Chapter 18

Ethan stood there; his entire body was calm.

He couldn't believe he heard such amount of money, and he did blink, and his heart didn't skip.

This was the day he got the system, and so many things had changed in him, and he loves it.

He gazed at Jay, and immediately his face showed determination. Everyone around him, including Jay and his group of friends, were stunned by his words. 

It was unbelievable to them that Ethan, the guy who everyone knew was broke, had just promised to donate five million dollars.

Jay and his friends couldn't believe it. They know he was just showing off because a beautiful girl was standing behind him.

Without holding back, Jay pointed at Ethan.

"You're crazy. Do you think we don't know what you're trying to do here?"

He burst out laughing. 

"I can confirm now, Ethan is crazy!" one of Jay's friends sneered. 

"All because a pretty girl is standing behind him; he's pretending he's rich; what a loser."

Jay grinned wickedly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Ethan. "You're really something else, Ethan. You must think we're stupid. There's no way you have that kind of money to stop pretending and face the reality that the girl you're trying to impress would run away when you disgrace yourself." 

Upon hearing Jay's words, the laughter from Jay's group grew even louder, echoing around the store.

Jay at that moment smirked, looking at Annabelle; he still couldn't understand why she was still standing there.

"Come on, don't listen to him. You should come with us. It'll be fun!"

Annabelle shook her head to dismiss the invitation immediately.

"I'm not coming. I already said no."

One of Jay's friends leaned closer, still laughing. 

"Why not? Don't be boring. Just come with us."

He pointed at Ethan.

"Don't believe anything he say, he's just useless. I wonder what he has told you."

Jay laughed again. 

"Don't listen to him! You'll regret it if you don't come with us. I will personally take care of you."

Annabelle at the moment stays firm, she knows there is a misunderstanding somewhere and they are the ones who are getting it wrong. 

without thinking twice, she rejected again.

"I'm not going."

At that moment, even the cashier, who had been polite until now, started to doubt Ethan. She could tell that something was not right; everyone can't be saying the same thing about him, and he's the only one trying to defend himself.

The cashier hesitated, but the thought of the innocent children that needed the help couldn't make her conclude her decision on Ethan.

with a calm voice, she said.

"Sir, if you're serious about donating, you can do it through our luxury store's website. It's easy to do it there."

Jay, at that moment, sees this as an opportunity to mock Ethan further. "Yeah, go ahead, Ethan. Donate, and if you were able to donate a thousand dollars, I'll get on the floor and bark like a dog. Because we know you don't even have a thousand dollars, not to mention five million dollars? That's just a joke!"

Ethan didn't flinch for his sake and was tired of everyone looking down on him and thinking he's useless, but they should know the Ethan they once knew is dead; he's not going to allow anyone to step on him anymore; he's going to face them head-on. 

He looked Jay straight in the eye and said calmly.

"It's a deal."

immediately the room fell silent. Nobody could believe what they had just heard. 

Jay's smirk disappeared for a moment. The look on Ethan's eyes tells him he's not kidding, and he looked directly into his eyes for the first time; he's going confidence.

Jay's look was immediately replaced by a look of surprise. 

He tried to regain control of the situation by humiliating Ethan here and now.

He barked out a laugh.

"Alright then Since you claim you can donate five million dollars, if you're not able to donate that amount, you'll strip naked and leave this store without any clothes!"

Upon hearing what Jay just said, everyone around them quickly pulled out their phones, ready to record the scene. The excitement in the store was palpable. They all know this was going to be a hilarious disgrace, and with Ethan ending up humiliated, they could see it.

Ethan, however, wasn't done. He raised an eyebrow and said,.

"How about you do the same if you lose, Jay? You'll strip naked and leave without any clothes."

Jay, at that moment, had his cheeks raised, almost covering his eyes as he laugh, knowing Ethan was just bluffing. 

"Why would I be afraid? You can't donate five million dollars. There's no way."

"You have a deal."

Jay said confidently

Annabelle, who was still standing quietly beside Ethan, couldn't help but smile.

She believed in Ethan, but she also wondered just how much money Ethan really has.

For him to have donated over two million in the hospital and now he wants to donate five million without even thinking twice, he's definitely from a rich family, if not possible one of the top families that rule the country.

Ethan nodded as he took some steps back, away from the group and Anabella, and moved to a quiet corner of the store.

He took out his phone and logged onto the luxury store's website.

The page loaded quickly, and he navigated to the donation section. His fingers moved swiftly over the screen as he filled out the necessary details.

He deliberately entered a fake name and address he didn't want any attention or be publicly recognized as the highest donor. This was a big luxury store, and if it gets announced, his name will be made public, and he doesn't want that, and he planned to donate even more in the future.

However, when he reached the payment section, something unexpected happened.

A new payment option appeared on the bounty system; now he doesn't need to input the store account number anymore; he can directly donate.

Without hesitation, Ethan selected it and completed the donation of five million dollars.

He took a deep breath, feeling a wave of calm wash over him. He knew what he had done, and he knew what was about to happen. He turned and walked back to where Jay and the others were still laughing and making jokes at his expense.

Jay, seeing Ethan return, sneered at him.

"Well? Have you come back to your senses now? There's no going back on the bet. You have to kneel and beg first before undressing yourself."

Ethan at that moment looked unbothered by Jay's words; he looked at the cashier and said,.

"Check the account record. I've donated the money."

The store went dead silent immediately. 

Jay's laughter stopped abruptly as his face twisted in confusion.

The cashier however blinked in surprise, quickly tapping on the computer in front of her to check the transaction records.