Ethan was very busy over the next few days.
On one side was Avril, on the other side was Taylor, and every night, he had to take turns accompanying them. Both of these women were acrobatic experts, leaving Ethan with sore knees and an aching waist, forcing him to surrender in the end.
Not to mention, the way they constantly bickered when together was quite a headache. Fortunately, they kept it under control. Even if they were trading insults, they never truly got angry, showing some consideration for Ethan's feelings.
However, once they returned and faced the media, they couldn't help but throw shade at each other in interviews.
One called the other a "country bumpkin," while the other called her a "washed-up singer."
Even their respective fan bases could tell that the two didn't get along, leading to online battles between their supporters.
But none of this concerned Ethan. He was completely immersed in filming. The entire movie was finally wrapped up by the time the New Year arrived.
Afterward, he spent another three months in post-production before the film was completely finished.
Still, he was in no rush to release it or even submit it to various awards for consideration. Instead, he kept the film within the company, periodically making reshoots and cuts, striving for perfection.
Of course, he was also handling company affairs.
Reese's solo movie had just been released this year, but unlike before, this time, the story focused on Reese's successor as the Sun Knight.
Since Reese had sacrificed himself in Lucy: Final Curtain War, the movie mainly revolved around the inheritance of the Sun Knight's power. While some of Reese's die-hard fans weren't happy with this, the general audience didn't seem to mind.
As a result, the box office landed smoothly—it neither exceeded expectations nor lost money.
Meanwhile, other movies were in full production, including John Wick 2, The Hangover Part II, The Conjuring 2, Despicable Me 2, and Minions.
These films already had strong audience bases, making their box office prospects highly secure. Because of this, both Norton Eye and United Artists were viewed favorably in the market, with their stock prices soaring.
Apart from Norton Eye, Angel Declaration was also performing exceptionally well.
Last year, Republic Records officially merged with Angel Declaration, with Republic's former president, Giorgio, becoming co-president. They then established branches in Japan, France, the UK, and China, announcing their entry into the global market.
To support this expansion, they signed numerous rising artists, including Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Lorde, and many others.
Each of these artists had their own distinct style and massive potential. This meant that for the next ten years, Angel Declaration's music business was well-secured.
To ensure that top-tier artists—like Taylor Swift—would remain with Angel Declaration long-term, Ethan even increased the revenue-sharing ratio for A-list singers.
This was a groundbreaking move. In the Western music industry, record labels traditionally took the largest cut, while artists received a fixed percentage.
But Ethan implemented a tiered revenue model: the higher the sales, the greater the artist's share. This system was far more beneficial for musicians compared to the rigid percentage-based model.
It also prevented top artists from leaving once their contracts expired. Historically, Taylor had done exactly that—cutting ties with Universal and founding her own label to release music independently.
Ethan had no intention of giving other artists that kind of excuse.
Meanwhile, Supreme Creative had also been growing steadily over the years. With its own distribution channels, the agency successfully expanded its reach across the U.S. and even began providing advertising services to companies in other regions.
Due to its rapid business expansion, Supreme Creative's workforce ballooned to 800 employees at one point. However, this also led to corruption and various gray areas within the company.
Eventually, Ethan stepped in, cutting redundant staff and streamlining operations, breathing new life into Supreme Creative.
His good friend Jimmy took a financial hit in the process.
Jimmy's wife, Lilina, had family members working at Supreme Creative. Those relatives had been pocketing kickbacks behind the scenes, and when the company caught wind of it, they were hit with a hefty fine.
Only out of consideration for Jimmy did Ethan choose not to press criminal charges.
Still, the money they had embezzled had to be repaid—and Jimmy was the one who had to cover the losses.
But Jimmy bore no resentment. He understood Ethan's no-nonsense approach—strictly business, never personal.
After they agreed on the repayment, Jimmy patted Ethan's arm with a grin. "Are you free tonight?"
"Why?" Ethan asked.
"My youngest son was just born."
Unlike Ethan, Jimmy had a big family. He and Lilina had already welcomed three children—both boys and girls—over the past few years.
Ethan had visited their home several times, so he was familiar with the kids. But he hadn't expected a fourth one to arrive so soon.
"That's impressive, Jimmy. Are you trying to start a basketball team?" Ethan laughed and playfully punched his shoulder.
"A basketball team? Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea," Jimmy joked. "Though I don't think Lilina would be on board."
"Yeah, ever since she married you, she's been too busy having kids to focus on anything else." Ethan shook his head, unable to understand that kind of lifestyle.
Jimmy, however, seemed to enjoy it.
"So what? We're financially secure, and besides, don't you think having a big family is lively and fun?"
Ethan shrugged. "I used to think that way. But ever since Elena started showing signs of rebellion, I changed my mind."
Kids in the West matured early—and rebelled early, too. Elena had already started talking back from time to time, questioning Ethan whenever he said something.
If he had several more kids like her, Ethan figured he'd probably go insane.
"You should ask Jessica's opinion… Oh, wait, I forgot—you'll have to check with Avril, Scarlett, Taylor, Cindy, and the rest of them too," Jimmy teased, grinning.
Then he patted Ethan again. "Alright, it's settled. You're coming over for dinner tonight."
"No problem."
"Oh, and don't bring anything."
"Got it. If you're trying to save me money, I won't argue," Ethan chuckled.
With that, Jimmy left the office.
Ethan returned to handling company affairs.
That evening, Ethan had a simple meal at Jimmy's house.
Lilina and the kids welcomed him warmly. However, after multiple pregnancies, Lilina's figure had changed. She admitted she had been working out but wasn't seeing much progress, forcing her to adopt a ketogenic diet.
Jimmy wasn't any better—since getting married, he had put on a lot of weight. He even lifted his shirt to show Ethan his growing belly, joking about how jealous he was that Ethan had managed to stay in shape.
As Ethan listened to their conversations about weight gain, family life, and diet plans, he suddenly realized how many years had passed since he first arrived in this world.
That once-sharp and ambitious young man had now become a father of four, beginning to settle into middle-aged life.
Everyone had changed. Their conversations had shifted from money to family, from dreams to mundane everyday matters.
But this kind of change was exactly what Ethan dreaded the most.
He still felt young. At just over thirty, he was in his prime—he refused to let life turn him into an old, sluggish man.
After some thought, Ethan picked up his phone and called Fischers.
He booked a flight for the next day, planning to take the flight attendant on a trip to the Maldives.