Ultimate Tycoon: Building the Richest Empire with System and Heroines

Ethan stood outside his house, his breath held deep in his lungs. A familiar nervousness crept up his spine. He let the air out in a long sigh.

"Three weeks…" he muttered to himself. "I said I'd be back in a few days, and it's been three whole weeks. I'm so screwed."

His hand clutched the warm paper bags—one filled with his mother's favorite crispy fried chicken, the other with his father's comfort food, braised pork belly with steamed rice. His secret weapons of apology. With a smirk, he muttered, "Alright. I've got this."

He raised his hand and knocked.

From inside, muffled voices echoed through the hallway. A man and a woman, bickering with that same timeless rhythm.

"I told you to open the door!" came a sharp voice. His mother, Elise.

"And I told you I'm watching Goreamon! You go open it," grumbled Arthur, his father.

Ethan chuckled. "Some things never change."

"You're seriously still watching cartoons? You're a grown man!" Elise snapped, her irritation rising.

"So what if I am?" Arthur fired back. "I'm still a child at heart!"

Ethan could practically see her rolling her eyes.

"The world is changing! You saw what our son did on the news, didn't you? And here you are watching cartoons instead of keeping up with reality!" Elise scolded.

Arthur let out a groan. "That's exactly why I'm watching cartoons. Our son's stunts are the reason I've got high blood pressure in the first place. If I watch the news, it'll spike even more. Besides, we both know what they'll say—it's the same exaggerated nonsense."

Ethan knocked again, raising his voice. "Mom, Dad! Open up already! You can continue your cute argument later!"

Elise's rant stopped mid-sentence.

That voice.

She froze like a statue, standing in front of the kitchen counter.

Ethan tilted his head. "Mom? Why are you standing like a statue?"

Without saying a word, Elise turned and disappeared.

"What's she up to now…?" Ethan muttered.

Arthur called from inside, "Welcome home, son."

"Yes, I'm home, Dad," Ethan replied warmly.

Arthur opened the door and smiled, pulling his son into a hug. "I see you didn't forget about me. You even brought my favorite food, huh?"

Before Ethan could answer, Elise reappeared.

In her hand—her legendary sandal.

"You little rascal!" she shouted.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait! Mom! Hold on—!"

Smack!

She chased him around the hallway, sandal raised high.

"First you disappear for two days. Then three. Then a whole week. And now, three weeks?! You remember this house exists now, huh?"

"I brought food!" Ethan squealed, laughing as he ducked her swings. "Wait! Mom! It's not that serious!"

Arthur tried to intervene. "Honey, stop, you'll hurt—"

Elise glared at him, and Arthur immediately froze. "Alright, I'm shutting up."

Ethan laughed even harder, dodging with exaggerated rolls and yelps. Despite the assault, he didn't feel pain. The hits were light. What mattered was the warmth behind them.

He loved this feeling.

His mother's anger... was her way of showing love.

After a few minutes, she stopped, panting slightly, tears threatening to form in her eyes. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"You really worried me, you know that?" her voice trembled.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mom," Ethan whispered.

Arthur shuffled over and wrapped his arms around them too. "Hey now, don't forget about me."

It became a family hug. Warm. Silent. Healing.

All the tension, the fear, the waiting—it vanished.

Ethan sighed. "Let's eat, Mom. Dad."

Inside, the dining table was filled with love in food form. Ethan placed the bags on the table, opening the boxes. The aroma of crispy chicken filled the room.

Elise returned from the kitchen with Ethan's favorite dish—steamed dumplings with sweet chili sauce.

"Mom…" Ethan smiled wide.

"Eat while it's warm," she said softly.

The three of them sat together, eating with full hearts and happy stomachs.

Halfway through the meal, Ethan set down his chopsticks.

Ethan looked at his parents seriously. The warm dinner, the cozy house, the laughter,it all felt like a fragile dream held together by love and sacrifice. But tonight, he had to break through that dream. There were questions that haunted him, questions he could no longer keep inside.

He placed his chopsticks down.

"Mom, Dad," he said, voice steady but heavy. "I know this might not be the right time, but if I don't ask now, I might never get the courage again."

Arthur and Elise both looked up, concern in their eyes.

"I've been thinking," Ethan continued. "Back then, our lives were... hard. I remember those nights when we didn't even have food to eat. I remember you both skipping meals just so I could have something. Dad, you did every kind of job you could find,sometimes even work where they treated you like a slave instead of a human." Forcharactersheetsandglossaries,visitMV|LEMPYR.

Arthur gave a small, tired smile, but didn't interrupt.

"We lived in a house where rain leaked through the roof," Ethan went on. "We couldn't afford decent clothes, much less a luxury. But even with all that, somehow... somehow I went to one of the most prestigious schools in the city. And then to one of the best university. I wasn't on any scholarship. We didn't have any quota, any special recommendation. So..."

He looked at them, eyes sharp with confusion and emotion.

"How did you afford it?"

Silence.

Elise and Arthur exchanged a long glance. A language only they understood passed between them. Arthur reached over and gently held Elise's hand.

Arthur said softly, "It's time he knew. He's grown up now."

Ethan's heartbeat quickened.

Elise took a deep breath. "Ethan… everything we gave you, all the education, the tuition fees, the living expenses,it was all paid by your grandfather."

Ethan blinked. "My… grandfather?"

He stared at them in disbelief. He had never heard them talk about extended family. He had always believed they were alone in this world, just the three of them.

"Yes," Elise said slowly. "Your grandfather took care of all your expenses. And… he was willing to give more, even support you for your higher studies abroad."

Ethan frowned. "But why? If he could support us, why didn't he just help with everything? Why live like we were starving?"

Arthur answered this time. "Because he has also some reason, but now he will not also because of a condition."

Ethan leaned in. "What condition?"

"That you live a normal life," Arthur said. "That you stay away from everything related to superpowers, superhumans anything connected to that world. He made it clear,you had to grow up as an ordinary human, untouched by the chaos we once lived through."

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait... you're saying… you both knew? About the world of superhumans? From the beginning?"

Elise didn't answer with words. Instead, she lifted her palm.

A red glow pulsed from her hand, illuminating the room in an eerie, beautiful light.

Ethan stood up from his seat. "Mom… you're a superhuman?"

Arthur smiled with pride. "She wasn't just a superhuman. She was one of the first. A genius among geniuses. Back when awakenings first began, she stood at the top."

Elise looked away modestly. "It was a different time. Being strong wasn't always a blessing."

Ethan turned to his father. "Then you too?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. I was awakened too. But…"

He unbuttoned his shirt slightly, revealing a strange black ring forming around his abdomen. Upon closer look, Ethan realized it was slowly growing outward, like a spreading ink stain.

"What is that?" Ethan asked, stepping closer.

But before he could touch it, Elise shouted, "No, Ethan! Don't touch it!"

She raised her hand, and to Ethan's shock, a similar black ring was faintly visible near her wrist.

"What… what is this?" Ethan whispered.

Elise sighed. "It's a corruption. Years ago, during a battle… something happened. Your father lost control of his Chi. It turned violent, unstable, and began eating away at him. This mark, it's like a curse, slowly consuming from within. I'm infected too, but I can still suppress it. For now."

Arthur said, "I can't use my Chi anymore. That's why we disappeared from that world. That's why your grandfather made us promise you'd never walk the same path."

Ethan sat down, silent for a moment. "But why? Why would he be so strict about that?"

Elise looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotion. "Because of me, Ethan."

He looked confused.

"Because of who I am," she said.

She stood up slowly. There was a weight in her presence now, something Ethan had never seen in her before. Not just the warm, cheerful mom he knew—but someone noble, someone with history, power… and tragedy.

"I was not just anyone. Your grandfather… he is not just any man either. He was once the ruler of one of the greatest awakened clans. He was the patriarch of the Raven Bloodline."

Ethan froze.

"And I," she said, eyes meeting his, "am his eldest daughter. A daughter who went against her family for love. Who married a man of her choosing. Who left everything behind for the life I believed in."

Her voice trembled slightly. "Your grandfather saw it as betrayal. He gave me one last chance, one final offer to support you, my son, if I promised to keep you out of that world."

"And now," Arthur said quietly, "you've awakened. You've shown your powers on national TV. He's going to find out. And he won't be happy."

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest.

Elise stepped closer and touched his cheek gently.

"No matter what happens next… just remember this, Ethan…"

"You are the son of Elise Raven."