The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the California sky in shades of amber and rose.
Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, and it looked like rain was coming soon.
Jason, Holly Larson, and the others wrapped up their day on the water. Jason carefully maneuvered his speedboat and sailboat back to their slips at the marina. The docking fees were steep, but unavoidable.
He made a mental note that when he had more money, he'd have to buy a beachfront house closer to campus—somewhere he could take out the jet ski and sailboat whenever he wanted. That would be perfect.
"Do you have room in your car, or should we all take the campus shuttle together?" Jason asked.
Holly hesitated for a moment before replying, "No, your car can't fit all of us. Let's take the shuttle—you drive carefully though."
There were too many of them; one car really couldn't accommodate everyone.
Since they'd all come together, splitting up—some in Jason's car and others in different vehicles—seemed awkward.
Besides, the campus shuttle ran regularly, so taking it together made more sense.
Jason had only asked casually and didn't press the issue. "Want to exchange numbers? We should do this again sometime," he said naturally.
"We're thinking about hitting the hot springs resort next weekend. I'll definitely text you about it." Holly pulled out her phone and easily added Jason's contact.
This made Tyler and Jordan look a bit envious, though they had to admit they were impressed too.
After spending the afternoon with him, they realized Jason was genuinely a good guy.
Not only was he well-off, but he had a great personality.
Especially when the boat had almost capsized earlier, he'd stayed calm and composed—the kind of presence they could learn from for the rest of their lives.
After saying goodbye, Jason strolled leisurely toward the parking garage while pulling up his system panel. Holly's—starting from a lower baseline—had jumped by 55, totaling 86 points. The progress was impressive.
At this rate, Task 2 should be completed within three days.
He strapped on his Patek Philippe, climbed into his Mercedes G-Wagon, and headed back to campus in high spirits. He hadn't driven far when the system notification suddenly chimed: "Emma: Favorability +5."
Jason paused, confused. What was that about? He wondered if Emma had thought of him somehow, or maybe spotted him somewhere.
Jason shrugged it off, deciding not to worry about it. He wasn't actively trying to increase Emma's favorability, but he wouldn't turn down free points.
What Jason didn't realize was that on the second floor of the oceanview restaurant nearby, Emma and Josh were dining by the window.
Emma had come out today to make things right with Josh, especially after standing him up at the hotel yesterday.
But once they'd gotten together today, she found Josh even more demanding than the day before.
He wanted to grab a quick meal and then head straight to a hotel room, which made her extremely uncomfortable.
So she'd become distracted, gazing out at the coastal scenery instead.
That's when she caught sight of a luxury car pulling out from below. Since it was clearly expensive, she took a second look—and was shocked to see Jason behind the wheel.
Looking more closely at the vehicle, she realized it was a Mercedes G-Wagon. Then she noticed the watch on Jason's wrist—not yesterday's Rolex, but a Patek Philippe instead.
Emma was stunned. Wasn't Jason supposed to have just come into some quick money?
Had yesterday been revenge spending, or showing off at any cost?
But today, he could still afford a Mercedes G-Wagon and a Patek Philippe?
Maybe Jason hadn't just stumbled into a windfall—maybe he'd actually become wealthy?
And so Emma's favorability increased by 5 points without Jason even seeing her.
Josh followed Emma's gaze and spotted Jason too.
His expression was even more shocked than hers, because he understood luxury cars better. He could tell it wasn't just any Mercedes G-Class, but the top-tier G63 AMG, that meant at least $300,000.
And that Patek Philippe was probably worth around $200,000.
A shadow of irritation crossed Josh's face as he glanced at Emma.
While wiping his mouth, he said, "Are you done eating? Let's get out of here then."
"Where are we going?" Emma asked, still distracted. Josh's indifference to Jason, the Mercedes, and the Patek Philippe made her heart skip again.
Josh said matter-of-factly, "To the hotel. Where else would we go?"
Emma felt uncomfortable and reluctant to get into Josh's car.
She pouted, hoping Josh would try to coax her, but found that he simply ignored her expression.
This made Emma even more upset. She pulled out her phone and searched online, discovering that Josh's BMW was only worth around $80,000, while the Mercedes G-Wagon cost well over $300,000.
In other words, Jason's car was in a completely different league?
At that moment, she couldn't help but remember her roommate Lily's words about how her boyfriend had discovered that Josh didn't have nearly as much money as he pretended.
Before, she'd thought Lily was just being jealous and talking nonsense, but compared to Jason's car and Josh's, she couldn't help wondering if it might be true.
The more she thought about it, the more upset Emma became. "Josh, I don't want to go to a hotel today. I want to go back to campus."
With a screech, Josh suddenly slammed on the brakes and roared, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you playing games with me?"
The sudden stop caused Emma to lurch forward, her seatbelt cutting painfully across her chest.
Josh's shouting voice made her ears ring.
Yesterday, when Jason had sounded slightly anxious, she'd accused him of yelling at her. But now she truly understood what yelling actually was.
Emma was frightened by Josh's aggressive attitude, feeling like she suddenly didn't know him at all.
At first, he'd been so gentle, funny, and generous. But after winning her over, he seemed increasingly impatient. Still, he'd generally remained polite.
This fierce expression was the first time she'd ever seen it.
Emma quickly explained, "Josh, I'm not playing with you. Didn't I spend the whole day shopping with you?"
Josh snapped irritably, "Then why won't you get a room? Why should I waste time taking you out? It's cost me money to have you stand me up two days in a row. Do you have any sense of responsibility? If you won't sleep with me today, then get lost and stay lost."
Emma was stunned, not expecting Josh to say such a thing.
She'd been on a proper date for the first half of today, spending quality time with him. To make up for yesterday's cancellation, she'd even been extra attentive. It was only later, when she saw how pushy Josh was being, that she'd stopped trying so hard.
And now, just because she wouldn't go to a hotel, he was talking to her like this?
At that moment, she remembered her roommate Emma's words again—whether someone truly cares about you depends on whether they only want to sleep with you.
Wasn't Josh basically admitting exactly that? He was essentially saying he only saw her as someone to use.
Actually, Josh had said something similar yesterday when he was angry, but not so bluntly. Later, Emma had defended him in her mind, thinking he was just frustrated.
But now it seemed this was his true mindset.
"Josh, that's too much. How can you say that? In your eyes, am I just some kind of prostitute?" Emma was so angry her chest heaved as she spoke furiously.
At that moment, she couldn't help thinking of Jason again. If it were Jason, he would never get angry just because she wouldn't sleep with him.
In fact, he'd been good to her for three years, and she'd never given him anything. As long as he was with her, he was happy.
Emma: Favorability +3.
Josh sneered and said callously, "Ha! What if you are? Isn't it because I have money that you like me? Taking my money and sleeping with me—isn't that exactly what it is? Now you want to be a whore and act pure too? You have no sense of responsibility—taking money and not delivering. Seeing that Jason is rich, you want to run back to him, right? I don't care if you go back to him, but you've spent my money these past two days, so you owe me for these two days, don't you?"
Emma was shaking with anger, tears of hurt streaming down her face.