Terrence let himself relax and join the fun, laughing and talking like the rest of them.
But deep down, he just wanted to go home, lay back, and watch some anime in peace.
'No, I need to work on my social skills. I can't be a real boss if I can't even handle a bunch of entitled kids who don't understand how the world really works.
The guy with the braids—Dre—was loud, full of energy, and seemed to know everyone.
He moved around the group like he'd done it a hundred times before, cracking jokes and keeping the vibe light.
"Yo, those kicks are fire," he said to one guy, pointing at his bright red sneakers. "Did you rob a basketball player or what?"
Everyone laughed. Dre grinned, then turned his attention to Terrence.
He raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "So… you and Camila, huh? What's that about? Secret boyfriend vibes?"
Terrence chuckled, not taking the bait. "We're just friends."
Camila rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Ignore him. He's always like this."
Dre held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking."
A pretty girl with long brown hair and almond-shaped eyes, named Emily, had been watching for a while.
She stood near the group, holding a drink in her hand, sneaking quick glances at Terrence every now and then.
It was pretty obvious she was into him. Not just her but others too, they found him really pleasing to look at .
There were guys at the party who were more traditionally handsome, but he was different.
He didn't need to try too hard—women were just drawn to him.
After a moment, Emily stepped closer and spoke up.
"So, Terrence, is your family from around here? I don't think I've seen you at any big events. What university are you going to right now?"
He shook his head and smiled. "No, my family's not from here. And I didn't go to college either."
No one really cared. Most of them thought school was pointless anyway—especially if they're rich enough to never work in their entire life.
"So, what do you do in your spare time? Partying? Any hobbies?" she asked, stepping a little closer to him.
Georgina tried to step in, but one sharp look from Emily was enough to make her back off.
Her family owned several condo buildings, so her status in this group was pretty high.
If Robert was considered the king around here, then she was definitely one of the queens.
Terrence didn't miss any of that. He quickly connected the dots.
Getting on her good side would be a big advantage for him, so he needed to impress her.
"I started getting into investing when I was a teenager, and I've stuck with it since then."
Emily raised her eyebrows. "Wait… so you made all your money on your own?"
Terrence gave a small shrug. "Yeah, pretty much."
People started paying more attention to him .
Most of them were used to wealth coming from their parents, not hard work.
"That's really impressive. So, what kind of stuff are you into now? Like, what do you invest in?"
Leaning forward a little, he spoke up, "A bit of everything, really. Stock markets, bonds, crypto, gold—whatever makes money."
"Wait, crypto too?" she asked, eyes widening a little.
Nodding. "Yeah. You just have to know when to pull out, have a way to predict the market, and most importantly—good connections."
Terrence looked right at her when he said the word connections, and she got the feeling he meant more than just business.
"Oh, so you're good at knowing when to pull out, huh?" she bit her lips seductively.
The other girls backed off. Now that one of the queens had spoken, going against her would've been a bad idea.
"Hey, Gina, mind if I borrow your friend for a bit? I just want to talk to him about some private business stuff... I'm thinking of investing...in him" Emily grabbed his hand.
Georgina hesitated, but there wasn't much she could do.
Terrence looked like he was interested in Emily too—and why wouldn't he be?
She was beautiful and the heir to a billion-dollar company.
He let her pull him along without saying anything.
Her grip was firm, and he could tell she was used to getting what she wanted.
Leading him through the hotel lobby, they passed marble floors and soft lighting until they reached a small cafe tucked in the corner.
It wasn't crowded. There were barely any people there.
Emily picked a table near the window and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
He took the seat across from her.
"So," he leaned back slightly. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I like you," she declared boldly, meeting his eyes. "How about you become my boyfriend?"
"Aren't you moving a little too fast? We just met. And honestly… I'm not really looking for a serious relationship right now."
Emily didn't seem upset. In fact, she just smiled and leaned back in her seat.
"That's fine, I'm not asking you to marry me. I just like what I see—and I go after what I want."
He raised an eyebrow. "So this is more like… casual dating?
"Call it whatever you want," she added, swirling the straw in her iced coffee. "I just think we could have fun together."
She was more interested in his body than anything else.
That made sense. He didn't just look fit on the outside, but his body was also filled with mana, way more than anyone else in this era.
This wouldn't work as well in the future, though, since most people would eventually develop immunity.
For now, it gave him the upper hand, and he would be stupid not to use it.