Chapter 232: ...Ten Million Wired

I leaned back against the hood of my car, spinning my phone casually between my fingers as the call connected.

On the line, Cornell’s voice sounded tired and groggy. "Hello?"

"I’ll keep this short and clear," I said smoothly, my tone cool and undeniable. "My name is Ethan. I want your passes to the Bellevue Auction tonight. I’m buying that horology piece for myself, and I don’t intend to waste time bidding against small fish."

There was a stunned pause on the other end, followed by Cornell scoffing in disbelief. "Ethan? Who the hell are you first of all? You can’t just call up and demand my—"

"I’m an investor under Hidden Gem," I interrupted, cutting right through his defensive posturing. "And this offer isn’t going to sit around forever. Hand over your VIP credentials to the auction right now, and I’ll wire $10 million directly into your boutique brand’s account before you can even finish breathing."

Dead, suffocating silence gripped the other end of the line.

In the background, I could hear Morin’s sharp gasp, her bossy demeanor completely melting into pure shock. "Wait—what?! Ten million dollars?!" her muffled voice echoed through the speaker as she snatched the phone closer to her face. "Is this real?! Are you actually serious right now?!"

"Completely serious," I replied with a low chuckle. "And if you want to meet me personally to sign off on the transfer, you don’t have to look far... I’m standing right outside your house."

Through the frosted window of their front living room, I saw two silhouettes freeze instantly.

A second later, the front door flew open. Morin stood on the porch, holding the doorframe for support with her jaw practically on the floor, while Cornell poked his head out behind her, his messy hair sticking out in every direction as he stared at my luxury car idling at their curb.

I slid my phone into my pocket, offered them a smooth, multi-millionaire smirk, and stepped toward the porch.

Sarah and I stepped through the front door, leaving the quiet suburban street behind. Cornell and Morin ushered us down the narrow hallway into his paper-strewn home office.

Cornell cleared a cluttered chair for us, adjusting his glasses nervously as he stared at me. "So... Hidden Gem. Who are you guys, exactly? What kind of operation is this?"

I gestured to Sarah. "Sarah, fill him in."

Sarah stepped forward, her tablet tucked under her arm, her voice cool, crisp, and commanding. "Ethan is the primary backer behind Hidden Gem’s entire portfolio," she began smoothly. "Our roster includes exclusive partnerships with top-tier talent and brands—global pop sensation Ruby, world-record track star May—"

"Former world-record holder," Cornell interjected, trying to look knowledgeable.

I just sat back with a calm, dangerous little smile, saying nothing. If only he knew about the 9.11 run from this morning.

"—our championship-winning E-sports team," Sarah continued without missing a beat, "and the explosive high-fashion powerhouse label, UncuT."

Cornell’s eyes went wide as saucers. "Wait... UncuT?! The Met Gala escape brand?!"

He pushed his heavy glasses up his nose, his brain rapidly calculating the astronomical amount of capital required to bankroll top names across pop music, international athletics, professional gaming, and haute couture simultaneously. He realized instantly that he wasn’t sitting across from a mid-level venture capitalist—he was looking at a hidden titan backed by pure, bottomless wealth.

Hoping to flex a bit of leverage, Cornell leaned forward and puffed out his chest. "Well... seeing as the custom tourbillon is a one-of-a-kind piece, and my VIP entry passes are strictly limited for tonight’s auction, I feel like we could discuss a slightly better structural deal or equity—"

"Absolutely not! We take the deal!" Morin cut in sharply, stepping right in front of him. She turned to me with an apologetic, bright smile. "The passes, the credentials, the gallery access—everything is yours the exact second you initiate the wire transfer, Mr. Ethan."

"Wait, Morin, hold on—" Cornell began, trying to act like he still had the upper hand.

Before he could finish his sentence, Morin grabbed his swivel chair, spun him around 180 degrees so his back was turned to us, and leaned down right into his face.

Their "discreet" whispering easily carried across the small office.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Morin hissed under her breath, poking him hard in the shoulder. "You have ten million dollars sitting on the table right in front of your face! Do you want to tick off a billionaire investor who can crush our entire lives with a single phone call?! Shut up and sign the transfer before he changes his mind!"

Cornell winced, shrinking back under his girlfriend’s terrifying glare. "Okay... okay, fine!"

Morin spun his chair back around toward us, her fierce scold instantly melting back into a perfectly charming, professional smile.

"All settled!" Morin announced cheerfully. "Cornell agrees. Hand over the transfer details, and the Bellevue Auction passes are officially yours."

Sarah tapped her tablet screen, quickly keying in the routing details and initiating the $10 million wire transfer straight from my system-backed vault.

Within seconds, Cornell’s phone chimed with an official bank notification. Morin snatched the device off the desk, her eyes widening as she stared at the long line of zeroes stamped across the balance display.

Without missing a beat, she grabbed the sleek, embossed Bellevue Auction VIP passes from the corner desk drawer and handed them directly to me with a beaming smile. "Here you go, Ethan. Fully authorized credentials for the main gallery."

I took the credentials, sliding them neatly into my jacket pocket. Before turning to leave, I gestured to Sarah, who pulled a clean, single-page Hidden Gem partnership outline from her leather folder and placed it gently on the desk right beside Cornell’s blueprints.

"There’s an open offer on that table," I said, looking down at Cornell. "If you actually want to build your brand without going bankrupt, sign that. It brings your boutique workshop under the Hidden Gem umbrella as a sister brand—and opens up a direct collaboration with Mia."

Cornell’s jaw practically dropped to the desk. "With... with Mia?! The master horologist?!"

"Think about it," I smiled, turning toward the door as Chloe and Sarah fell into step beside me. "We’ve got an auction house to take over."

We left them staring at the contract in stunned silence as our tinted luxury car pulled up to the curb, ready to whisk us straight downtown to the Bellevue Auction House to completely crush Sterling Co.