Harem Investment System: Getting Money And Women - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Sleepover (Part 3) Chapter 70: Sleepover (Part 3) Julie jumped, yelping as she clutched onto Vanessa’s arm.  Claire immediately turned toward the window, her brows furrowing.  “Was that – ?” Before she could finish her sentence, the downpour began.

Not a light drizzle, not a slow build-up.  The rain came crashing down all at once, hammering against the roof and windows with relentless force.  The wind howled outside, rattling the glass panes like they might crack at any moment.

Vanessa let out a low whistle.

“Damn.

That’s not just rain – that’s a storm.” Zack groaned.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Julie, however, lit up like a Christmas tree.

“This is perfect!” Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“For what, exactly?” Julie grinned mischievously, her small hands clapping together.

“We should play sleepover games!” Vanessa smirked, leaning back against the couch.

“Oh?

What kind of sleepover games?” Julie spun around excitedly.

“Like, uh – Truth or Dare, Would You Rather, maybe even some ghost stories!” Zack groaned, rubbing his face.

“Oh, great.

Now I feel like I’m back in middle school.” Claire crossed her arms.

“You never went to sleepovers.” Zack pointed at her.

“And that’s why I don’t want to play.” Julie pouted.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” She turned to Ethan, eyes practically pleading.

“Right, Big brother?” Ethan sighed.

“If it keeps you entertained while the storm passes, fine.” Julie squealed in victory, grabbing a pillow and hugging it.  Vanessa chuckled, shifting her position so she was sitting cross-legged on the couch.  “Alright then, what’s the first game?” Julie didn’t hesitate.

“Truth or Dare!” Zack let his head fall back onto the couch.

“Kill me now.” Claire smirked.

“You’re just scared you’ll get called out.” Julie pointed at Zack dramatically.

“You go first then!” Zack groaned.

“Fine.

Truth.” Julie grinned.

“What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?” Zack blinked.

“Where do I even start?” Vanessa laughed.

“Oh, this should be good.” Zack rubbed his chin in thought, then sighed.  “Alright.

So, back in high school, I tried to impress my crush by jumping off the second floor of the gym and grabbing onto a rope, thinking I could swing across like some kind of action hero.” Ethan sighed.

“I already know where this is going.” Zack nodded.

“Rope snapped.

I hit the floor so hard I swear I bounced.” Vanessa burst out laughing.

Claire covered her face, shaking her head.

Julie gasped.

“Did you die?!” Zack chuckled.

“Obviously not, but I did have to fake an injury just to get out of gym class for two weeks.” Claire rolled her eyes.

“You were so dramatic about it too.” Vanessa wiped a tear from her eye.

“Okay, that was worth it.

Good start.” Julie giggled.

“Alright, Vanessa’s turn!

Truth or Dare?” Vanessa smirked, tilting her head.

“Dare.” Julie clapped her hands.

“Ooooh!

I dare you to… prank call someone!” Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

“Prank call?

I haven’t done that since – actually, I don’t think I ever have.” Ethan handed her his phone.

“Knock yourself out.” Vanessa took it, smirking as she scrolled through the contacts.  After a few seconds, she stopped, looking up at Ethan.

“Who’s Elliot?” Ethan’s face remained blank.

“A guy from the gym.” The gym that wasn’t too far from the mansion, he visited and worked out there from time to time.

Zack snorted.

“Oh this is gonna be good.” Vanessa dialed the number, putting it on speaker.  The call rang twice before a gruff, no-nonsense voice answered.

“Who is this?” Vanessa immediately switched to a high-pitched, panicked tone.

“Oh my god, sir!

You left your protein powder at the park!

It’s HUGE.

Like, bodybuilder-huge.

We didn’t want anyone to steal it!” There was a pause.

Then – “…What?” Vanessa continued, barely holding in her laughter.

“Yeah, yeah!

We saw this massive tub of protein powder, and it had your name on it!

Elliot, right?

I knew it!

We didn’t know if we should turn it in or – ” Click.

The call ended.

The entire room exploded into laughter.

Zack fell onto the floor, holding his stomach.  Claire wiped tears from her eyes.

Julie was howling.

Vanessa smirked, tossing the phone back to Ethan.

“Well.

That was fun.” Ethan shook his head.

“You just made an enemy for life.” Zack gasped between laughs.

“Dude, imagine him showing up to the gym tomorrow, pissed.” Vanessa shrugged.

“That’s a you problem, Grey.” The games continued, shifting between ridiculous dares and embarrassing truths.  The storm raged on outside, the wind howling, rain slamming against the windows – but inside, the warmth of the room, the laughter, the teasing banter, it all made it feel like nothing else mattered.

Somewhere along the way, Vanessa found herself glancing at Ethan more than once.

She wasn’t sure what it was about him.  Maybe it was the way he always seemed so composed, so in control, even in the middle of chaotic situations like this.  Maybe it was the way his eyes softened ever so slightly when Julie got excited about something.

Or maybe it was just that Ethan Grey, despite all his quiet, brooding tendencies, had somehow made her feel comfortable in a way she wasn’t used to.

For now, though, she let the thought slip away as Julie grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Claire.

“Pillow fight!” And just like that, chaos resumed.

The living room had descended into absolute chaos.

Julie, small but fierce, wielded a couch pillow like a weapon of war.

Claire, laughing as she dodged an incoming strike, tried to retaliate but was knocked back by a well-placed hit from Vanessa.

Zack, ever the dramatic one, let out a mock scream and dove behind an armchair, only for Julie to hunt him down like a predator stalking its prey.

“Noooo!” Zack cried, clutching onto the chair like it was a lifeline.

Julie grinned wickedly.

“You can’t hide forever, Zack!” With surprising speed for a ten-year-old, she dashed around the chair, smacking him repeatedly with the pillow.

Zack curled into a ball, taking the hits like a defeated warrior, groaning in exaggerated agony.

It was funny enough for Ethan to give a small chuckle.