Upon hearing this, Tanya immediately snapped back,
"Don't try to fool me. The news I read clearly said that Jason Carter was basically bankrupt."
The sales agent beside her blinked in surprise.
"News? What news? From where?"
Tanya replied confidently,"It's all over the campus forum and a bunch of online groups. Everyone's been talking about it. Something that widespread can't be fake, right?"
The salesperson shook his head."If it didn't come from a verified source, it absolutely can be fake. The internet is full of nonsense. And besides… someone who just paid several million dollars in full for a luxury home doesn't look very bankrupt to me."
Lucas, hearing that, smirked arrogantly.
"You wouldn't understand even if we explained. You're just a salesperson. Don't talk like you know business."
The agent's expression soured instantly.
"Yeah, I'm a salesperson. But I still understand basic logic. So then—why don't you explain it? If Jason Carter is supposedly broke, what company of his collapsed? What happened? What's the financial chain you're talking about?"
Tanya hesitated for half a second, then repeated what she had seen online:
"He has multiple businesses… an amusement park valued at over $50 million, a boutique hotel worth around $30 million, a Bugatti Chiron—yes, the three-million-dollar one. And he has a tech startup valued at a couple hundred million, a media company worth another hundred million plus, and several investment properties."
She swallowed before continuing,"But the rumor says he's the executive behind the Starfall Bay Development Project. And because of overexpansion, risky investments, financing problems, and poor project planning… the development is failing. The claim is that the entire project is about to stall, leading to bankruptcy."
The showroom went silent.
Several other salespeople, including the sales manager, turned their heads—eyes widening.
The sales manager let out a stunned laugh."You're telling me that this kind of guy… this level of asset holder… is 'on the verge of bankruptcy'?"
Another salesperson chimed in, baffled:
"With that many separate companies, how could they all collapse at the same time? Even if one project stalls, it only affects the real-estate funds tied to that project. His hotel, amusement park, tech company—those are completely separate entities. A stalled construction site doesn't magically erase hundreds of millions in assets."
Someone else added,"And even if the development was delayed, that doesn't automatically mean bankruptcy. Developers have setbacks all the time."
"And honestly," the manager said, pointing toward the signed contract on the table, "the fact that he just dropped several million dollars cash, no mortgage, no hesitation? Ellie just earned herself a commission most agents don't see in a year."
Tanya froze.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Was the rumor actually fake?
The more she thought about it, the colder she felt inside.Because even if Jason was struggling—if he still had hundreds of millions in assets—how could she possibly compare?
Lucas's parents could afford a three-million-dollar suburban home… on mortgage.
Jason just bought a ten-million-dollar cliffside villa in full, no questions asked.
The gap between them wasn't just big—It was a canyon.
And if the rumors weren't true…Then she had just thrown away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—with both hands—because of gossip.
The sales manager pulled out his phone and checked again.
"According to the keywords you mentioned, I searched it up. This so-called 'news' isn't verified anywhere official. It's basically a random deduction thread someone posted on a gossip site."
He lowered his phone.
"And Starfall Bay? It's a city-supported development. Construction is continuing normally. No sign of a financial break anywhere. Someone who can win a project like that isn't 'barely surviving.' They're the kind of person who can change a city."
Tanya felt her throat go dry.
Her mind screamed at her to deny it, to reject what she was hearing—but she couldn't.
Because deep inside…She realized she may have made a catastrophic mistake.
Lucas stood beside her, still pretending confidence, but she felt the difference now—like comparing a campfire to the sun.
Tanya Covell — Favorability +20
But regret?
Regret was easily +200.
She stared blankly as the truth settled in.
If Jason Carter truly wasn't bankrupt…
Then she might have just given up the one person whose future was brighter than she ever dared to dream.
Tanya had completely lost the mood to keep touring Lucas's three-million-dollar suburban villa.Her thoughts were a mess.Her heartbeat was loud.And all she could think about was—
She needed to find Jason Carter. Now.
She spun around and rushed out of the model home.
Seeing this, Lucas's expression twisted into something dark and ugly.
"Tanya—seriously? Forget him. That rumor has to be true. He's going bankrupt. Don't fall for what some salesperson said about 'even a starving camel being bigger than a horse.' A starving camel still ends up rotting."
Tanya didn't want to quarrel with him—at least not yet. She still wasn't confident enough to argue until she confirmed Jason's actual situation.
"Let's just see for ourselves first," she said mechanically. "Don't jump to conclusions."
Lucas clenched his teeth, furious but powerless—because the salespeople's words were echoing in his mind too.
What if Jason wasn't actually going bankrupt?What if Jason's wealth really was on a completely different level?
He prayed silently—begged silently—that Jason's situation was truly disastrous.
Otherwise, how was he supposed to win?Otherwise, how was he supposed to ever make Tanya look at him the way she looked at Jason?
He imagined the perfect scenario: Jason humiliated and broke, and Tanya calling him "daddy" in front of everyone.
But reality was never so kind to him.
When he and Tanya ran into Lakeview Park, Jason and Ellie were nowhere in sight—already long gone.
Meanwhile, Jason & Ellie Walk Into the Park
Jason and Ellie strolled deeper into Lakeview Park, far beyond the residential zones the agents had shown him.
Jason wasn't looking for curb appeal or architecture.
He was searching for energy.
The closer they walked toward the eastern trails, the more the air shifted—cleaner, sharper, humming with a faint vibration Ellie couldn't sense but Jason felt in his bones.
Through the system interface, he saw it clearly:
Ambient Energy Reading: 0.5 — ModerateAmbient Energy Reading: 0.6 — Stable Increase Detected
Still not enough.
Jason ignored the park paths and followed wherever the readings climbed. Before Ellie realized it, they were at the foot of a ridge, the tallest hill inside the park—almost a small mountain.
Ambient Energy Reading: 0.7 — High Density Zone Identified
Jason continued up the wooden staircase, one step at a time, until they were nearing the summit.
Suddenly—
System Prompt: Ambient Energy 1.0 — Minimum threshold reached. Conditions met for installing a Spirit-Gathering Sub-Array.
Jason continued climbing.
When they reached the peak—
Ambient Energy 1.5 — Exceptional. Ideal for sub-array placement. Strong recommendation: Build the array here.
Jason inhaled deeply.
From the mountaintop, Lakeview Park spread beneath them like an emerald carpet. The river stretched silver-blue in the distance. Wind swept across the ridge, carrying a tranquility impossible to find within the city.
He exhaled softly."Ellie… what do you think about building a villa up here?"
Ellie nearly choked on her breath.
She had assumed Jason stopped house-hunting because he was tired… but suddenly he was talking about mountaintop property?
She stared at him, speechless.
"The air is amazing, the view is insane… honestly, this is better than any home we've seen today. Everything Lakeview Heights offers, this place matches. Actually—no, this is better. This is breathtaking."
Then she swallowed.
"But Jason… this is a public park. Bluecrest Ridge is a protected scenic area. You can't build anything here. They'd call it illegal construction instantly."
Jason smiled.
"If they don't allow it… then I'll give them a reason they can't refuse."
Ellie stared at him like he was rewriting federal law with his bare hands.
A villa on a protected ridge?In the middle of Crescent City's largest park?
Even building small cabins in rural towns required endless approvals. And he wanted to build a private mansion on a mountain inside a city park?
That wasn't ambition.That was pure, unapologetic audacity.
Ellie wanted to protest, but Jason was already pulling out his phone.
He tapped a name.
"Olivia? Yeah.Let's meet at the Municipal Hall."
Ellie's mouth fell open.
The Municipal Hall.
He was going straight to the city administration?
Just… like that?
He wasn't joking.
He fully intended to build a villa on the mountaintop.
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