Ethan went up to his room after seeing Jason off. It was around 11:00 PM. He quickly changed into comfortable clothes and sat at his desk. The adrenaline from the night—the real estate intrigue and the North End violence—was slowly mixing with the sweet awkwardness of his goodbye with Hailey.

He checked his black iPhone 17 Pro Max. Security notifications confirmed that Jason's team had safely arrived at the Boston mansion. He took a sip of water, trying to settle his mind.

[Come on, Champion. Don't fall asleep. I know you're dying to see if the girl who grabbed your package in the car has replied. It's time for the victim to apologize for enjoying the ride too much, handsome.]

Ethan opened his stock market app on his iPhone to review his investment data, attempting to anchor himself in routine. However, his mind kept flashing back to Hailey's dramatic sprint away from him.

Around 11:30 PM, his door burst open. It was Ming, hair a mess, holding a mug of instant coffee and wearing a look of comedic horror.

"Ethan! I have to tell you something!" Ming collapsed into Ethan's swivel chair.

"What is it, Ming? Did Max throw up on your carpet, or just the Cayenne's floor mat?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

"Worse. It's Max! He woke up an hour ago—his snoring literally woke himself up—and his memory is totally blank. He remembers nothing after the sports round! He asked why the Cayenne is in the service lot. He has no idea we dragged him here and that your 'friends' brought us!"

Ethan chuckled. "Poor Max. That's his punishment for overdoing it."

"No, no!" Ming leaned forward, whispering. "The problem is he also doesn't remember Jason, the armored SUV, or that you started crying! If we tell him, he'll think we're crazy, or that you're some kind of emotional secret agent."

[Ming's got a point, Champion. It's better to let the drunk fat guy think his night was epic, not pathetic. The 'quiet student' facade is better preserved when the main audience has alcohol-induced amnesia.]

"You're right," Ethan said, regaining his calm. "Let's keep the story simple: The Cayenne stayed, and we got an extra-large Uber."

"Excellent idea!" Ming sighed in relief. "Okay, now my other mission. I have to talk to Quinn. That was my first time! You know... kissing." Ming blushed visibly.

"Congrats, Ming! Go talk to her. Be natural."

At that moment, Ethan's iPhone vibrated. It was a message from Hailey.

Hailey: Can we talk? I'm so embarrassed about what happened in the car... I'm really sorry. I was so stupid. I don't know what came over me.

"Speaking of embarrassed," Ethan muttered, showing the message to Ming.

"Whoa... Hailey? Embarrassed about what? That she hugged you like a Koala in the car?" Ming still didn't know about Ethan's hand.

"Something like that," Ethan replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "An awkward drunk moment. You know."

"But it's Hailey!" Ming exclaimed. "The girl who looks like she's sculpted from marble! What did you do to make her this embarrassed?"

[Tell him she confessed her love for your stock portfolio. Or better yet, tell him she mistook your erection for the BMW's emergency brake and panicked. That's a believable story!]

Ethan laughed at the System's internal joke.

"Nothing, Ming. She just realized she fell asleep on me and got flustered. Go see Quinn. I'll handle the girl who wants to apologize for sleeping too close," Ethan said.

Ming stood up. "Fine, I'm off to my potential first real date, and you're staying here to deal with regret. Good luck, man!"

Ethan nodded and closed the door. Alone, he opened the chat with Hailey. But before writing back, he paused. He remembered his other concern.

He swiped the screen. The last messages were from Chloe. Chloe's continued silence worried him far more than Hailey's embarrassment. He dialed her number several times, but it went straight to voicemail again.

He reread his final message to Chloe:

"Are you okay? Can I help you with anything?"

He typed out the exact same message and sent it again, but this time, the simple words felt charged with heightened nervousness. He couldn't shake the unsettling feeling of her not responding.

He put the iPhone down, took a sip of water, and sighed deeply.

[Two women in one chapter, Champion. The one you have wants to apologize, and the one you want is missing. Typical. Choose your battle, handsome.]

"Well, it's a shame," Ethan murmured to himself. "I genuinely liked Chloe, but maybe she wouldn't adapt to this lifestyle either."

[You mean, adapting to fucking every bitch in the world, devastating their pussies, filling them up, and then getting paid? Yeah, it's possible she might not be too fond of that, haha. That sweet lamb needs soft gloves, Champion.]

Ethan offered a guilty half-smile at the System's crass summary. He shook off the thought and grabbed his phone, switching his focus to the present and the immediate situation with Hailey.

He quickly typed a message back to Hailey, deciding to address the elephant in the car directly, but with a teasing, open honesty.

Ethan: Hey there. How are you and the girls doing? Did you all get back okay?

Ethan: Don't worry about it at all. It happens to everyone. My cock is a bit like a gear shift lever, it's pretty big, to be honest. So I apologize if it scared you.

Across the hall in her own room, Hailey was curled up on her bed with Quinn and Ruby. She was already mortified, agonizing over the 'I'm so stupid' message she sent.

When Ethan's reply came through, she stared at the screen, reading his words—the casualness, the daring, the shameless mention of his "pretty big cock"—over and over again.

Her face instantly turned a deeper shade of crimson than she thought possible. Her ears, her neck, even her chest felt hot. She felt like a piece of burning charcoal.

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