Pokémon Simulator: Stealing Opportunities from the Destiny Child

"What are you daydreaming about?"

Elena noticed Ethan was momentarily lost in thought and waved her pale, delicate hand in front of him.

But soon enough, Ethan grabbed her hand.

Just as a hint of surprise flashed across Elena's face, Ethan held her soft hand firmly, gently squeezing and rubbing it.

Elena's beautiful face turned slightly red, and she quickly pulled her hands back.

Her large, glistening eyes looked at him with a mix of shyness and annoyance.

"Don't mess around!" she scolded with a playful glare.

Ethan chuckled. "Elena, you've gotten even more beautiful than before."

Elena's delicate face lifted slightly, and she let out a light snort. "Your sweet talk won't work on me. Save it for your little girlfriends."

She was referring to the girls Ethan often hung out with.

However, those were just his classmates, and Ethan barely remembered most of them. Without hesitation, he distanced himself from those relationships.

Ethan laughed awkwardly. "Girlfriends? I don't have any. I barely know those girls."

"Oh really? What about that classmate you mentioned last time, the beautiful one—Aria?" Elena's eyelashes fluttered, clearly not entirely convinced by Ethan's words.

Since they were close, Ethan often shared little secrets with Elena, including stories about Aria.

Not wanting to bring up anything related to Tyler, Ethan brushed it off casually.

The growing crowd, curious about what was happening, began to gather around them.

Without hesitation, Ethan grabbed Elena's hand and led her into the office of the store.

"Manager."

A ponytailed staff member greeted Elena but then paused in surprise when she noticed Elena's outfit.

She distinctly remembered that Elena had arrived this morning wearing her work uniform.

Now she was in a dress.

When she saw Elena holding hands with a handsome and refined young man, she immediately understood.

After all, although Elena had a gentle and approachable personality, she had never shown interest in any man despite having many admirers.

Even those who tried to force their way into her life were quickly turned away by her cold and distant demeanor.

In the staff's eyes, Elena was like an unattainable flower on a high peak—elegant and aloof.

Surely only an extraordinary man could win her heart.

So, seeing Elena obediently holding hands with a stranger without any resistance left the staff member visibly stunned.

However, she quickly regained her composure, bowed slightly to Ethan out of respect, and quietly offered her assistance.

Although Elena was just the acting manager, everyone knew the store belonged to her father.

Nobody dared show disrespect to Elena.

And as for this mysterious man—who could very well be her future boyfriend—he might also become the store's future boss.

The staff member was smart.

She immediately opened the door for them, served tea, and even closed the door behind her as she left.

Ethan nodded in satisfaction.

"You're still smiling!" Elena huffed. "I'm sure she misunderstood the situation."

"So what if she did?" Ethan grinned nonchalantly. "Now, if any of your admirers keep bothering you, just tell them you're already taken."

"If only it were that easy," Elena sighed softly. Some of her admirers were indeed quite troublesome.

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, she reached for the remote to turn on the TV.

However, as she was about to grab it, she realized Ethan was still holding her left hand.

Elena looked up at Ethan's profile as he scanned her office, seemingly unaware of what he was doing.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but instead of reminding him, she used her other hand to turn on the TV, hoping to ease the tension.

The TV was broadcasting news about the morning's terrorist attack.

"By the way, you didn't just come here for lunch, right?" Elena asked. "I saw the news earlier and almost had a heart attack when they mentioned the accident at the Master's Breeding House. It's a good thing you weren't there today, or it would have been dangerous."

Elena gently patted her chest, relieved.

She knew Ethan had secured a slot at the Master's Breeding House this year. When the news reported the accident, she was so scared that her face turned pale.

If Ethan hadn't been constantly messaging her, she might have rushed to the scene in panic.

"Oh, that slot? My cousin Jayden came over yesterday and asked to trade for it, so I gave it to him," Ethan said casually, glancing at the news.

"Huh?" Elena was momentarily stunned. "Poor kid! Talk about bad luck!"

Not only had Jayden lost two Pokémon, two evolution stones, and a store, but he also got caught up in an accident today.

Elena couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

She pulled out her phone to check on her third uncle's family.

Even though she wasn't particularly close to them or her cousins, it would be seen as rude not to offer some words of comfort during such an incident.

At this moment, Elena still had no idea that her third uncle would betray her in the future.

For now, she still held onto the belief that family was family.

Ethan didn't mind and watched her make the call.

Meanwhile, he entertained himself by playing with her hand.

Elena glared at him, trying to pull her hand back.

But after several failed attempts, she eventually gave up and let Ethan do as he pleased.