Ethan immediately stood up.
Mia had already tacitly opened the office door, letting the two of them go first.
As he stepped outside, Ethan noticed Mia hadn't followed. He turned and asked, "Not coming?"
Mia had been busy at the office all morning and hadn't had time for lunch. Although their relationship was now fully out in the open, everything had settled into place — they understood each other without words.
As his woman, Ethan naturally wouldn't shortchange her.
Even if Mia and Ethan had no relationship at all, given her abilities, Ethan would still think highly of her.
Mia stood by the door, wearing a polite smile and gently shaking her head: "Thanks, Ethan. I'll just grab something quick at the office. I still have a few documents to organize and file."
Her gaze was clear and calm, showing neither deliberate distance nor any unusual emotion.
Seeing that Mia didn't want to go, Ethan didn't push it. He nodded and left the office together with Daania.
...
The elevator descended smoothly, and the cramped space filled with the faint, highly recognizable fresh scent of Daania's perfume.
Daania turned to the side, her gaze landing boldly and directly on Ethan's sharply defined profile, breaking the silence with sincere admiration: "Ethan, you're really good-looking!"
These words came from the heart, without exaggeration. From the moment she walked into the office and saw Ethan, she'd immediately felt this young man was very handsome. His unique presence, blending youthful energy with a calm confidence, matched her taste perfectly.
"Thanks." Ethan smiled faintly, his gaze lingering on her radiant face for a moment, then answered honestly, "You're pretty striking yourself, Daania — one of the best-looking women I've met."
"You flatter me, Ethan." Daania smiled gently and started chatting with him: "You look so young. Can I ask how old you are?"
"Just turned eighteen!" Ethan answered calmly.
"Wait, doesn't that mean you're still in college?"Daania's bright eyes widened instantly, her lips slightly parted.
"That's right, freshman year just started in September."
Daania took a deep breath, trying hard to process the information, her voice full of amazement and curiosity: "At eighteen, you've got the kind of funds to run an entertainment company on your own? Your real strength must be off the charts."
Her gaze toward Ethan carried not just admiration, but a strong layer of curiosity too.
Ethan casually made up an excuse, calmly saying, "Just family support."
Daania didn't hide her envy, her tone tinged with self-mockery: "That just proves your abilities are far beyond your peers. Otherwise, how would your family have the confidence to let you go start your own thing? Unlike me..."
She pouted slightly, revealing a bit of a spoiled, daughter-like attitude that didn't quite match her mature look: "My family still treats me like a kid, they even parked me at a friend's company just to keep an eye on me, worried I'd cause trouble."
Upon hearing this, Ethan glanced at her calmly, a knowing smile curling at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't respond.
Judging from Daania's words, her family was probably wealthy too. Seemed like Daania's background wasn't simple either.
According to her resume, she'd worked at Amazon and Paramount! Two of the biggest names in tech and entertainment.
The company was full of family friends.
...
While chatting and laughing, the elevator arrived at the basement parking level.
"Take my car, and you can direct." Ethan suggested, his voice echoing faintly in the empty parking lot.
"Sure." Daania gladly agreed.
The two of them arrived next to Ethan's parking spot.
"Wow!" A McLaren P1. Daania's eyes lit up instantly when she saw Ethan's car in front of them.
She turned to Ethan, a faint blush of embarrassment appearing on her face as she said, "Ethan, can I ask a small favor? Could I try driving your McLaren P1?"
Her fingers unconsciously curled up, revealing the excitement inside her.
Oh? A car person? Ethan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He'd seen plenty of guys passionate about sports cars, but a woman expressing that kind of desire so openly, with her eyes lit up with genuine love for it — that was rare.
"Mm! I especially love it!" Daania nodded without hesitation, her gaze returning to the orange "work of art" of a car, filled with undisguised admiration and longing.
"I've always loved sports cars, and motorcycles too... On the track, pushing the car to its limits, feeling the engine's roar and speed — that adrenaline, that blood-pumping feeling... it's hard to put into words."
She squinted in delight, then her shoulders slumped in defeat, her tone regretful: "Such a shame, my family's strict and says this kind of thing is too dangerous. If I ever dared to buy one, they'd threaten to break my legs! And for a legendary car like the P1, I really can't afford it right now anyway. Normally I just watch videos and look at magazines, envious, but every time I see the real thing, my heart can't help but race."
She shrugged helplessly.
Ethan wasn't surprised by this. For a girl passionate about track driving and speed, it made perfect sense that her family back home would worry.
"Alright, the key's yours." Ethan readily tossed the key over.
"Thank you so much, Ethan!" Daania caught it in one motion, her fingertips tightly gripping the cold metal, her face blossoming with childlike, pure joy.
"Beep—" Pressing the unlock button, the sharp LED headlights of the McLaren instantly lit up, like a sleeping beast opening its eyes. The deep electronic sound echoed through the silent garage.
Daania's eyes seemed to be ignited by this light, flickering with a strange brilliance. The key to the top-tier supercar she'd been longing for was right in her palm, and the feeling of her dream being within reach made her fingertips tremble slightly.
Just as she was eager to pull open the iconic butterfly door, Ethan's hand gently rested on the car door frame, stopping her.
"Wait," Ethan's gaze fell on the sexy pair of red heels beneath her slender ankles, a playful smile on his lips. "Isn't it a bit risky to drive in heels?"
As a seasoned driver at heart, he took traffic rules very seriously.
There are countless roads, but safety comes first.
It wasn't that he was worried about the car getting scratched up; compared to the car, a life mattered a lot more.
In this life, he was never going to be short on money. He didn't want to lose his life before he even got to enjoy it.
That would be a genuinely unfair way to go.
Daania looked down and immediately slapped her forehead in frustration: "Oh no! What was I thinking! I got so excited seeing the P1 I totally forgot! Ethan, give me a second!"
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439