Harem Investment System: Getting Money And Women

Ethan raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "So, you're inviting me inside just to tell me goodnight?"

Riley groaned, lightly smacking his arm. "I knew you were going to make it weird. Forget it."

He laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll help you inside. Since you're about two seconds away from falling asleep on your feet."

She rolled her eyes but stepped out of the car, and Ethan followed suit.

As they walked toward the entrance, she stumbled slightly — just enough for him to catch her elbow instinctively.

"Okay, I take it back," he said, steadying her. "You're way past two seconds from passing out."

"Shut up," she mumbled, rubbing her temple. "I just — ugh, today was a long day."

Ethan didn't let go of her elbow as they made their way inside, guiding her toward the elevator.

Once they stepped inside, she leaned against the wall, eyes half-lidded.

"You're really not used to taking it easy, huh?" Ethan mused, watching her.

She let out a quiet laugh. "Nope. I function in either full-speed mode or sleep mode. No in-between."

"Explains a lot."

The elevator dinged, and Riley pushed herself off the wall, stepping out with Ethan right behind her.

They had taken the stairs the first time but that didn't mean there wasn't an elevator.

She led the way to her apartment, fumbling with her keys for a second before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Ethan followed, pausing at the entrance as she kicked off her shoes and stretched once again, letting out another yawn.

"Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "You've officially run out of energy."

"Maybe," she admitted.

He shook his head in amusement. "Get some rest, Riley."

She blinked up at him, her expression unreadable for a moment.

Then, before he could react, she stepped closer and, in a move that caught him completely off guard, pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks for tonight," she murmured before pulling away, turning toward her bedroom.

Ethan stood there for a second, processing what had just happened.

His cheek still felt warm from where her lips had been, and for once, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

Riley, on the other hand, was already halfway into her room.

"You can lock the door when you leave," she called over her shoulder before disappearing inside.

Ethan exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he let out a quiet chuckle.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

With that, he turned toward the door, locking it behind him as he stepped out into the hallway.

#####

Vanessa didn't know why she felt this way.

It was a gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach, a quiet, nagging irritation that she couldn't quite place — or maybe she didn't want to admit what it was.

She had spent the entire evening flipping through channels, barely paying attention to anything playing on the screen.

Her arms were crossed, her foot tapping lightly against the floor as if waiting for something.

Or someone.

Her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall.

It was late, not too late, but late enough that she had noticed Ethan wasn't home yet.

That alone wasn't unusual. He had things to do, places to be.

But tonight, for some reason, she was hyper-aware of his absence.

Was he with someone? With a girl?

She scoffed at herself, shifting her position on the couch.

Why did that thought bother her? It wasn't like she had any reason to feel this way.

Ethan was free to do whatever he wanted. They weren't —

Vanessa shook her head.

'Nope. Not going there.'

With a sigh, she grabbed the remote and flipped to another channel, something mindless, something that wouldn't leave her alone with her thoughts.

The sound of the television filled the room, but it was nothing more than background noise at this point.

From the kitchen, she heard Marianne muttering to herself, the familiar sound of dishes clinking together as she cleaned up.

The older woman had been in a bit of a mood as well, grumbling about something that Vanessa hadn't really been paying attention to.

"Honestly," Marianne huffed from the kitchen, her voice carrying into the living room. "Out all night and doesn't even have the decency to send a message."

Vanessa's ears perked up slightly at that. So, she noticed too.

Before she could dwell on it any further, the sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the house.

The door swung open, and in walked Ethan, looking as casual as ever.

He had one hand in his pocket, his other carrying his keys, which he tossed onto the console table near the entrance.

Marianne immediately turned towards him, arms crossed.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," she said, her tone somewhere between playful and scolding.

Ethan raised an eyebrow at her. "Good to see you too, Marianne."

Vanessa didn't say anything at first, simply watching from her spot on the couch.

She wasn't sure what she wanted to say — if she even had a right to say anything at all.

"Did you have dinner?" Marianne asked, giving him a look.

"Yeah, I ate," Ethan replied, stretching his arms above his head as he walked further into the living room.

He glanced at Vanessa, who still hadn't said a word, and smirked. "What's with the look?"

She frowned slightly. "What look?"

"The one that says you've been sitting here waiting to interrogate me," he teased, dropping onto the opposite end of the couch.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Please. As if I care where you were."

Ethan chuckled, leaning back. "Right."

There was a beat of silence.

The television played on, but neither of them were paying attention to it.

Marianne eventually shook her head and went back to the kitchen, muttering something about "hopeless man."

Vanessa finally turned to Ethan. "So? Where were you?"

He glanced at her, amused. "I thought you didn't care?"