Next day, Ethan got up early and prepared himself for the next phase of his new life.
Today was the day, he would leave this run-down apartment permanently. Neither the previous Ethan nor the current Ethan harboured any deep feelings or sentiments for this apartment.
He felt no emotion rising in his heart as he abandoned a place that had been his home for years. Moreover, he had nothing of value here that he wished to take with him, other than the few of his clothes on his back, he left everything behind. Though the clothes would soon be discarded as he was not the same miserable man.
Ethan stepped outside and found a luxurious black car waiting for him on the street. In a slum area like this, the car was an eye-catching anomaly and it had drawn a small crowd that had gathered around it.
With a cheerful mood, Ethan walked toward the car and stepped into the passenger seat.
"Good morning, Miss. Alice," Ethan greeted his guide for the day.
"Good morning, Mr. Alcardo," replied Alice in a slightly stiff voice. Alice could not believe that she- general manager of New York Real Estate Agency would have to act as guide for a man.
"Still not in touch with reality?" chuckled Ethan with an amused face.
Alice did not reply; instead, she pressed the accelerator. The car sped away, leaving a frenzied crowd behind.
Alice was tasked with taking Ethan to his newly acquired property—a journey of several hours and she had no idea how she would spend her time with him.
It was not that she hated Ethan or despised a poor man; she simply found him an enigma.
From the moment she first met him, she had never been able to understand him. His appearance was dirt poor, yet he paid 80 million in one go.
The street from where she had picked him and where he had been residing on and the property he had acquired were worlds apart.
She had known people who had made the massive and inspiring leap from poverty to wealth, but what Ethan was doing was on an entirely different level.
The duo travelled in silence for almost half an hour, and the car was now cruising along an open road.
Alice hesitated, then asked, "Mr. Alcardo, may I ask you something?"
Ethan smiled. "Of course."
"What do you do? I mean, I can tell you had no wealth before, but now you are suddenly a millionaire."
"I recently opened a consultancy firm," said Ethan as he pulled one of the remaining cards from his wallet and handed it to Alice.
She examined the card and was confused.
"The 100 million I received yesterday was payment from my first client," he explained honestly.
Alice furrowed her eyebrows, "100 million for advice? That too from your first client?"
"I am talented in this field," chuckled Ethan.
Alice narrowed her eyes but did not press further. They travelled in silence for another hour.
"Say, Miss Alice, would you be willing to work for me?" questioned Ethan.
Alice chuckled. "In your consultancy firm?"
"No," replied Ethan seriously. "I mean, as my personal assistant."
Noticing the seriousness in Ethan's tone, Alice shook her head.
"Why would I leave my well-settled and well-paying job to work for a stranger I don't know? I'm not even sure about your ability to pay me a salary."
"Well," said Ethan, "even though I'm a stranger now, you'll get to know me soon enough... and as for my ability to pay you, don't doubt that."
Alice did not reply, merely shaking her head.
After a few hours of driving, the duo finally reached their destination.
The location was nearly 6 km away from the main road network, connected by a single-lane brick-paved road. As Ethan had seen in images, a tall hill range formed the border on one side of the property. Beyond the hill, a series of mountains rose, creating a mesmerizing scene.
From the hill, a small stream of crystal-clear water, formed from melted snow, flowed downward, and a small lake lay on one side of the property.
"Here we are," said Alice as she walked alongside Ethan into the fenced compound.
And now Ethan owned a massive stretch on land on this site. And massive meant truly massive. He would be paying 2 billion dollars after all.
Inside the compound, large machines were working at full throttle to complete the construction.
"All the construction from here on will be done according to my designs," said Ethan. "Any additional costs incurred- over the budget of your agency will be borne by me."
Alice nodded; these were the terms for the property.
They walked toward one corner of the compound, where a small wooden house had been constructed.
"This is the temporary residence you can use until your mansion is built," said Alice.
Although it was a simple wooden house… it was nothing less than luxurious and even comparing it with Ethan's old apartment would be a sin.
The only downside to living here was the constant sound of construction, which would disturb him; but in time, he would find a solution. And it was not like, this would continue for a very long time.
After explaining the details of the work, Alice departed, leaving Ethan to settle into the house. It was equipped with all the basic necessities.
"Alone again," sighed Ethan.
The next major event was going to be the fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger.
Though Ethan was not sure how his actions would affect the outcome.
His intervention had prevented Stark from using Iron Man to escape from the terrorists.
Then, how would Obadiah Stane come to know about the arc reactor and the suit? Though Tony had carried the half-built suit with him on the military helicopter, perhaps this would trigger the duel between Iron Monger and Iron Man.
But Ethan did not care much for all these things- his first priority was setting himself up.
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