Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression-Chapter 47: Day Off [3]: Celebration

Ethan’s day off went faster than he imagined and for the first time in a long long while, he had spent an entire day without coding and as much as he hated to admit, this was nice.

Athena was definitely an expert at planning his day off activities. From binging long-forgotten movies he’d missed over the years, to actually getting him to step outside for a walk around his neighborhood without a destination in mind, the day had been surprisingly refreshing.

Before he realized, the sun had already set and the sky had welcomed nightfall. He only realized that it was night already when his phone let out a ding.

Ethan lazily reached for the phone, still lying on the couch with a half-eaten bowl of popcorn by his side. The notification was from Lillian.

My Little Midas: um... hey, we’re ready. Aria kinda went ahead and made a reservation at SkyLounge... it’s at the Glenn Hotel, hope that’s okay?

Before he had the chance to reply, another text came in.

My Little Midas: and about the dress code, Aria said we could wear anything comfortable, so umm... I thought I should let you know.

He smiled a bit before writing his reply, confirming that he was okay with her arrangements and he’d be there in twenty minutes.

He then set the phone down for a second as he stretched and finally pulled himself off the couch.

Isabela was currently at ’work’, so there was no need to inform her that he was going out.

Speaking of Isabela, Ethan had been genuinely surprised to discover she was Spectra, the same hacker who once shook the world, well more accurately will shake the world.

In the future, Spectra was a name tied to one of the most devastating cyberattacks of 2025. Despite all the advanced technology and AI-driven investigations, no one had ever uncovered the mastermind’s identity.

Until now.

There was a small smile on his face at the fact that Spectra was delivered right to his doorstep, literally.

It felt like the universe itself was stacking the deck in his favor this time, and he intended to play every card.

Walking into his room and towards his wardrobe, he grabbed a simple black button-down and dark jeans, they were both comfortable and stylish enough, especially coupled with the boots he chose.

After lacing up his boots and giving himself a once-over in the mirror, Ethan reached for his watch. It wasn’t anything flashy, just a matte device linked to Athena.

Picking up his keys, Ethan walked out of the apartment and towards the parking lot where his car was.

The Audi A7 sat in the parking lot, waiting among other, less striking vehicles which wasn’t surprising since this neighborhood wasn’t exactly high class.

Ethan unlocked it with a press of his key fob and the lights flashed once in acknowledgment as the doors clicked open.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he left the parking lot as Athena pulled up the direction of the Glenn hotel on the map of the Audi MMI system.

The drive was mostly a quiet one, with highrise buildings zooming past him as he followed the map.

He was soon close to his destination and by the time he pulled up in front of the Glenn Hotel, the valet was already stepping out. Ethan killed the engine and tossed the keys to him with practiced ease.

"Ethan Carter, I’ve got a reservation under SkyLounge."

The valet nodded, as he walked to the driver’s side of the car. "Welcome to the Glenn, Mr. Carter. Enjoy your evening."

Ethan adjusted the cuffs of his shirt and made his way through the hotel’s lavish front entrance.

The lobby was tastefully luxurious, decorated with modern chandeliers, velvet seatings and walls lined with art pieces he was sure cost more than some startups could think of affording.

He didn’t stop to admire it though, he had seen enough of these to be awed by them.

Ethan walked straight towards the elevator and pressed a button that led him to the top floor. The elevator ride was silent well...mostly, save for the boring elevator music.

As the doors opened directly into the SkyLounge’s upper floor, Ethan was greeted by soft jazz, warm lighting, and a panoramic view of the city skyline beyond the glass walls.

The place screamed luxury and high class.

A place you could only get into with the right kind of money, or the right kind of name.

He walked out of the elevator, the doors closing behind him, as he scanned around for a familiar face.

It didn’t take long to spot Lillian by the far corner near the windows, where the city lights cast a gentle glow over her face.

She had on a cream colored loose-fitting, chunky knit sweater that was lightly tucked in her dark jeans.

Her hair was in its usual ponytail but this time, it was intentionally messy in a way that made her look effortlessly charming.

She didn’t seem to have tried to stand out and somehow that made her stand out even more. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely from the glass of wine in front of her.

Aria sat beside her, dressed in a black crop top and ripped jeans, and a mischievous grin that practically screamed that she was the one responsible for Lillian’s current look and there was an unmistakable gleam in her eyes the moment she spotted Ethan.

"Oh-ho, look who finally decided to show!" Aria raised her glass in a mock toast. "Mr. CEO of the fastest growing company right now, gracing us with his presence."

Ethan was used to this already since that’s she normally was, especially since she placed him in her ’good books’.

"Hello Aria," he greeted with a small smile. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I knew you were an eye candy before but this," she said while giving him a once over,"this is criminal."

"Hey, that’s not polite," Lillian whispered, trying to get Aria to stop, but knowing Aria there was no way she would.

"Say that when you’re not drooling over him." Aria’s words immediately caused Lillian’s eyes to widen as she nearly knocked over her wine glass in a panic.

"I—I am not drooling!" Lillian protested, her voice rising slightly in pitch as she quickly raised her hand to her lips, which caused Aria to chuckle.

Ethan also chuckled before he pulled out the empty chair across from them and sat down, resting his forearms on the table.

Aria seemed like just the type of friend an introvert like Lillian would make, well rather than make, it was more accurate to say the friendship was forced on her

A waiter appeared as soon as he sat down, offering him a drink menu, but Ethan waved it off politely. "I’ll start with water."

"Oh come on," Aria commented with almost a pout, "this is a celebration, you’re supposed to let loose."

"I’ll have one drink," Ethan finally said with a knowing smile. "But only because you made a compelling case, Aria."

"Yes!" Aria clapped her hands together, looking like she had just won a battle. "This will be fun."

The waiter returned moments later, and after a quick exchange, he disappeared to bring them their drinks.

The waiter soon returned with a tray of drinks. A colorful cocktail was placed in front of Aria, something fruity and definitely strong.

Lillian received a second glass of wine, though it was clear from her flushed cheeks and dazed smile that she probably didn’t need it.

Ethan’s glass, in contrast, held a pale amber drink with a lime wedge on the rim. It was something light and definitely not enough to get him drunk.

Aria raised her glass high in the air as she announced, "to Lillian, working for one of the fastest growing company right now."

"T-to Sentinel’s successful launch," Lillian followed suit, also raising her glass for a toast.

"To OmniTech Corp," Ethan kept it simple as he also raised his glass.

Their glasses clinked together as the toast commenced and each downed a large amount of their drinks.

’This... isn’t so bad.’ Ethan thought as he drank his amber drink.

As much as he preferred staying cooped up with his computer, doing this once in a while didn’t seem bad at all.