C6 No Shame!

In truth, Eustace hadn't sought employment in the last three years not due to his injuries, but because he simply didn't want to. The old adage holds true: it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but the reverse is a much harder path. As the scion of the Rhodes family, he was accustomed to a life of opulence and privilege. The thought of working for someone else, of having to bow and scrape and endure the disdain of others, was intolerable to him.

Eustace was also confident that the Rhodes family would eventually remove the restrictions placed upon him, so he felt no urgency about his future. Now that the family had indeed lifted those restrictions, he was once again the affluent young master, free to spend lavishly.

His current talk of job hunting was merely to appease his mother-in-law, to avoid the daily contempt at home. "As long as the job doesn't require physical labor, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," he assured.

"So, have you decided what kind of job you're looking for?" came the inquiry.

"To be honest, I haven't really settled on anything. I'm not in a rush. I'll take a look around in the next couple of days and just take any job that comes my way for now. But let's set that aside, I still have some money left. Let's grab a bite and catch a movie!"

With that, Eustace wrapped his arm around Dagny's willowy waist, and they departed amidst laughter and light-hearted banter.

Dagny didn't opt for an upscale eatery. Instead, they chose a humble roadside diner, enjoyed a simple bowl of noodles, and then headed to the movie theater. Upon arrival, they were greeted by an enormous movie poster.

"Look, Eustace, it's Eadlyn's new film! She's the current darling of the film industry, the nation's sweetheart. Eztli adores her—she even has Eadlyn as her phone wallpaper," Dagny exclaimed with delight.

Eadlyn, with her stunning looks and figure, was indeed a sensation, a true beauty of the age. Yet, to Eustace, no starlet, no matter how gorgeous, could hold a candle to his wife.

"Do you like her as well?" he asked.

Dagny nodded, her eyes alight with admiration. "Of course, she's everyone's idol. What woman wouldn't admire her? According to this poster, she's coming to Rustin in a few days to promote her latest movie."

"Eztli will be over the moon when she hears this; she's been dying to get Eadlyn's autograph. But Eadlyn's fanbase is massive, and her publicity events are always packed to the brim. The average fan hardly gets a glimpse of her, let alone snag an autograph."

Just then, an announcement boomed through the speakers.

"Attention to all guests attending the 7:30 PM screening of 'The Billionaire of Dawnville.' Ticket checking is now commencing. Please proceed to the ticket booth."

"The movie's about to start! Honey, let's hurry and get our tickets checked!"

Dagny tugged at Eustace's hand, and they quickly made their way to the ticket booth.

The film was a comedy, brimming with laugh-out-loud moments. Dagny laughed so hard from start to finish that she ended up in tears of joy.

On the taxi ride home, Dagny couldn't stop discussing the movie with Eustace, breaking into laughter every so often.

Seeing Dagny so cheerful warmed Eustace's heart.

Upon reaching the entrance of their neighborhood, they stepped out of the cab. A red Porsche caught their eye, parked right at the entrance. It was an unusual sight in their modest neighborhood, where luxury cars like that were a rarity.

Inside the Porsche, a couple was getting cozy.

"Honey, isn't that Eztli in the car?"

Dagny squinted for a better look, her expression souring at the sight of Arno's hand slipping into Eztli's clothing. She couldn't hold back any longer.

She marched up to the Porsche and knocked on the window, startling the couple inside.

Eztli, recognizing her sister, quickly pushed Arno away and straightened her hair and clothes.

Arno, looking rather deflated, opened the door and stepped out.

"Haha, Dagny? I was just dropping Eztli off."

Dagny, unfazed by Arno, said sternly, "Eztli, get out of the car."

Eztli emerged, her cheeks still tinged with red, avoiding Dagny's gaze.

"Come home with me."

Dagny took Eztli by the hand and led her toward their apartment complex.

"Sis, what are you up to? I haven't even said goodbye to Arno yet... Arno, I'm heading home, see you tomorrow!"

Arno waved with a smile and called out, "Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Eustace exchanged a glance with Arno and said, "You should head home early, don't make your folks worry."

Just then, Dagny noticed Eustace lagging behind and called out, "Honey, what's holding you up? Let's go home!"

Arno, wiping away the lipstick mark from his mouth, scoffed, "Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? If it weren't for Eztli's sake, I wouldn't give you the time of day. A grown man, fully capable, living off a woman—aren't you ashamed?"

With that, Arno flashed a dismissive thumbs-down at Eustace and drove off in his Porsche.

Eztli jerked her hand away from Dagny's grip and glared at Eustace.

"Eustace, what did you just say to Arno?"

"Just told him to get home early, to ease his parents' minds," Eustace replied.

Eztli folded her arms and retorted, "What do you care if he goes home or not? Mind your own business, will you?"

Dagny frowned, clearly displeased, "Eztli, how can you speak to your brother-in-law like that? And what were you doing with Arno in the car just now? Aren't you embarrassed?"

Eztli huffed and turned away, "Embarrassed? We haven't done anything wrong. It's normal for couples to be affectionate. Haven't you and Eustace ever been?"

Dagny, growing more upset, shot back, "But you should choose your moments! Right at the complex entrance, in the car, with people passing by—if the neighbors see, won't you be mortified?"

"It's late; nobody's around. I'm done talking about this."

With that, Eztli spun on her heel and dashed upstairs.

Eustace tried to soothe his wife, "Don't be mad, honey. Eztli's an adult; she'll figure it out."

Dagny shook her head in resignation and remarked, "Eztli has been coddled since she was little. She only recently graduated from college and still acts like a child, unaware of the complexities of social etiquette. I'm concerned she might be taken advantage of."

Reflecting on Arno's deferential behavior at the Phelps home earlier today, contrasted with his recent display of arrogance and contempt, it was clear he was duplicitous.

Yet, Eztli and her parents were quite taken with Arno. If Eustace were to criticize him, he'd surely be berated and accused of stirring up trouble.

"They're about to get engaged, aren't they? We should probably keep our concerns to ourselves to avoid alienating Eztli."

Eztli expressed her concerns with a troubled tone, "At our first meeting today, I initially thought Arno was decent, but what I saw at the doorstep... he must have coerced her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so brazenly."