The men who had just received Jason's deposit contracts were overjoyed.
Each of them felt the same thing: sticking close to Jason was the smartest decision of my life. He could casually let a little spill through his fingers, and it would mean nearly millions in profit for them. If they followed him long-term, would they ever have to worry about money again?
Lewis grinned."Jason, there's a big real estate circle celebration banquet tonight. We wanted to invite you before, but honestly, we thought you wouldn't be interested. Now that you're here, let me extend the invitation properly. If you show up, then it'll really feel like a celebration."
Jason nodded simply."Alright. Let's go make some connections. Whether I sell off land or keep developing, I'll need people in the circle."
At eight o'clock that evening, Jason arrived with Lewis, Mike, and the others. A long line of luxury cars pulled up in front of a high-end downtown restaurant. Olivia stepped out first and opened the door for Jason.
Led by him, the group went upstairs. The moment the developers inside saw Jason, they immediately flocked over.
"Mr. Carter."
"Mr. Carter!"
"Mr. Carter!"
Jason wasn't even sure when everyone had started calling him that. At first, he'd tried to correct them, but eventually he let it slide. The more he heard it, the more natural it felt—and to be honest, it felt good.
One after another, people pressed business cards toward him. None dared to hand them directly into Jason's palm; instead, they slipped them toward Olivia, who calmly collected them all.
Word had already spread. Everyone knew that Lewis, Mike, and the others had made tens of millions simply because of their casual connection with Jason. Naturally, they all wanted a chance to get close to him.
And there was the bigger picture too—Jason's 300 acres of land. Whether he chose to sell or build, it represented a massive opportunity. Whoever managed to cooperate with him would rise with him. If he developed it himself, it could become the most valuable district in the entire Bayfield metro area.
"Mr. Jason."
A voice called from behind. Jason turned to see two familiar faces—John and Lucy, the same developers who had once begged him to invest in their half-finished project. Their smiles now were stiff, complicated, and filled with regret.
They had ignored Jason's call for support that night. They were new to the circle, not used to group chats, and by the time they saw the message, the chance had already passed. They hadn't thought much of it then. After all, what difference could showing up to "support the scene" really make?
But who could have guessed that such a trivial gesture—just driving out and standing by Jason's side—would have turned into millions in return. It was insane.
Now, their own projects were still cash-strapped, and seeing others profit so easily made their guts twist with regret.
Jason gave them a polite nod, nothing more, before being pulled away toward the head table. The crowd was too thick for John and Lucy to follow.
John sighed."Why didn't we check the group chat that night? Just one message could have changed everything for us."
John shook his head bitterly."First, we trusted the wrong backer. Then we missed Jason's message. Maybe this is just… our fate."
At that moment, a stir broke out near the entrance. People turned toward the commotion at the door, curiosity written all over their faces.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, a slightly chubby middle-aged man was being blocked by the hotel manager. The man wore a forced smile, talking non-stop as he tried to persuade his way inside.
Jason noticed the commotion and instinctively raised his hand, as if he recognized someone.
John and Lucy, standing nearby, froze when they saw the man's face.
"Isn't that… Zachary?" John muttered.
Indeed, it was him—the owner of a small construction company in Bayfield.
Zachary's reputation had stuck in their minds ever since they heard from Emma that she had dumped both Jason and Zachary's son, Josh. That detail was unforgettable.
And now, seeing Zachary here wasn't surprising. For a construction company, the developers were the gods of their industry—the ones who held the contracts. This banquet was full of developers who had just acquired prime land. That meant there would soon be dozens of lucrative building projects to hand out.
If Zachary could secure just a single contract here, it would breathe life back into his struggling company. If he somehow landed a big project, he might even rise again. And if, by some miracle, he won the contract to build on Jason's land, he'd skyrocket overnight.
But there was one massive problem: his son had once offended Jason.
At that moment, a bald man stepped forward, speaking to the hotel manager as if he wanted to vouch for Zachary.
It was Derrick Chen, the organizer of the banquet. John and Lucy knew him well—they'd worked with him before and were on friendly terms.
They immediately hurried over, pulling Derrick aside.
"Derrick," John said in a low voice, "don't let that guy in."
Derrick blinked. "Why? What's wrong with Zachary?"
John leaned closer, lowering his voice even further."Zachary has a son, Josh Jr., who once offended Jason."
Derrick's eyes widened. "What? Zachary—a small-time construction boss—dared to cross Jason? You mean he offended Jason?"
"Not exactly," Zhang explained. "It was his son. But it wasn't a small offense."
John added grimly, "Jason was interested in a girl during college—Emma. Zach Jr. swooped in and stole her away."
Derrick sucked in a sharp breath. "Jesus Christ… are they insane? Jason—people are already speculating he's from one of those old-money political families. His net worth is at least in the billions. And Zach Jr., son of a second-rate contractor, thinks he can steal his girl? That's basically suicide."
He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Good thing you told me. I almost let Zachary in just now."
"But how?" Derrick shook his head, baffled. "Why would Emma ever leave Jason for Zach Jr.? He can't compare in looks, wealth, influence, or charisma. What was she thinking?"
John shrugged. "From what we heard, Jason was playing it low-key in college. He didn't flaunt his wealth or background. Maybe he just wanted to live like a normal guy. Zach Jr., on the other hand, showed off like a spoiled rich kid and lured Emma away."
Derrick let out a long sigh. "That explains it… but the way these wealthy families think is beyond us. Someone even tried digging into Jason's background. On paper, his parents are just small-town folks, clean and ordinary to the point of looking fake. Anyone who believes that is a fool."
Zhang nodded firmly. "Either way, Zachary can't come in. Anyone who gets too close to him risks dragging Jason's anger onto themselves. And none of us can afford that."
"You're right," Derrick said. "If I let him in knowing his son crossed Jason, I'd have to be an idiot."
Just then, another developer friend of Derrick's walked over, speaking to the hotel manager and urging him to let Zachary in. After all, Zachary wasn't a nobody—he did run a construction company, and in their industry, connections mattered.
But Derrick rushed over, stopped him, and quickly explained the situation.
The story spread like wildfire. Within minutes, every developer in the banquet knew that Zachary Holt's son had once stolen Jason Stone's girl.
One by one, people began avoiding Zachary like he carried the plague.
After all, there were plenty of construction companies they could work with. Why take the risk of offending Jason over someone like Zachary?
And this wasn't some minor risk—it was a career-ending, life-destroying one.
As the whispers spread through the room, one thought echoed in everyone's mind:
"There family is finished."
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