The Seductive Pretty Boy of the Matriarchal World-Chapter 66: Money Doesn’t Come Easy (Bonus - )

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Money Doesn’t Come Easy (Bonus Chapter)

Chapter 66: Money Doesn’t Come Easy

Elias Kane slept remarkably well that night.

After all, it was one of the rare evenings since arriving in this world when no one had dragged him into bed and tormented him for hours. He wasn’t afraid of thunderstorms, and once it became clear that crawling into Giselle’s bed was off the table, he stopped bothering with theatrics and simply drifted off into deep, uninterrupted rest.

When the sounds of Giselle moving around the suite woke him the next morning and he opened his eyes to see her, his mood soured in an instant.

Still, he never let personal irritation bleed into a conquest. The order in which he took them to bed was the one exception.

He ate a delicious breakfast alone, then rode with Giselle to campus exactly as she had promised. She kept her word.

Giselle walking the Westbridge University paths by herself had always drawn every eye. The striking silver hair, the glacial beauty, the untouchable aura—she was impossible to ignore. Now she was strolling beside Elias Kane, the very boy from yesterday’s scandal.

The crowd’s voyeuristic excitement had cooled overnight, but the sight of the two of them together sparked fresh interest. Yet the closer people looked, the less thrilling it became. Second-hand gossip and wild speculation always felt juicier than cold reality.

They kept a careful distance between them. Giselle’s expression remained its usual aloof perfection—high, cold, aristocratic. There was nothing in her posture that suggested romance, not even the polite pretense of avoiding suspicion. To the onlookers it looked like nothing more than two acquaintances walking the same route.

"Looks like they’re just friends..."

"They don’t even look like friends."

Elias caught every whispered reaction and filed it away with detached amusement. He had never expected a single blurry photo to topple someone like Giselle Frost. Campus gossip might rattle an ordinary girl, but the Frost heiress had never cared what the world thought of her. The rumors were meaningless.

Stories throughout history proved the same lesson: forced pairings usually ended in spectacular collapse.

Besides, he had already achieved exactly what he wanted.

Class time was approaching. Elias and Giselle were in different programs, so their paths would split. He turned toward her, lips parting. "Giselle..."

Before he could finish the sentence she brushed past him without slowing, without even a backward glance. She didn’t care what others thought, and she certainly didn’t care what he thought.

Giselle had promised to shield him from harassment, and she delivered. Every eye followed her as she walked away, drawing the crowd’s attention like a magnet and leaving him untouched.

That was all.

If this had been the original Elias, he would have felt a pang of loss, heartstrings tugged by her every indifferent move.

The current Elias simply watched her silver hair disappear into the distance, not even blinking. The moment she was out of sight he dropped the act entirely. Glasses on, presence dialed down to almost nothing, he headed to class without a single busybody daring to approach. In the end it was private business; no one was bold enough to confront the principals directly.

Elias played the model student for the entire day, attending every lecture with mechanical diligence. When the final bell rang he returned straight to the dorm.

He had already checked Tim Reed and the others’ schedules—they wouldn’t be back yet. Perfect. He grabbed the bag containing Giselle’s coat and headed for the side gate without wasting a second.

A woman was already waiting there, pacing and glancing around nervously. She didn’t even notice Elias until he waved.

Her anxious face lit up with relief. "I was starting to think you wouldn’t show."

"Just finished class." Elias kept his tone and manner completely ordinary. For irrelevant people he never bothered wasting charm or micro-expressions.

"The coat?" she asked.

He handed over the bag. She opened it, ran her fingers across the fabric, and her eyes widened instantly. As a professional clothing designer she recognized elite craftsmanship at once. "This is incredible."

"Of course. It was made by one of the world’s top designers."

She suddenly looked wary. "You didn’t steal this, did you?"

Elias’s gaze turned ice-cold in a heartbeat. "If you’re going to lowball me, do it honestly. Don’t play games."

The woman realized she had overstepped. She also felt the sudden pressure rolling off him and quickly backpedaled with an awkward laugh. "The material and construction really are top-tier, but I’m not doubting you—it’s just that clothes like this are usually custom-ordered by serious old-money families."

"With surveillance everywhere, do you really think I could steal something and still be standing here casually?" Elias rolled his eyes, but he understood her caution. He slipped off his glasses, shook out his golden hair, and let the full effect hit her. "How about now?"

The woman was momentarily stunned by the raw beauty, but she still didn’t follow. "You’re very good-looking, kid, but what does that have to do with the coat?"

"Rich second-generation. Simp. Gift from her." Elias kept it short.

Understanding dawned. She relaxed completely. A boy who could land someone wearing clothes like this clearly had the looks to back it up. She lowered her voice. "Won’t she get angry if she finds out you sold her gift?"

Elias answered carelessly, "If she gets mad I’ll just get another one. Simple."

The woman’s respect deepened instantly.

Top-tier player. She didn’t want to mess with that.

Glasses off and charm deployed, Elias sighed inwardly for the sake of his future retirement. His lips curved into a sweet, irresistible smile, eyes tilting up at the corners with subtle allure. "We’ve talked enough. Time to pay, right? I have plans later."

With another rich simp? Or another woman?

The woman found herself quietly envious. Even if she was just another conquest, tasting a boy like this would be worth it...

"Fifty thousand," she offered. She knew he had connections to serious money and didn’t try to haggle too hard. "I could go higher, but it looks like it’s been lightly cleaned once. That knocks the value down a bit."

Elias sucked in a sharp breath. All that fuss over saving a few dollars on dry cleaning had just cost him tens of thousands.

He lowered his eyes, voice soft. "Can’t you go any higher?"

"I want to, but..." She saw the disappointment on his face and felt a twinge, but tens of thousands was still tens of thousands. She wasn’t going to soften.

"Fine." Elias handed her the bag.

The next second—

"Add another fifty. That’s my final offer."

Elias’s smile bloomed instantly, sweet enough to melt bone. "Thank you, sis!"

The woman felt herself floating. For that single "sis," fifty thousand was a bargain.

Cash changed hands. Elias watched the hundred-thousand-dollar transfer hit his account, slipped his glasses back on, and sighed with theatrical weariness. "Making money is really not easy..."

[System Theta: Mhm...]

The system lied through its teeth. Scratching someone’s palm and earning a hundred grand did seem... pretty difficult.

At that moment Elias’s phone rang. It was Serena Blackwood calling.