-shift system, with workers rotating around the clock every 24 hours.

With sufficient materials and adequate pay, the workers were highly motivated, naturally resulting in a very fast pace.

The island now had a certain scale to it.

At the very least, two beaches had already been formed.

“Ah, I really want to bring my parents, uncles, and aunts over,” Grace Bennett said, spreading her arms wide and letting the sea breeze blow through her body and hair tips.

Gazing into the distance, Ethan Cole spoke with a hint of emotion, “Aside from its poor geographical location and barrenness, this place has no other shortcomings.

If possible, I would actually like to make this a place for our family to retire.”

Once the place was completely built and well-managed, it wouldn’t be too different from an earthly paradise.

“I feel the same way,” Grace Bennett said excitedly, “But if that’s the case, shouldn’t we designate an area for growing some crops or something?”

What Grace Bennett said indeed reminded Ethan Cole.

They hadn’t planned for that aspect.

As a nation with thousands of years of agricultural history, farming was almost rooted in the genes of every citizen.

Even those who had emigrated overseas couldn’t help but plant something whenever they saw land.

If they planned to use this place as a retirement spot in the future, then it was necessary to set aside an area for cultivation.

The main thing was to be prepared for a rainy day.

In case of any emergency, such as a super-strong, long-lasting typhoon that prevented boats from reaching the island, they wouldn’t run out of food.

Talking about serious matters, the two of them became enthusiastic.

They no longer felt like taking a walk and immediately returned to the temporary office area to start replanning.

Since the island wasn’t particularly large, after discussing it, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett decided to allocate an area of 300,000 square meters to build five 20-story buildings.

They planned to do indoor farming.

Time flew by.

Before they knew it, 25 days had passed since they came to Terrapin Isle.

There were massive changes to the entire island.

All the roads had been completed, and many plants had been planted on both sides.

Some of the lower buildings were already finished.

If one looked down from the sky, one could see the rise of a newly scaled, neatly planned small city.

If Selena Han were to see Terrapin Isle now, who knows whether she would regret.

In the evening, Ethan Cole treated everyone to a meal.

Because tomorrow, he was going to take Grace Bennett back to Empire City.

The day after tomorrow was the final showdown of the School Beauty Contest.

After rounds of selection from four regions, only a little over 260 people had made it to the finals.

If one could make it into the top ten, that would truly be one in ten million.

Grace Bennett was packing her things.

Ethan Cole noticed her mood was somewhat low.

He walked over and hugged her from behind, “What’s wrong, can’t bear to leave?”

“Mm,” Grace Bennett said softly, “To watch with my own eyes this barren island turn into something this beautiful, I really can’t bear to leave.”

“Don’t worry, the next time we come, it’ll be even more beautiful,” Ethan Cole comforted her.

“Ethan,” Grace Bennett suddenly thought of something, turned to look at Ethan Cole, her eyes bright with excitement, “We can bring the company’s crew over here to shoot our films.

First, the scenery here is beautiful, and the locations would look great on camera.

Second, having the crew here would boost consumption in terms of food, clothing, and necessities.

Third, if by any chance, one of the films becomes a huge hit, there’s a high probability that the scenes from the film could become popular and attract lots of tourists.”

“My little treasure, you really have a brain,” Ethan Cole pinched Grace Bennett’s delicate and adorable nose, “Not bad, not bad at all, that’s a great idea.”

There had been many similar cases in the past.

When a certain TV series became popular, swarms of people would flock to the filming locations to take photos, boosting local tourism.

Ethan Cole had great confidence in the capability of his film company. Out of ten productions, at least one was bound to become a huge hit, and the rest wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

Praised by Ethan Cole, Grace Bennett’s eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile.

Had she just helped her fiancé out again?

Being able to assist Ethan Cole, even just a little bit, made her incredibly happy and content.

Because of this, the slight reluctance she felt about leaving all but dissipated.

The next day, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett set off to return to Empire City.

The journey was smooth sailing, and they reached Empire City without any issues.

At the airport, posters for the “School Beauty Contest” were visible everywhere.

The top contestants from various regions were plastered all over the walls.

Of course, this included Grace Bennett.

There were many men taking photos and even posing for pictures under these posters.

For super popular contestants like Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes, people even had to queue for a photo with their posters.

“This is too exaggerated,” Grace Bennett muttered under her breath, pulling her face mask up a little.

“Haha,” Ethan Cole laughed, “What can I do? My wife is just too charming.”

To avoid being discovered by these enthusiastic fans, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett quickly made their way out.

As soon as they got into the car, Ethan Cole received a message from Selena Han.

A month had passed.

The young members of the Li Family had already arrived in Empire City.

Ethan Cole replied to her and then told Grace Bennett, “I’ve got some stuff to take care of, you go ahead home.”

“Okay, I’ll make you some late-night snacks~” Grace Bennett didn’t ask Ethan Cole what he had to do but focused on what she could do for him.

The car took a detour to a certain club in Empire City.

Ethan Cole got out of the car, and a group of bodyguards spread out, following him.

Upon entering the club, the staff immediately greeted him with enthusiasm.

“Hello, sir, do you have a reservation?”

Ethan Cole replied, “No, I need room 308.”

The young people from the Li Family were in 307, according to the message from Selena Han.

“Right this way, please~”

Soon, Ethan Cole was led to room 308.

A group of elegant women, dressed very fashionably, soon followed him into the room.

The manager personally came over because she recognized Ethan Cole.

She thought to herself how he portrayed himself as dedicated and affectionate in public, yet here he was, sneaking into such a place.

Ah, men.

“Esteemed guest, which ladies would you like?”

Ethan Cole glanced over, “Keep all of them, and bring up the most luxurious drink package you have.”

“Certainly, sir.” The manager was overjoyed, as this one order would bring in at least a million.

Ethan Cole’s choice to keep the ladies was naturally to reward his bodyguards; he had no interest in them himself.

Chapter 606: Shocking: A billionaire with a fortune of hundreds of billions actually does such a thing at home!

The many bodyguards cheered.

Following Ethan Cole was always exciting; from time to time, they got to experience the joys of high-class living.

This sort of place was generally out of reach for ordinary people.

After all, even the cheapest girl would cost tens of thousands.

While the bodyguards were having fun, Ethan Cole stepped out of the private room and waited at the door.

In an upscale club like this, the hallways were without surveillance cameras.

Because you never know if some big shot might come by one day; it goes without saying what the consequences would be if they were filmed.

A few minutes later, a waiter came over with a tray.

Ethan Cole stopped him, “Delivery for the next room over, 307?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Wait a moment.”

Ethan Cole took out a small paper packet from his pocket, opened it, and poured the powder inside over the drinks.

It dissolved instantly.

“Sir, you…” The waiter was shocked.

“Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you.” Ethan Cole calmly took out a check for one million, “It’s an unregistered check. Take it, deliver the goods, and leave. Tonight’s events have nothing to do with you.”

The waiter’s expression changed rapidly, and after a moment’s hesitation, he accepted the check.

With his current salary, it would take him four or five years to save up a million without spending on anything else.

Anyway, he was just a waiter; he knew nothing.

Ethan Cole watched as the waiter delivered the drinks and quickly left afterward.

The powder was a sleeping drug.

Leaning against the door, he silently waited for forty minutes before pushing open the door of room 307.

Upon opening the door, a foul smell mixed with alcohol, perfume, sweat, and other odors hit his face.

Dozens of the Li Family’s young members were sprawled chaotically.

Ethan Cole turned off the colorful lights and switched on the white ones.

Anyone could tell that they were drugged.

Some of them were even frothing at the mouth.

Ethan Cole clicked away, taking dozens of photos, and then made a call to report the crime.

Soon, official personnel arrived; seeing such a scene, they too were taken aback.

Then they quickly made arrests.

As for the club, naturally, it had to be shut down for rectification.

Afterward, Ethan Cole sent these photos to Selena Han.

The transaction between the two parties was thus completed.

“This guy does his job well and gives me peace of mind,” Selena Han muttered to herself as she received the photos, “It’s just a pity that if he were truly loyal to me, not to mention taking complete control of Wonshin, it’s just… sigh.”

She couldn’t help but feel wistful.

If only Ethan Cole had been born on this side of the fence.

Together, they would surely have been an unstoppable force.

She couldn’t help but picture Ethan Cole’s handsome and masculine face in her mind.

Biting her lip slightly, Selena Han realized she might have… fallen for him.

On the way back, Sawyer Wrentham called.

His tone was icy, “Well done, I’ll remember this grudge.”

“Huh?” Ethan Cole was bemused, “What are you talking about?”

Out of the blue, he felt completely baffled.

“Playing dumb at this time?” Sawyer Wrentham gnashed his teeth, “Wasn’t it you who got my club shut down!”

Ethan Cole laughed.

He truly had no idea that the club was owned by the Wrentham family.

This was an unexpected turn of events.

The club was quite large, a real moneymaker.

Even for the Wrentham family, being closed for a day was a heavy loss.

Sawyer Wrentham had called presumably to keep up appearances and play out his role.

Ethan Cole coughed and then started to argue with him.

They cordially inquired about each other’s family, relatives, ancestors, and the like.

It was a display of their impressive literary knowledge and vocabulary.

Back home, Grace Bennett had already prepared supper.

Seafood casserole porridge and barbecue she made herself.

“The bathwater’s ready, have something to eat first, then go bathe~”

“Yeah, thanks my dear.” Ethan Cole revealed a smile from the bottom of his heart.

He and Grace Bennett perfectly embodied what it meant to share three meals a day, four seasons a year, a lifetime together.

“Oh, right.” Grace Bennett remembered something and said, “Sister Isabelle and Sister Olivia found out we’re back and asked if they could stay at our place for the next few days.”

They had also made it to the final round of the School Beauty Contest.

Well, Olivia Turner was the only one with a slight advantage.

Chloe Winters actually wanted to stay as well, but was too scared to say it.

And even if she did, Ethan Cole wouldn’t have agreed to it.

“That’s fine.” Ethan Cole took a bite of the kidney skewer: “Let them come.”

Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner weren’t like Chloe Winters, who constantly craved excitement; they had a sense of measure.

They were all good friends, so naturally, Ethan Cole didn’t mind.

“Great.” Grace Bennett said joyfully: “Then I’ll tell them right away.”

It was nearly midnight now.

But for young people, it wasn’t the time to sleep.

“Hm?” Ethan Cole suddenly made a puzzled sound and then looked at Grace Bennett: “Why does the barbecue consist of nothing but lamb kidneys, pig kidneys, or cow kidneys?”

Grace Bennett said bashfully, “It’s to give you a little boost.”

Having said that, she got up, head lowered, and went back to the room.

Ethan Cole’s first thought was that Grace Bennett was concerned for his health.

His second thought, no, she was hinting at something.

Ethan Cole revealed a smile only a man would understand.

After finishing the night snack, he promptly went to take a shower.

Tonight, the mattress at home would go through another test.

The next morning, bright and early, Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner arrived.

One wore a blue skirt to her knees, the other wore hot pants with a tank top, both fashionable and sexy.

“Ah, Grace, it’s been so long.”

“Wah wah wah, did you miss me?”

“I missed you two sisters too.”

When girls meet, they like to stick close and hug, and these friends were no different.

Ethan Cole smiled and said, “You girls chat, I’ll handle the cooking today.”

This was the way he and Grace Bennett got along.

When Ethan Cole’s friends came over, she would cook.

When Grace Bennett’s friends came over, Ethan Cole would cook.

Ordinarily, it would be Grace Bennett who did the cooking.

A good relationship requires both people to put their hearts into it.

Isabelle Whitfield’s eyes lit up: “Can I take a video then? I’ve even thought of the title.

It’ll be ‘Shocking: Billionaire Does THIS at Home!’ ”

She was also pursuing a personal IP branding now, craving for traffic.

Ethan Cole couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Sure, go ahead and film anything you want.”

Olivia Turner’s interest was piqued, and upon asking, she finally understood.

So, out came her phone.

Well, originally, the three girls had planned to sit on the couch, munching on snacks, chatting about gossip.

Now they all flocked to watch Ethan Cole cook.

Grace Bennett and Isabelle Whitfield even started live streaming.

But they needed to connect their phones to the internet with an adapter, otherwise it would be too laggy.

Grace Bennett’s fan base had already reached the terrifying number of twenty million, and that was just counting TinTin Headlines.

Isabelle Whitfield also had over three million.

The moment they started live streaming, a huge crowd poured into the broadcast room.

Seeing Ethan Cole cooking, they were all stunned.

Chapter 607: They’re All Haters

“Well, damn, Isabelle Whitfield is live streaming with Grace Bennett while Ethan Cole cooks?”

“Wait a minute, dude, are you telling me you’ve also got Isabelle Whitfield under your spell?”

“Hiss, you scoundrel, isn’t having Grace Bennett enough for you, now you want to dip your fingers into Isabelle Whitfield too?”

“Isabelle, no!!!!”

…

Many netizens followed both Grace Bennett and Isabelle Whitfield, and they quickly noticed the problem.

Then they started all sorts of antics.

Isabelle Whitfield saw these comments and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She had no choice but to appear on camera, explaining, “Don’t get it wrong, guys, Mr. Cole is my investor, I definitely don’t want to be chased by the beautiful An with a knife in her hand.”

With her explanation, some of the fans were convinced, but many still didn’t believe it.

After all, on the internet, people tend to amplify the darker side of things.

But before Isabelle Whitfield could continue to explain, her loyal fans spoke up for her first.

“Are you all brainless? How could Ethan Cole fall for Isabelle Whitfield?”

“Although Isabelle Whitfield is somewhat good-looking, in terms of height, appearance, temperament, or ‘class’, which aspect is she better than Grace Bennett?”

“Exactly, plus Grace Bennett is younger than her. If you were in his shoes, would you prefer bran and veggies after you’ve been eating fine rice?”

“Hahaha, the person above makes sense, does Isabelle Whitfield even match up?”

…

Seeing these comments, Isabelle Whitfield was almost furious.

She pointed the camera at herself again, puffing up with anger, “You guys are too much, haters, all of you haters!”

Ethan Cole glanced at Isabelle Whitfield.

She had already mastered how to interact with fans and how to quickly increase follower loyalty.

Since he was already live streaming, Ethan Cole prepared a few dishes with higher difficulty.

It also served as a warm-up for the School Beauty Competition the day after tomorrow, and garnered them both more popularity.

By the time the meal was ready, Grace Bennett’s live stream peaked at over sixty thousand viewers, and Isabelle Whitfield’s had over ten thousand.

Most people were just getting off work, so these numbers were quite good.

“Mr. Cole’s meal is ready, folks, the live streaming is ending, we are going to have dinner.”

“Thanks for all your support, I will be streaming again later.”

The two girls ended the stream and then helped serve the food.

“Wow, Ethan Cole, your cooking skills have improved so much.” Olivia Turner took a piece of Mapo Tofu, tasted it, and was pleasantly surprised as she looked at Ethan Cole.

Ethan Cole smiled indifferently, “Mama da la.”

After tasting it, Isabelle Whitfield couldn’t stop praising it either, “Delicious, it tastes even better than what my family’s chef used to make.”

“Right!” Isabelle Whitfield looked at Ethan Cole and said earnestly, “Do you have any good single buddies to introduce to me?”

Every time she saw how affectionate Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett were, she felt an impulse to be in a relationship herself.

In the past, she had many outstanding people around her.

But ever since she was ‘expelled’ from her family, everything had changed.

Isabelle Whitfield thought that anyone who could become good buddies with Ethan Cole would definitely not be too shabby.

Ethan Cole shook his head, “Nope, my only good buddy is already married, he’s Natalie Brooks’s husband.

And seriously, even if Derek Hayes were single, with his looks, you wouldn’t like him.”

Isabelle Whitfield nodded, “Birdseed.”

Derek Hayes: Feeling offended.

“Ah, I also want a sweet relationship,” Olivia Turner sighed, “but it seems there are no quality guys around me.”

Isabelle Whitfield knew very well.

It wasn’t that there were no good men around Olivia Turner.

It was that after meeting Ethan Cole, whenever she thought about dating, she would subconsciously compare them to Ethan Cole.

Oh no, this comparison makes it worse than not comparing at all.

After dinner, several people sat on the sofa and chatted.

Vera Lindqvist personally sent someone to wash the dishes.

She had to keep an eye on these people until they finished washing up and left.

Ethan Cole was dealing with some company matters while the three girls talked about the competition the day after tomorrow.

Chittering away.

Ethan Cole didn’t find it noisy, after all, they were all young and pretty girls.

“Yah?” Grace Bennett looked at her phone and suddenly exclaimed, “Daphne has contacted me?”

“Huh? Which Daphne?”

Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner cast inquiring glances.

Ethan Cole also looked over.

Grace Bennett pursed her lips, “Daphne Reyes, Daphne, she started following my Crystal headlines and then sent me a private message.”

Grace Bennett received many private messages each day. Being able to see Daphne Reyes’s message was also a matter of luck.

“What does she want to do by contacting you at this time?” Olivia Turner asked?

Currently, the hottest contenders in the School Beauty Contest were Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes.

Aside from some elderly people who didn’t use the internet, almost everyone in the country knew the two of them.

Grace Bennett looked at her phone again and said, “Daphne said she’s in Empire City now and wants to meet me, this…”

“The final is about to start, and she wants to meet you at this time…” Olivia Turner stroked her chin and said, “Suspicious intentions first, could she be planning something bad?”

Isabelle Whitfield also said, “Although she seems very kind-hearted, you can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart, better not.”

Grace Bennett looked at Ethan Cole inquiringly.

After thinking it over for a moment, Ethan Cole said, “How about this, ask her if she is willing to come over to our house.”

Ethan Cole considered a bit more.

With Daphne Reyes’s conditions and popularity, there was a high chance of her taking second or third place.

There was also a good chance she might enter the entertainment industry and eventually end up under Ethan Cole’s management.

Considering all of this, they could meet first and check her out (in a proper way).

“Alright, I’ll do as Brother says, I’ll ask her~”

“Brother, she said yes.”

“Brother, and you two sisters, I’m going to change into another dress and freshen up.”

Grace Bennett got up and went back to her room.

She seemed quite happy.

Olivia Turner was surprised, “Strange, aren’t the two of them supposed to be rivals? Why does Grace seem so excited?”

Ethan Cole smiled, “She has never seen Daphne Reyes as a rival, she’s always liked her.”

Isabelle Whitfield admired, “That’s Grace for you, not just chest but also a broad mind.”

Grace Bennett stayed in her room for over twenty minutes before coming out.

The three people in the living room were all stunned.

She had put on a long, white slender dress, her hair was also styled up with a jade hairpin inserted.

Her face was adorned with delicate makeup.

How to put it, Grace Bennett hadn’t even dressed up this lavishly for the semi-finals.

It seemed that she truly cared about meeting Daphne Reyes.

“Grace, you look so beautiful,” Isabelle Whitfield twirled her around, then pouted, “I’m a bit jealous, you never dressed up this nicely when meeting me.”

Grace Bennett smiled shyly, not sure how to respond.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

She picked up the hem of her dress and walked outside after answering, “Daphne is here~”

Chapter 608: Sounds Easily Bullied

Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner also followed them out.

They were very curious about Daphne Reyes, who was widely mentioned online as “Grace Bennett II,” “Grace Bennett clone,” and “Grace Bennett’s budget version.”

Outside the villa, at the front gate, stood a girl wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of clear, sparkling eyes.

She was dressed in a pale blue long dress with a pair of white sneakers on her feet.

From a distance, the whole person seemed like a white rose blooming in spring, pure and delicate.

The gate opened.

Grace Bennett and the others walked out.

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she walked towards them, and she took off her mask, exclaiming crisply, “Hello… I am Daphne Reyes.”

“Yo?” Olivia Turner whistled like a tomboy, checking out Daphne Reyes from head to toe, “Your voice is so soft, you look like you’d be easy to bully.”

Isabelle Whitfield said irritably, “Don’t frighten her,” then turned to Daphne Reyes with a smile, “Hello there, I’m Isabelle Whitfield, this one with a ‘tiny’ temper is Olivia Turner, and you already know Grace Bennett.”

Olivia Turner was furious, “What nonsense are you spouting, what about me is small?”

Isabelle Whitfield raised an eyebrow, “You might want to compare yourself to those middle school girls, I bet you wouldn’t win.”

Olivia Turner: “!!!”

Daphne Reyes shrank her neck.

She always felt… the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Grace Bennett was holding Daphne Reyes’s hand, smiling sweetly, “Sister, you are so pretty~”

Daphne Reyes looked at Grace Bennett.

The first time she saw Grace Bennett online, she felt an inexplicable fondness for this girl.

At that time, she had wanted to meet her in person.

Now that she had met her in real life, she immediately felt a strong sense of kinship.

“Sister,” Grace Bennett tilted her head slightly, sounding puzzled, “even though this is the first time we’ve met, I feel a strong connection to you.”

“Me too,” Daphne Reyes’s eyes lit up as she held Grace Bennett’s small hand.

“Don’t say…” Isabelle Whitfield sized up the two, “You two do look quite similar.”

“Right,” Olivia Turner also noticed, “It’s not just the appearance, there’s a similar vibe too. Could you two be related by blood?”

“That… seems unlikely,” Grace Bennett hesitated, “My mother only had one daughter, and she wouldn’t abandon a child.”

Daphne Reyes seemed to think of something but then held back.

“Daphne, it’s very hot outside, let’s go inside and talk.”

“Sure, sorry to intrude.”

“No problem at all.”

The girls chattered as they returned indoors.

Ethan Cole stood up to greet her, “Hello, Miss Reyes.”

“Ah… Mr. Cole… hello,” Daphne Reyes was clearly a bit nervous when she saw Ethan Cole.

Ethan Cole smiled and said, “Make yourself at home, just sit anywhere you like.”

“Okay, thank you~”

Daphne Reyes sat down, legs together, and hands placed on her lap, very ladylike yet somewhat reserved.

Ethan Cole observed Daphne Reyes.

To his eyes, she seemed like a clean and innocent girl, somewhat shy.

Her expressions and movements didn’t seem to be a disguise.

After all, with Ethan Cole’s current discernment, it wouldn’t be easy to deceive him.

“Huh?” Ethan Cole suddenly let out a light exclamation, “Miss Reyes, you do indeed look quite similar to Grace.”

Daphne Reyes wasn’t wearing makeup; she was barefaced.

In Ethan Cole’s opinion, there was about an 80% resemblance between the two.

Generally, only people with a blood relation would resemble each other so closely.

“I also feel there’s something different about Daphne.” Grace Bennett’s expression became solemn, “Even though it was our first meeting, I inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.”

As everyone said the same, Daphne Reyes also began to doubt.

“Well, why not invite your uncle and aunt over?” Ethan Cole suggested.

“Okay.” Grace Bennett stood up, “I’ll go call my parents over, Daphne, please wait.”

Daphne Reyes nodded, “Okay~”

As soon as Grace Bennett left, Daphne Reyes became even less inclined to speak.

From this point of view, she was very much like Grace Bennett, both socially anxious.

Ethan Cole, with a gentle smile, asked, “Miss Reyes, may I ask how many people are in your family now?”

“I’ve grown up in an orphanage since I was a child,” Daphne Reyes said, head lowered, her expression slightly downcast:

“The reason I participated in the competition is that the orphanage is going to be demolished, and to give those children a home, I…”

Olivia Turner’s eyes reddened, “That’s so moving.”

Isabelle Whitfield, however, was not so naive and asked which orphanage she was from.

“Riverside Children’s Home in Ashgrove, located in Wu District…”

“Oh, I’ve heard of Wu District, it’s quite remote…”

While speaking, Isabelle Whitfield subtly took out her phone and did a search.

Then she gave Ethan Cole a barely noticeable nod.

A few minutes later, Frank Bennett and Diane Bennett came over.

At the sight of Daphne Reyes, they were instantly stunned.

The two exchanged a look, both with a gravity setting over their faces.

“Uncle, Auntie, hello.” Daphne Reyes stood up, rather nervous.

Diane Bennett revealed a smile, walked forward, and took Daphne Reyes’s hand, “You’re very pretty, my girl. May I ask your age?”

Daphne Reyes, “Auntie, I’m twenty-three this year.”

Frank Bennett frowned, “Three years younger than Grace, that’s too coincidental.”

Olivia Turner said in shock, “You don’t say, Uncle? Could Daphne Reyes really be another daughter of you and Auntie?”

Both Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes felt a tightness in their chests.

“No, no, no.” Frank Bennett shook his head, “I only have one daughter, but my older brother had a daughter, who is Grace’s cousin, exactly three years older than her.

However, at that time my brother and sister-in-law favored boys over girls and sold their daughter.

If we consider the age and appearance, the possibility that Miss Reyes is Grace’s cousin is quite high.”

This revelation touched everyone present.

Daphne Reyes’s eyes brimmed with tears.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t know how to start.

Grace Bennett quickly hugged her, gently patting her back.

Mr. Cole spoke in a deep voice, “Guessing here is useless, let’s do a blood relationship test.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Diane Bennett nodded, “Miss Reyes, could you trouble you for a strand of hair? I’ll go get my brother and sister-in-law’s hair and conduct a paternity test.”

After thinking for a while, Daphne Reyes bit her lip and gave a slight nod, cutting off a strand of her hair.

Diane Bennett took the hair and left with Frank Bennett in a hurry.

Ethan Cole invited Daphne Reyes to stay for a meal.

Normally, a paternity test would take three to five days, or even a week.

But with enough money, the results could be available in a few hours.

So let her stay, and wait for the results here.

“Thank you all,” Daphne Reyes bowed deeply to everyone, her eyes red, “I… I don’t know how to thank you all. If you don’t mind, I would like to cook a meal for you.”

Chapter 609: They Really Are a Family

In the kitchen.

Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes were cooking.

Housekeeper Vera Lindqvist also came in.

Officially, she was there to help out, but in reality, Mr. Cole had arranged for her to keep an eye on Daphne Reyes.

Although the girl seemed harmless and delicate,

it’s always best to be cautious.

The heart is separated by the belly.

If she harbored any ill will and poisoned the food while Grace Bennett wasn’t paying attention, that would be an irretrievable situation.

Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner definitely wouldn’t know how to cook.

The best they could do was to cheer from the sidelines.

At most, they might hand over a dish or something.

At night, with the first glimmers of city lights, stars dotted the sky, and moonlight poured down like liquid silver.

“Time to eat.”

“Wow, it smells so good.”

“This cooking is impressive.”

Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes had made ten dishes and one soup, each dish looking delicious and well-prepared.

“Most of them were made by Daphne,” Grace Bennett said with admiration, “Sister is so talented, her cooking skills are much better than mine.”

“Not at all,” Daphne Reyes said modestly, “I can only make some simple dishes. I’m afraid I’ve made everyone laugh.”

Mr. Cole smiled and said, “You’ve already done very well. Let’s eat.”

Grace Bennett poured drinks for everyone and then raised her glass first, “I’m so happy to have met Daphne today, let’s all have a drink~”

Mr. Cole rarely saw Grace Bennett so lively, it seemed she really liked Daphne Reyes.

Of course, no matter whether Daphne Reyes was related to Grace Bennett by blood or not, her background had to be thoroughly investigated.

A few hours earlier, Mr. Cole had already discreetly sent someone to investigate.

Even though Harold Briggs was currently in Aurelia, the entire intelligence network was already established, and it wasn’t dependent on any one person to function.

Daphne Reyes ate in a manner very similar to Grace Bennett’s, polite and genteel, chewing slowly and carefully.

In contrast, Olivia Turner was quite ‘rude’, making Mr. Cole shake his head.

Feeling offended, Olivia Turner retorted discontentedly, “What’s that look for, are you disgusted by your sister?”

Mr. Cole raised his hands high, “Not at all, not at all.”

Olivia Turner, “Hmph!”

Mr. Cole tasted the food Daphne Reyes had made, and indeed it was very good, no less delicious than what Grace Bennett had made.

The girls kept praising effusively, making Daphne Reyes quite embarrassed.

No sooner had they finished eating than Grace Bennett’s phone rang.

“It’s dad.”

Suddenly, everyone stopped talking, and the room fell silent.

Grace Bennett turned on the speaker, took a deep breath, and asked, “Dad, are the results out?”

“Yes, they’re out,” Frank Bennett’s tone was heavy.

Both Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes involuntarily held their breaths, clenched their fists, and stared at the phone screen.

Continuing, Frank Bennett said, “Miss Reyes… indeed is your cousin.”

Tears instantly filled Daphne Reyes’s eyes and streamed down her face.

Grace Bennett’s own expression was quite complex, stiff in place, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Isabelle Whitfield handed Daphne Reyes some tissues.

“Thank you~” Daphne Reyes’s voice was hoarse.

Frank Bennett sighed, “To tell the truth, it was my older brother’s family who wronged you. Do you have any thoughts now about returning to your family?”

“Since they abandoned me back then, there’s no need to go back now,” Daphne Reyes’s voice was soft yet firm.

Frank Bennett had guessed she would say this and spoke, “That’s fine, not recognizing your parents is okay, but you can’t not recognize your uncle’s family. We’ll talk about it more after we go back.”

“Sis~”

As soon as Frank Bennett hung up the phone, Grace Bennett couldn’t help but hug her, and she too started crying.

Such a dramatic turn of events was unexpected by everyone.

Daphne Reyes seemed somewhat at a loss.

Ethan Cole gave Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner a look, then walked towards the backyard.

It was time to give the two sisters some private space.

The three of them sat down in the backyard, and barely had they done so when Isabelle Whitfield’s lips started to move non-stop.

“What a coincidence!”

“I knew it, the moment I saw them I felt they were very similar, and they really are sisters.”

“The connection between blood relations is just too magical.”

“Ethan Cole, you’re lucky, to have gained such a beautiful sister. From now on, won’t you be able to embrace one on each side?”

Ethan Cole made a gesture as if he was going to hit her, “Keep spouting nonsense and see if I don’t withdraw my investment.”

Isabelle Whitfield quickly pleaded for mercy, “I was wrong.”

Ethan Cole turned his head to glance in the direction of the living room, his gaze flickering, as if he was pondering something.

Inside the living room, the two sisters had been crying for a good while before they stopped.

“Sister.” Grace Bennett wiped her tears, “Have you been in the orphanage all these years?”

“Yes.” Daphne Reyes stopped crying and forced a smile, “The children there and the headmaster have all been good to me.

After growing up, there have been quite a few charitable people sponsoring me, and I worked part-time during the holidays, so it was actually not too bad, I didn’t suffer too much.”

Daphne Reyes spoke lightly, but Grace Bennett could hear the difficulties and hardships in her words.

A girl.

A very pretty girl, without the support of family.

The things she had to face while working alone, one could imagine.

“Sister, let me handle the orphanage matters.” Grace Bennett spoke softly, “Ethan and I have established a charitable foundation, we can allocate funds from it.”

“Really? That’s great, I, on behalf of those children, bow to you.”

Daphne Reyes said and was about to kneel before Grace Bennett.

Grace Bennett was so frightened that she quickly stopped her, her face full of distress, “Sister, I won’t let you suffer anymore.”

The determination was clear in the young girl’s crisp voice.

Now, she had the ability to change things.

“I’m about to graduate.” Daphne Reyes wiped her tears, “I can support myself, and…

I should at least get tenth place in the School Beauty Contest, and the prize money isn’t small.”

Originally, she had aimed for first place.

But now that Grace Bennett had promised she would take care of the orphanage matters, Daphne Reyes’s pressure was significantly lessened.

“Sister.” Daphne Reyes held Grace Bennett’s hand, “Tell me about your childhood and… your relationship with Mr. Cole.”

“Okay.” Grace Bennett’s eyes shimmered with a light called ‘happiness’ as she began to recount.

Before long, it was almost midnight.

Grace Bennett wanted Daphne Reyes to stay the night, but she refused, “No, it’s okay, the hotel I’m staying at is nearby, just a few minutes’ walk, and there’s no need to walk me.”

Grace Bennett waved vigorously at Daphne Reyes, “Then be careful on your way, and remember to message me when you arrive.”

“Okay~”

Only when Daphne Reyes’s figure had disappeared did Grace Bennett retract her gaze, looking somewhat downcast.

Ethan Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “I’m feeling a bit jealous, you know; your mind is all on your cousin now.”

Grace Bennett spoke softly, “Brother, sister has had it too hard.”

Meanwhile, after walking a distance, Daphne Reyes was stopped by a black-clad person who suddenly appeared.

Chapter 610: Announce Your Presence to the World

Seeing the black-clad figure standing before her, Daphne Reyes’s eyes flashed with a hint of fear, and she didn’t dare to look at him directly.

The man’s voice was husky, “Do they suspect you?”

“No…no,” Daphne Reyes gently shook her head. “I’ve already acknowledged Grace Bennett as a relative.”

“Good,” the figure in black revealed a hint of a smile. “When the time is right, administer the item I gave you last time to Grace Bennett.

As long as you complete the task, those orphans will naturally come to no harm.”

After speaking, the man in black entered an alleyway to the left and quickly disappeared from sight.

“There’s definitely something fishy going on.”

The sudden voice nearly scared Daphne Reyes to death.

Turning around, she saw Ethan Cole standing a few meters away.

“Ah!”

Daphne Reyes let out a scream, then realizing her lapse, she covered her mouth, her face pale as death.

In the depths of her eyes, a surge of despair welled up, quickly suffusing her entire body.

Ethan Cole looked deeply at her and walked on ahead.

At this moment, Daphne Reyes felt like a drowning person, struggling to breathe, her forehead beading with cold sweat, hands and feet icy cold.

It took a while before she somewhat recovered.

Daphne Reyes gritted her teeth and followed him.

There was a flower bed ahead.

Ethan Cole was sitting there.

Daphne Reyes walked over, head lowered, not daring to speak.

Ethan Cole said indifferently, “Sit down. If you are Grace’s elder cousin, then you are my elder cousin as well.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t deserve it,” Daphne Reyes’s voice was tinged with sobs. “I am a bad girl, but I had no choice.

They took fifteen children from the orphanage, none older than six, to coerce me into participating in the School Beauty contest.

The goal was to get close to you all.

Then, they gave me a bottle of medicine to find an opportunity to administer to Grace.”

Ethan Cole looked at her, weeping and pitiable, but felt no stirrings of emotion inside.

Beyond his own family, why should someone else’s tears concern him?

All he asked was, “You just need to answer me honestly if in the end, you will drug Grace or not.”

“I won’t,” Daphne Reyes’s expression was resolute. “I actually know that once the mission is completed, neither those children nor I will live.

Now all I can do is delay as long as possible, letting those children see more of this beautiful world.”

Ethan Cole could tell she wasn’t lying.

Then everything would be easy to handle.

He couldn’t allow a relative with a viper’s heart to emerge around Grace Bennett.

Ethan Cole stood up and said, “Go back, act as if none of this ever happened.

As for those children, I will rescue them.”

Ethan Cole’s investment in his own intelligence network was continuously increasing.

Now, not only did he have a massive online network, but he had also purchased many expensive pieces of equipment (all legal).

With the right information and official cooperation, finding those children would be a piece of cake.

Hearing this, the dull glimmer in Daphne Reyes’s eyes suddenly lit up.

She sniffed hard, speaking earnestly and solemnly, “If you can rescue them, my life is yours. I won’t hesitate to do anything you ask!”

Ethan Cole didn’t take her words seriously, “Go back. Keep things as they were before, and we’ll talk after the people are rescued.”

Daphne Reyes gave Ethan Cole a deep bow, then turned and left.

Ethan Cole didn’t go home but instead went straight to the authorities to report the matter.

Dozens of children had been kidnapped, and this was no minor case. Once it was exposed, it would cause tremendous social turmoil.

Therefore, a specialized team was formed immediately.

Ethan Cole also stated that all of his family’s intelligence and available resources would be fully cooperated with.

…

The School Beauty Contest had begun.

Ethan Cole, Grace Bennett, Isabelle Whitfield, Chloe Winters, Olivia Turner, and others had all arrived at the competition venue.

Outside, there was a sea of people; the nearby streets were so jammed that not even a drop of water could squeeze through.

It was not just cars that couldn’t get through; even if a fly dared to cut in line, it would be slapped away.

But, of course, Ethan Cole and his group used the VIP passage.

“There were so many people outside just now,” Olivia Turner said with some lingering fear as she walked through the VIP passage, “If you got caught in that crowd, you probably wouldn’t have any clothes left on your body when you came out.”

“That’s unbearable,” Isabelle Whitfield said eagerly, “This contest is super popular right now.

Some media have estimated that the number of viewers on TV and online streaming platforms may exceed ten million!”

“That’s conservative,” Chloe Winters shook her head slightly, “From my experience and judgment, it should at least double, if not more.”

Isabelle Whitfield was secretly amazed, “Just the various advertising sponsorships alone, I bet the organizers are making a killing.”

Grace Bennett didn’t join in the discussion and seemed distracted.

Ethan Cole knew she was thinking about Daphne Reyes.

He had told her about what happened that night after he went back.

Upon knowing, Grace Bennett’s heart ached even more for her cousin.

At times, Ethan Cole didn’t know whether to call her foolish or kind-hearted.

Latter, the people Ethan Cole sent had investigated everything about Daphne Reyes thoroughly.

Apart from the matter with her child, everything she had said matched perfectly.

She indeed was a good girl, merely coerced by others.

Whether it was out of moral duty, self-interest, or simply for Grace Bennett’s sake, Ethan Cole would not stand idly by.

Everyone arrived backstage.

Ethan Cole stayed outside and did not follow them in, but his female bodyguard did.

With such a group of beautiful girls, and a big star like Chloe Winters arriving backstage, a commotion naturally ensued.

Many people rushed over, asking for autographs, photos, and the like.

After a while, everyone dispersed.

Grace Bennett’s gaze wandered until she spotted Daphne Reyes in a corner.

She hurried over and hugged her from behind, “Sister, you look so beautiful today.”

Grace Bennett had never really had any siblings to dote on her from a young age.

Now that she finally had a sister, and one related by blood, she naturally cherished her.

She even thought about deliberately making a mistake during the contest to let Daphne Reyes win the championship.

Something very soft inside Daphne Reyes was touched.

Grace Bennett was truly wonderful. Even an angel couldn’t compare to this girl.

Having such a cousin was truly a blessing in three lifetimes.

People around them cast curious glances their way.

Weren’t the two with the highest chances of winning the championship supposed to be at each other’s throats the moment they met?

What was this development?

“Everyone~” Grace Bennett, holding Daphne Reyes’s hand, used the loudest voice she could muster in her life and said, “I want to introduce to you my sister, my cousin who is related by blood. I love her!”

Chapter 611: “Where Is My Sister (Big Sister) Going?

The venue suddenly fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Daphne Reyes was stunned before tears streamed down her face.

Grace Bennett had noticed how moments before she had been subtly ostracized by others in the corner, so she chose this moment to step forward and clarify the relationship between the two.

She was standing up for herself.

She could feel the sincerity in Grace Bennett’s heart.

Chloe Winters was the first to react, chiming in, “If the boss’s cousin is also my cousin, then anyone who dares to bully you will have to get through me first.”

Isabelle Whitfield and Olivia Turner also spoke up.

The scene was in an uproar.

This was huge news—many people had already taken out their phones, planning to post about it online and snatch a big wave of traffic.

Chloe Winters snorted coldly and immediately said, “Whoever dares to post, just wait for a legal notice!”

Instantly, nobody dared to make a move.

Isabelle Whitfield leaned in close to Grace Bennett’s ear and whispered, “Grace, can I post it? I want to ride this wave of attention.”

Grace Bennett nodded, “Sure, Sister Isabelle, Winters can also post.”

Traffic generated by oneself should definitely be enjoyed by one’s own people first.

Chloe Winters and Isabelle Whitfield were both excited.

The online discussion on Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes was frighteningly intense.

Just one topic would have tens of millions, even billions of views, with tens or hundreds of thousands of comments.

Others could only watch helplessly as Isabelle Whitfield and Chloe Winters posted the news online.

The traffic this would bring to them was enormous, especially since the grand finals were about to begin.

Chloe Winters posted, “Incredible, the boss Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes actually have such a secret!”

Isabelle Whitfield posted, “Stunned, bros, Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes have dropped a bombshell!”

The titles were all very eye-catching.

Even Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes, the people involved, couldn’t help but have the urge to click and take a look.

Many netizens were completely taken aback after reading it.

“I always felt these two girls looked similar, never would’ve guessed they were actually related by blood!”

“What kind of divine storyline is this?”

“I think this competition should be renamed from ‘School Beauty Contest’ to ‘Where Are My Sisters (Brothers) Going’.”

“Everybody place your bets now and see which sister takes the crown.”

…

As for the fans of Grace Bennett and Daphne Reyes, they were dumbfounded on the spot.

Are you two sisters playing with us?

We were quarreling constantly online only to f