Ex Wife's Collapse After Divorce novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

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“I want to earn it myself.” Travis’s voice steadied. “The house, the future-I don’t want to ride her family’s

money. I’m the man. I should be the one providing.”

Ethan looked at him for a long moment.

Then he smiled. Genuinely this time. “That’s backbone. Good.”

Travis’s ears went pink, but he straightened visibly. “Where to, sir?”

“Drive. Just get us to the Zone.”

The Economic Development Zone spread out before them in neat, modern blocks.

But the streets were quiet. Too quiet. Storefronts sat half-empty. The few pedestrians moved with their heads down, quick and alert.

Yvonne’s briefing materials had been incomplete at best. So Ethan did the real work himself.

He went around asking street vendors and passersby for information about the area.

“Business? Here?” The noodle shop owner let out a humorless laugh. “You got a death wish, friend?”

Another vendor, a wiry man selling grilled squid, shook his head. “Look, the subway’s great. The rent’s cheap. This place should be booming. But the gangs…” He gestured vaguely toward the eastern blocks.” They got their hands in everything. You wanna set up shop here? You pay. And you keep paying.”

Ethan scribbled notes on a small pad between bites.

Travis trailed behind him, looking increasingly uneasy. “Sir, this sounds bad. Really bad.”

Ethan didn’t look up from his notes. “Keep walking.”

By the time they collapsed into a booth at a milk tea shop, the afternoon sun had softened to a golden haze.

Travis returned with two cups-passion fruit for himself, jasmine green for Ethan.

“Mr. Carter… I gotta say it. This project…” He set the cup down carefully. “Maybe we should just walk

away.”

“Why?”

“Local gangs? All of them former relocation recipients?” Travis gestured helplessly at the notes. “They treat this place like personal property. Any investment here is just asking to get shaken down. We’d be bleeding cash before the first factory even broke ground.”

Ethan tapped his pen against the table. He’d known within the first hour of research what was strangling this development zone.

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A gang. Built from the ground up by locals who’d struck it rich on government buyouts. They’d weaponized their residency-no one got in without their blessing, and their blessing came with a price

tag that made profit margins vanish.

But the bones of this place were solid. Good infrastructure. Strong metro access. Plenty of developable land. The potential was enormous.

“I’ve seen enough,” Ethan said quietly. ‘This isn’t just a problem. It’s leverage. Someone just needs the

nerve to use it.’

He flipped his notebook shut.

“Travis, you’re off for the day. Good work.”

“But sir-”

“Go home. Spend time with that girlfriend of yours.”

Travis hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He shuffled away, still glancing back once before disappearing around the corner.

Ethan pulled out his phone to call a ride. Before he could open the app, the screen lit up.

Aurora.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hey. What’s with the sudden call?”

“I was just a little worried about you, Young Master. I didn’t see you at the office all afternoon.” Aurora smiled softly, but just then, a sudden noise came from her end of the line.

Ethan smiled. “Economic Development Zone. I’ve been doing field research.”

Aurora’s voice brightened with pleasant surprise. “What? You actually went for a site visit? My Young Master is even more driven than I thought!”

“Send me your location. I’ll come get you!”

“You don’t need to-”

“Young master,” she said, and the words held a smile, “let me take care of my man. Send the address.”

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