With the Newton Corp scouting team gone, Ethan and Morgan remained seated at the restaurant, letting the tension of the meeting settle.

    The air between them was lighter now, though the weight of business matters still loomed.

    Ethan leaned back in his chair, rolling his shoulder to ease the stiffness that had crept in.

    "Well," Morgan said, taking a sip of his coffee, "that went about as well as expected."

    Ethan let out a short chuckle. "If by ''well,'' you mean a complete waste of time, then yeah."

    It was a waste of time for Newton to even think about recruiting him, none of his investments were ever going to fall into their hands.

    Morgan smirked but didn''t argue. Instead, he shifted gears, leaning forward with a more serious expression. "While we''re here, there''s something else I need to talk to you about."

    Ethan raised a brow. "What now?"

    Morgan exhaled, setting his cup down. "Competition."

    "Competition?" Ethan echoed, intrigued but not particularly concerned. With

    Morgan nodded. "Ever since we started gaining traction, other food truck businesses have started popping up. Some are small-time, just trying to ride the wave, but a couple of them? They''ve got real backing."

    Ethan listened intently, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. "You think someone''s trying to challenge us directly?"

    Morgan shrugged. "Hard to say. Could just be regular business. But they are taking some of our customers."

    "How bad is it?"

    Morgan cracked a small grin. "Not bad at all, actually. We lost a few regulars at first, but then something interesting happened. More people started coming to us instead."

    Ethan tilted his head, intrigued. "Why?"

    Morgan chuckled. "Because those new food trucks? They might have had flashy branding, but their food? Mediocre at best. Customers tried them, realized they weren''t up to par, and came back to us. In fact, we''ve actually been making more money these past two months than before."

    Ethan smirked. "So they played themselves?"

    Morgan grinned. "You''re thinking long-term."

    "Damn right I am," Ethan said. "This isn''t just about adding a few trucks. This is about making sure no one can ever compete with us."

    Morgan leaned back, satisfied. "Then I''ll start moving the pieces. We''ll get the ball rolling next week."

    Ethan took a deep breath, feeling the excitement of progress. This was what he lived for.

    Investments, getting richer by putting more money into projects. It felt exhilarating honestly

    "Let''s do it," he said, sealing the decision with a handshake.

    Ethan left the restaurant with a noticeable spring in his step.

    The food truck expansion was set in motion, and for now, that part of his growing empire was in good hands. That meant he could finally head back to the resort and check on things there.

    As he approached his car, he stretched his arms over his head, letting out a groan. He hadn''t planned to be away for so long, and he could only imagine what had gone down in his absence.

    "Zack can handle things," he muttered, shaking his head.

    Even so, he didn''t bother calling or messaging. If there was an emergency, someone would have reached out by now.

    Sliding into the driver''s seat of his Porsche, he tapped the start button, and the engine purred to life.

    The familiar hum calmed his mind as he pulled onto the road, but his peace didn''t last long — traffic.

    Ethan sighed, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

    This was why he always came early.

    The roads leading to the resort were packed, which made sense — it was a prime location according to the System.

    People loved the exclusivity, the luxury, the entire experience. But with popularity came congestion, and right now, he was stuck in the middle of it.

    He turned on the stereo, scrolling through his playlist before settling on something smooth, letting the soft beats take the edge off his frustration.