Hollywood Taxes: A Tycoon in TV Land

### Chapter 43: Caroline's Prince

"I'm sorry, but the other girl is mine too, or rather, I've known her longer than that busty one," Ron said, feeling Caroline's gaze sweep through the bar. He quickly hunched down, not wanting to face both girls at the same time.

After all, he didn't yet possess the charm to persuade two stunning beauties to join him in a game.

The two nerdy scientists simultaneously gave Ron a thumbs up, their eyes filled with admiration as they sincerely said, "Ron, you're truly the best at charming girls among everyone we know!"

"If you're comparing me to that other bespectacled dreamer and my brother, who has no interest in women whatsoever, then sure, I must be the best playboy you all know. Of course, I'd prefer to hear that compliment from a woman in a different context."

"Oh~ Ron, you're just amazing~" Howard squeaked, and Ron playfully punched him lightly on the back.

"Howard, you're disgusting!"

"Alright, can you tell me why you look a bit scared to meet them right now?" Howard mused. "Could it be that you accidentally got so excited you wet your pants? If I were with those two cuties, I'd rather exhaust myself than have an accident."

"I'm not that bad; after all, I'm a secret agent, and my physical capabilities are much better than the average person." Ron watched as his two friends finally chatted and laughed with the bartender at the other end of the bar, allowing him to relax and regain his normal posture.

"It's just that due to some unforeseen circumstances, I ended up having some delightful encounters with both of them on the same day, but I didn't realize they knew each other. To ensure I can maintain contact with both, I can only try to meet them separately.

One day, I hope one of them will say to me, 'Hey, Ron, you're just so amazing; I can't handle this alone. How about we invite my good friend to join us?'"

Ron helplessly spread his hands.

He admitted that viewing things through the lens of his past life's Eastern mindset felt a bit scummy, and from a conservative Western perspective, it seemed a little sleazy too. But, given the stark cultural divides in Europe and America, at least in Los Angeles, it seemed somewhat acceptable?

It was just unfortunate that these two girls had moved in together before he could arrange things properly. Was this some sort of dramatic momentum? He figured, based on what he knew about Caroline, her pride was not low enough to be okay with playing along with a friend.

Well, regardless, Ron felt a twinge of jealousy watching the two of them laugh with the handsome bartender. Damn that possessiveness!

Just then, as the trio chatted, Caroline downed a shot of tequila given to her by someone else and gasped.

"Wow! Just one shot of tequila can make her like this; what would happen with XX?" Max exclaimed, startled.

"Same expression, but silent." Caroline began to look around and accidentally spotted the woman she clashed with at the thrift store earlier that day. She nudged Max beside her.

"Oh my god! It's that bitch from the thrift store! I'm going to get you some justice, my dear friend~"

With that, Caroline's words were laced with a hint of drunkenness. Ron's heart tightened as he realized Caroline's terrible tolerance for alcohol.

What if she was about to stir up trouble again today? Ron silently picked up his drink and moved a few steps closer, ready to support Caroline if things went awry, just like the first time they met.

Sure enough, Caroline strutted over to the tattooed girl sitting in a guy's lap. "Hey, I want to talk about that T-shirt at the thrift store today. My friend had it first, but your friend took it."

"What are you talking about?! Bitch!" The tattooed girl stood up from the guy's lap, refusing to back down.

"Even though we didn't make a good first impression..." Caroline tried to reason, but was cut off before she could finish her thought.

"Do you want me to give you a kick to make a deeper impression, you slut?"

Ron awkwardly shook his head; compared to the streetwise bravado of the tattooed girl, Caroline looked weak.

"Well, it seems everyone knows what kind of language you love to use." Caroline encountered this completely unreasonable woman for the first time, momentarily at a loss for words, and could only retreat, but the other girl had no intention of letting her go, yanking her hair from behind.

"Ah!" Caroline angrily turned around, "This is my naturally beautiful hair! Slut!"

Caroline cherished her hair, but just as she prepared to leave again, her hair was yanked hard once more, and this time the tattooed girl didn't let go.

Ron had unknowingly strolled over to Max. "Aren't you going to help your friend?"

"Don't, don't, don't! Her name is Caroline; she's a delicate flower. I think she needs to get punched a few times to learn her lesson~ Ron, what are you doing here?" Max was no stranger to bar fights; he was rather surprised to see Ron.

Feigning casualness, Ron replied, "I came to meet a friend, but clearly, I've been stood up."

"A girl?" Max's tone made it unclear whether he was jealous or not.

"A guy, Hector; the bartender here should know him."

The bartender nodded in agreement, and then they heard Caroline's scream; clearly, the tattooed girl had intensified her grip.

"I think I should step in now~" Ron downed the shot of tequila that Max had taken a sip from.

"Go for it, Prince Charming~" Max cheered from behind.

Unexpectedly, Ron casually walked past the tattooed girl who was pulling Caroline's hair without taking any action, until he reached the boyfriend of the tattooed girl, who was watching the scene with crossed arms. This was also why, despite Caroline being much prettier than the tattooed girl, no one came to rescue her.

Her boyfriend looked too strong! But suddenly, Ron snapped.

He grabbed the boyfriend's long hair and forcefully pulled down while lifting his left leg, causing the man's face to collide intimately with Ron's knee, leaving him bloodied and even causing a few teeth to fly out.

"Get your bitch out of here, or I'll kill you!" Ron looked down at the burly man.

"Go to hell, you slut!" The burly man shouted back, echoing his girlfriend's sentiment, and tried to break free, grabbing a bottle from the table to throw at Ron's handsome face.

"Watch out!" Max yelled.

The words were quick, but Ron's movements were quicker. Just as everyone thought Ron's head would be smashed by the bottle in the burly man's hands, Ron sidestepped, stepping into the man's embrace and leaning his shoulder against his chest.

The burly man flew back like a villain from a martial arts movie, crashing heavily against the wall.

"I don't even need to use my hands to deal with trash like you."