Chapter 197

Lucy White never doubted Ethan Smith's loyalty.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Handle it yourself. It's your mess to clean up."

Ethan's expression turned serious. "I barely know her."

Lucy nodded. "That much is obvious."

A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she added, "But if she provokes me again, I won't hold back."

The venomous glare the woman shot her as security dragged her away told Lucy this wasn’t over.

She hated these petty female rivalries—always blaming each other when the real fault lay with the man.

So what if Jessica Chase had powerful connections? Lucy had her own ways of dealing with troublemakers.

Ethan chuckled. "Do as you please."

"I’ll handle the fallout."

A thought suddenly struck Lucy. "Her name is Jessica Chase. What about her brothers?"

Ethan answered, "The eldest is Jason Chase. The second is Julian Chase."

Lucy nearly laughed out loud. That notorious playboy?

In the original story, Lily Green had been desperately chasing Julian before Lucy's death.

Given the book’s clichéd ending, the womanizer would likely end up in Lily’s harem.

Ethan noticed her distraction. "What’s wrong?"

Lucy snapped back to reality. "Just wondering if Jessica will drag her brothers into this."

Ethan considered it. "Jason is principled. He won’t indulge her whims."

"But Julian is ruthless. Be careful."

Lucy nodded. "Got it."

After chatting a while longer, they retired to their respective rooms.

Meanwhile, in a luxury hotel overseas...

Julian Chase opened the latest email.

Photos of Lucy filled the screen.

He smirked. "No wonder even Ethan fell for her."

Scrolling through the attached dossier, his grin widened.

"Interesting. I accept the challenge."

The next day, the production crew returned to Heritage Mountain.

Their final destination—the Tea Pavilion.

Aside from Ethan and Lucy, none of the other guests knew the first thing about tea ceremonies.

The pair breezed through four challenges, effortlessly unlocking the pavilion’s doors.

After the livestream ended, the director beamed.

"I never expected you’d unlock all the pavilions!"

Ratings had hit another record high.

Robert Lee grinned. "All thanks to Lucy and Ethan."

The others chimed in agreement.

Lucy and Ethan exchanged a knowing smile.

Back home, Lucy caught up on sleep.

She’d just woken when Bruce Wu called.

"Master Lucy, I’ve found three potential mountains."

Lucy brightened. "I’m free tomorrow."

At dawn, Bruce arrived to pick her up.

After inspecting all three sites, they settled on the largest.

Bruce contacted the owner. "He’s hosting a gala this afternoon. We can negotiate there."

Lucy hesitated. "Is that appropriate?"

Bruce smiled. "Perfect chance to introduce you to some connections."

Post-lunch, the trio headed to the event.

Lucy and her mother chose a quiet corner.

Then her gaze sharpened.

Ian Stone stood across the room in a white suit—his demeanor utterly unlike before.

Every instinct in Lucy screamed:

Something’s wrong.