Life Through the American TV Show World

At the Channing family's villa. 

Caroline made a dazzling entrance. 

The center of attention. 

Under Martin's lead, every step she took triggered a wave of flattery. 

If compliments could be cashed in, Caroline would instantly go from a princess to a queen. 

"Congratulations, Miss Channing," Adam said with a smile. 

"Thank you." 

Caroline glanced at Max and replied with a reserved smile, "I love *Lord of the Mysteries.* Do you think I look like Audrey?" 

"..." 

Adam paused, examined Caroline again, and nodded. "You do. You just need a Susie." 

Though he said that, he couldn't help but internally complain—why did every fan he met love comparing themselves to Audrey? The confidence was unreal. 

That said, Caroline did have some resemblance. With her blonde hair, sweet and innocent looks, and a personal trust fund worth 800 million dollars, she was undoubtedly a financial powerhouse—kind of like Audrey. 

"I do have a Susie," Caroline said with a smile. "She's just not suited for this kind of occasion, so one of the maids is taking care of her." 

"Looks like you really love Audrey," Adam remarked. 

"Yes, I see a lot of myself in her," Caroline said playfully. "Are you sure you didn't model her after me?" 

"Hahaha!" 

Adam couldn't help but laugh. 

No, definitely not. You're overthinking it. 

"And this is…?" Caroline turned to Max, her gaze scrutinizing. 

She couldn't help it—she was naturally tall, and with her high heels, she was practically looking down at Max. 

"I'm Max," Max replied. 

Having been around the block, Max was highly sensitive to these kinds of looks. She immediately straightened her back, puffed out her chest, and silently declared: *I'm super fierce!* 

"Adam must be really funny," Caroline glanced at Max again, growing more irritated. She couldn't hold back any longer and said with a hint of sarcasm, "What did he say just now that made you laugh so much? He wasn't talking about me, was he?" 

"He actually was," Max said bluntly. Feeling Caroline's aggression, she got fired up. Suddenly, she wasn't tired anymore—her back didn't ache, and her breath didn't falter. She declared honestly, "He said you're a princess. But I'm a princess too. Everyone's a princess. Maybe one day, we'll even become best friends…" 

"Hahaha!" 

Before Max could finish, Caroline burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! Adam, no wonder you're a writer—you're really funny. I love that about you." 

Max's face darkened. Her sharp tongue kicked in immediately. "Glad you liked it. Funny, right? I thought so too, which is why I told him—if I really do become your best friend one day, we'll both keep him company. What do you say, sis?" 

"Sure," Caroline replied casually, but her eyes were full of arrogance and disdain, clearly saying: *Yeah, right. You and I? Best friends?* 

Little did she know that her seemingly unstoppable, glamorous family would collapse in just a few years. 

By then, she would fall from being a high-and-mighty billionaire heiress to being completely broke and alone. 

Even worse, her father's financial scams had ruined countless wealthy investors, causing bankruptcies and even suicides. He had not only offended those he scammed but had also terrified the entire elite class of New York and the country. 

The billionaires who had almost invested but pulled out at the last second were especially shaken. 

After all, the worst nightmare for the rich isn't dying—it's losing all their money while still being alive. 

The wealthier they were, the more they feared falling from grace. 

So even though Caroline would later graduate from Wharton, a top business school, and had incredible talent—having been trained by her financial genius father from a young age—no one would hire her. 

No one dared to. 

The Channing family name had become synonymous with fraud, even demonic deception. 

That was the real reason Caroline ended up waiting tables. 

With so many angry victims and fearful elites out there, her future in finance was doomed. 

And outside of finance, what skills did a former billionaire heiress even have? 

The answer: none. 

Starting from the bottom and building something from scratch was a struggle she couldn't even imagine. Even though she tried to stay positive and plan her comeback, every time she hit a major obstacle, she would think about giving up. 

If it weren't for a stroke of luck—meeting Max—she probably would've broken down completely, no matter how optimistic she tried to be. 

And Max? 

She had been through endless hardships since childhood. The last thing she feared was obstacles. 

Most importantly, she still had a kind heart, which perfectly balanced Caroline's arrogance and inability to endure hardship. 

That's why they made the perfect duo—the *Broke Girls.* 

But at this moment, they had no idea what fate had in store for them. 

Every single one of them was overflowing with confidence. 

Caroline's reaction said it all. She wasn't even focused on the wild *threesome* joke—she was just amused by the idea of becoming best friends with Max. 

Adam listened from the side, feeling incredibly conflicted. He really wanted to warn them: *Whatever you do, don't jinx it!* 

But at this point in time, no one really got the joke about jinxing things, so he just smiled helplessly. 

Should he step in when the time came, or…? 

After Caroline left. 

"Bitch," Max muttered under her breath. "Rich girls like her are always the worst." 

"That's just because she's never been hit by the reality check of society," Adam said with a smile. "If she ever does, who knows? Maybe you two really will become best friends." 

"You *really* want that, huh?" Max shot Adam a side-eye. "If you've got the guts, go over there right now and give her a brutal reality check. I wouldn't mind helping out—teach her a lesson or two." 

"..." 

Adam was speechless. 

Though the idea had crossed his mind, hearing Max say it so bluntly made him too embarrassed to respond. 

"*Sigh.* Guess I really am too much of a gentleman," Adam sighed internally. 

If it were Joey, Barney, Howard, Lü Xiaobu, or Oleg, they wouldn't have hesitated for a second. Their jokes would've been even wilder. 

Compared to them, Adam really *was* a proper gentleman. 

The rest of the party continued to revolve around Caroline. 

Meanwhile, Adam and Max focused on eating, drinking, and gossiping. They overheard quite a few juicy tidbits. 

Caroline was set to graduate next year and had already secured a spot at Wharton in Pennsylvania. That meant the Channing family's collapse was still about four years away. 

If Adam were more experienced in short selling and didn't naturally distrust risky investments, he could've made a fortune by betting against Martin Channing. 

After all, in finance, you don't just make money when prices go up—you can profit when they fall too. That's why the saying goes: *It doesn't matter if the market goes up or down. As long as there's volatility, there's profit.* 

The bigger the fluctuations, the bigger the profits. 

With the scale of Martin Channing's scam, if someone could time the crash perfectly, they'd make an absolute killing by shorting it. 

But Adam wasn't willing to take that risk. 

Even knowing the general outcome wasn't enough—predicting the exact timing was nearly impossible. One wrong move, and instead of profiting, you'd be wiped out. 

That's how brutal finance could be. 

Those legendary time travelers who supposedly made fortunes with vague memories? Yeah, they must've had cheat codes. 

---