The boutique's crystal chandeliers cast prismatic light across the marble floors as several girls clustered together, their whispers growing more animated by the second.
"Wait a minute..." Sakura squinted at Jason's wrist, her manicured finger pointing. "Didn't he have a Patek Philippe earlier? That watch looks completely different now."
"Holy—is that a Richard Mille?" Yuki gasped, nearly dropping her designer purse. "He just... bought one while we were standing here?"
The group pressed closer, smartphones appearing like magic as they frantically searched online catalogs. The tapping of perfectly manicured nails on glass screens filled the air with nervous energy.
"Found it!" Mika's voice cracked with disbelief. "RM 47 Tourbillon—Black Samurai Edition. The price is... wait, let me count the zeros. Ten... hundred... thousand..."
"That can't be right," another girl breathed.
"Over Two million dollars," Mika whispered, her face draining of color. "For a watch."
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the ambient jazz music seemed to fade into nothing.
"My God," someone finally muttered. "Poverty really does limit our imagination, doesn't it?"
All eyes turned toward Jason, who stood casually examining a display case as if he hadn't just casually strapped two million dollars to his wrist. The girls stared at him like he'd descended from Mount Olympus, their expressions mixing awe with something approaching reverence.
The few guys who had been trying to impress the girls earlier now turned desperately to Josh, silently begging him to deny it. Maybe it was a replica. Maybe the girls miscounted. Maybe this was all some elaborate joke.
But Josh's face told them everything they needed to know. His complexion had gone ashen, his lips pressed into a thin line like he'd just witnessed his own funeral. The confident smirk he'd worn all day had evaporated completely.
No words were necessary. His expression explained it all.
The realization hit the group like a physical blow. Any thoughts of competing with Jason—any lingering hopes of impressing the same girls, of maintaining their social standing—simply dissolved.
Two million dollars. On a watch. Their families' combined net worth couldn't casually throw away that kind of money. Some of their fathers' entire companies weren't worth ten million in liquid assets. To burn that amount on a timepiece? They'd be bankrupt within a month.
Envy transformed into something else entirely. When someone operates on a level so far above your own, jealousy becomes impossible. What's left is pure, humbling resignation.
Josh finally understood with crystal clarity: there was no competing with Jason. This wasn't about being rich—Jason existed in an entirely different economic stratosphere.
As Jason moved toward the exit, flanked by the radiant Grace and the bubbly Alice, he found himself followed by an impromptu parade. The starry-eyed girls trailed behind like he was a celebrity, with even a few shy college students hoping to catch his attention.
Jason's next stops read like a luxury watch enthusiast's pilgrimage: Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Grand Seiko. He didn't purchase anything else, but the store clerks treated him with the deference usually reserved for royalty. Managers appeared from back offices, champagne materialized, and private viewing rooms opened like magic.
Finally, their procession arrived at the Chanel boutique.
"Jason," Alice's voice dropped to honey-sweet tones as she hugged his arm possessively. "I've been absolutely dying for a new Chanel bag. Could you possibly...?"
She didn't need to finish. Grace remained silent but tightened her grip on Jason's other arm, her emerald eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Jason's smile was barely perceptible, but his nod was definitive.
Minutes later, he casually transferred $40,000 for two limited-edition Chanel pieces—bags so exclusive they weren't even displayed in the main showroom.
Alice squealed with delight, clutching the quilted leather like it contained the secrets of the universe. Grace's response was more refined—a soft kiss on Jason's cheek that somehow conveyed more gratitude than Alice's theatrical celebration.
[System Notification: Alice's Affection +5][System Notification: Grace's Affection +5]
The other girls watched with barely concealed envy. The guys who had been trying to impress them earlier suddenly found their hands shoved deep in their pockets, their earlier gifts now feeling pathetically inadequate.
"Cartier next?" Alice immediately began tugging Jason toward the jewelry section, already babbling about tennis bracelets and love bangles. Her expectation of continued generosity wasn't rude—it was natural, like breathing.
But Grace gently restrained her friend.
"Jason's been walking around this entire auto show all day," Grace said softly, her voice carrying genuine concern. "And he still needs to drive back, it's already late. Let's not exhaust him completely."
Alice's pout could have melted glaciers, but she didn't argue. "I suppose Jason must be tired. We can always come back another time."
"Let's head back," Jason agreed, his tone casual but decisive.
But suddenly, Grace's next bold statement stunned them both, Are you free tonight, Jason? If you don't mind, we can accompany you
An excitement welled up in Jason's heart, but he still said in a calm tone, How can I? Don't have time for beauties like you.
Alice quickly came back from her stupor and grabbed On of his hands, don't forget about me.
.....
The watching girls immediately perked up with curiosity.
"What do you think he drives?" one whispered urgently.
"Something expensive, obviously. Probably six figures minimum."
"Let's follow them and find out!"
Josh, who had been silent since the watch revelation, finally spoke with bitter resignation. "Don't bother. It's just a Mercedes G-Wagon. I saw it in the parking structure."
But curiosity had already infected the group. Several girls and even a few of the guys began trailing behind, driven by a masochistic need to see exactly how deep their inadequacy ran.
The underground parking garage's LED lights created dramatic shadows between the concrete pillars as Jason's group approached their vehicles. What happened next would be remembered by witnesses for years to come.
Jason, Alice, and Grace split toward three different cars, each producing key fobs that chirped in sequence—a Lamborghini Revuelto, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and the Mercedes G-Wagon Josh had mentioned.
The automotive symphony of luxury made the garage feel like the setting of a music video. Chrome and carbon fiber gleamed under the artificial lighting like modern sculptures.
"Three cars?" someone gasped. "He owns three cars?"
"Each one's worth what, two hundred thousand minimum?"
"That Revuelto is the brand-new model. It literally just launched this year."
"Look at those temporary plates—he bought them all recently."
The girls' expressions had transcended mere attraction and entered the realm of pure fantasy. Some were already imagining themselves in the passenger seats, regardless of whether Jason was even their type.
The guys, meanwhile, looked like they'd been force-fed broken glass.
Josh's world tilted completely off its axis. Earlier, he'd grudgingly acknowledged that Jason was doing well financially. But this wasn't "doing well"—this was operating in a completely different economic reality.
Days ago, Josh hadn't been particularly worried. Sure, Jason threw money around, but the his family had influence in the city. What was one rich guy compared to an established power?
Now, surrounded by millions of dollars in watches and cars, witnessing the automatic deference Jason commanded everywhere they went, Josh felt genuine terror creeping up his spine.
And suddenly, with horrible clarity, he realized how catastrophically stupid he'd been.
He'd thought Emma choosing Jason over him was a temporary setback, something he could overcome with persistence and charm. But the truth was staring him in the face with diamond-bright clarity—Jason wasn't just richer. He existed in a completely different universe.
If Jason decided to destroy him, his family would cut Josh loose without a second thought. He wasn't the heir, wasn't indispensable. He was completely, utterly expendable.
And this entire nightmare had started because he'd tried to fight over a girl.
Josh's stomach twisted into knots as a cold realization settled over him: he could only pray that Jason was too busy with his gorgeous entourage to even remember his name.
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