Ultimate Tycoon: Building the Richest Empire with System and Heroines Chapter 76: You Awakened Something You Shouldn’t Have

Ethan stood there, frozen, after the storm of scolding his mother had just unleashed on him. Her voice still echoed in his ears.

Across the room, Rhea, Jasmine, and Natalie were clutching their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.

"Pfft—Ethan, your mom really cooked you alive just now!" Jasmine said, trying to catch her breath.

"I feel secondhand embarrassnt!" Natalie giggled, wiping a tear from her eye.

Rhea smirked. "You looked like a guilty schoolboy being grilled by the principal!"

Ethan slowly turned his head to them.

His eyes narrowed. A dangerous smirk spread across his face.

The laughter froze.

He jumped,literally,from the bed across the room. Before the girls could react, he had already reached Jasmine, the main culprit behind their teasing.

"You started it, Jasmine," he said, grabbing her gently but firmly by the waist. "Now, take responsibility."

His hand slid up her back in a smooth, teasing motion, his index finger brushing along her spine ever so softly.

Jasmine shivered. Goosebumps blood on her arms.

"W-What are you doing?" she stamred, face turning pink.

Ethan didn’t answer. Instead, he turned toward Rhea, spinning her like a dance move, catching her completely off guard. She twirled once before stumbling into his arms.

His hand smoothly rested on the small of her back.

Their faces were close. Very close.

"W-What... what are you doing?" Rhea whispered, her voice shaky. She couldn’t et his gaze.

He gently tilted her chin upward.

"From my mom’s perspective, I’m a good boy," Ethan said with a mock sigh. "But you three... you turned into sothing else."

He gave her a playful wink, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Just when she thought she could catch her breath, Ethan turned to Natalie.

Before she could take a step back, he stepped in, closing the distance. His chest pressed against hers, firm and bold. She felt the impact, and her breath hitched.

He traced a finger slowly across her collarbone.

She felt a strange chill run through her, and her cheeks flushed red.

"As I’m already a bad boy," Ethan said with a mischievous grin, "how about we do what you three were joking about... just a few minutes ago?"

Natalie’s eyes went wide. "W-What?!"

She was speechless. Completely red.

Rhea and Jasmine were frozen too.

But Jasmine, not wanting to admit how flustered she was, laughed nervously and said, "Hah... can you really do what we said?"

"Jasmine!" Rhea snapped, her face burning.

"Are you crazy?!" Natalie whispered sharply.

Jasmine chuckled, though her lips trembled. "Relax, he doesn’t have the guts."

Big mistake.

Ethan’s expression darkened playfully.

He stepped toward her,calm, slow, deliberate. His smile curved upward like a predator.

Without warning, he grabbed Jasmine’s wrist and pulled her toward him. Her body t his with a soft thud.

She gasped.

"You really like testing , huh?" he said, his voice low.

His hand slipped around her back, and he lifted her off the ground slightly,just enough to throw her off balance. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders for support.

"E-Ethan,what are you—?"

He leaned in closer, his breath brushing her ear.

"This girl..." he whispered, a soft chuckle following.

Her legs dangled slightly, her face completely crimson.

Rhea and Natalie had their mouths open in shock. "Did he just—?!"

Ethan didn’t stop. With one arm around Jasmine’s back, he leaned his face near her neck, lips just brushing the skin,just enough to make her freeze.

He didn’t bite.He just hovered there, making her tremble with anticipation. .

Then he did sothing daring, his right hand moved around her thigh, softly, pressing it, and for a surprise attack which she didn’t expect, he molded snowy mountains just softly.

" Aahn~," She moaned, which was music to his ears.

" Stop, stop!!" Jasmine said embarrassingly , but she was also tightly holding him.

"You wanted to see my guts, right?" he whispered. "It’s pretty big... my courage, I an."

But his voice was smooth, confident, and devastatingly teasing.

Jasmine’s fingers tightened around his collar.

"Y-You jerk!" she squeaked. "S-Stop!"

Ethan laughed, finally letting her down gently.

"Alright," he said. "I’ll stop... for today."

He took a few steps back, hands raised in mock surrender.

"But just know—" he added, pointing at the three of them one by one, "you awakened sothing you really shouldn’t have."

With a confident smirk, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind three stunned girls, faces red and hearts pounding.

The Hayes family mansion was bustling with life.

As Ethan stepped into the massive hall, the first thing that hit him was the sheer energy in the air. Maids hurried around like bees in a hive, carrying trays, adjusting flower arrangents, setting up lights. So were even standing on ladders to hang glittering chandeliers, others ticulously polishing the antique railings. But what was most surprisingn,one of this was outsourced.

Unlike other wealthy families who hired professional decorators or outsourced their entire banquet setups, the Hayes family relied on their in-house staff. And why wouldn’t they? Their staff was absurdly capable.

At the center of this chaos stood Albert, the master of decor and efficiency. He was in his late forties, sharp-eyed, and commanding respect with just a glance.

"No, no, Martha,don’t place those lilies next to the main stage. Use the blue orchids. They match the royal the."

"Yes, Albert!" she responded imdiately, rushing to change the setup.

Albert walked over to a table where candles were being arranged. "Too close together. They’ll drip wax. Space them out, two inches apart. And dim the lights,this isn’t a rock concert!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow as he watched the man bark orders like a general on the battlefield. The servants moved with the discipline of trained soldiers. It was honestly impressive.

He looked around, half-expecting to see familiar faces like Augustine or any other mbers, but they weren’t in sight.

"Must be sleeping," he muttered to himself.

Instead, his eyes landed on a cluster of elderly n gathered around a low table, sipping tea and looking deep in conversation. He made his way over.

"What are you all talking about?" Ethan asked casually.

Alistair looked up and smiled. "Ah, Ethan. Just discussing the banquet. Only three days to go,you know how much goes into organizing a Hayes family event."

Just then, Walter chuckled, his eyes gleaming.

"If it isn’t the Auction Balls hero. Everyone’s favorite man of the hour."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "C’mon... don’t call that."

Another voice joined in,it was Carter, sipping from his cup like a critic judging fine wine. "Walter’s right. The way you handled everything during that auction... impressive. Even the school incident—flawlessly done."

Walter leaned in, nodding. "Marvelous, really. The most luxurious villa in Elowen Crest, a limited-edition sports car, primary guest at Knox Auction Hall, and you even made the princess blush—and walked away five hundred million dollars richer."

Ethan blinked. What is this holy glaze of complints? Do they want sothing? he wondered.

Unable to take it anymore, he asked directly, "Sir Alistair, if I may... you’ve been talking about this banquet since I ca here. Normally, banquets are held to celebrate sothing specific. Is there a reason behind this one?"

Alistair nodded thoughtfully. "It’s an early-year event for the Hayes family. Look, Ethan,no matter how wealthy or powerful a family becos, if it doesn’t maintain good relationships with other noble houses, it risks isolation. This banquet is just one way of strengthening those bonds. It’s about networking, conversations, and sharing ideas. It might sound boring to young folks like you,but for us, it’s one of the most important events of the year."

Ethan nodded slowly. "I see... a diplomatic gathering disguised as a party."

"Well put," Carter chuckled.

Just as Ethan was starting to relax, a familiar voice pierced the air like a mischievous lody.

"Grandpas~! Do you know the secret information about Brother Ethan and the three big sisters?"

All four n turned to look as Mina entered the scene, her signature mischievous smile lighting up her face. She skipped right into the middle of the conversation circle like she belonged there.

Ethan imdiately tensed. "Cough,what the hell now?! This girl’s intelligence network is terrifying..."

Walter grinned. "Oh? Secret information? Do tell, little Mina."

Mina leaned in with dramatic flair. "He grabbed them!"

Ethan’s eyes widened in horror. "Wait, what?!"

Mina continued, holding up her fingers and ticking off points. "Slapped! Lifted! Danced! Body contact~!"

"Mina!" Ethan was turning pale now. "When did I ever slap anyone?!"

Carter raised an eyebrow, amused. "Ethan, you’ve been busier than we thought."

Alistair chuckled, stroking his beard. "So you like dancing and grabbing, do you?"

Walter slapped the table. "Quite greedy, this young man! You got three big sisters wrapped around your finger, eh?"

"Sir, this is all a misunderstanding!" Ethan cried, flailing his hands in panic. "She’s exaggerating! I never slapped anyone, and the dance,okay maybe the dance happened, but not like that!"

Carter leaned toward Walter and whispered playfully, "Sounds like we need to add another event to the banquet,Ethan’s confession night."

Ethan slumped in his chair, defeated. What even is my life now...

anwhile, Mina just laughed, completely proud of her chaos. She skipped away, humming.

And in that mont, Ethan knew one thing for sure,this banquet was going to be way more chaotic than anyone expected.