"She..." Evelyn hesitated slightly, then sighed. "She doesn’t like you. She didn’t grow up to know you when you were alright. By the time she started noticing things, you had lost your job and..."
She didn’t need to continue.
Ethan nodded slowly, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh. "I’m a little confused about what to do. I’ve tried paying more attention to her, but she just fakes her reactions, I guess."
Evelyn’s eyes dimmed with sadness, and she didn’t know what to say. Her family was already becoming whole again, but knowing that her daughter didn’t like Ethan, she couldn’t be fully happy.
Ethan’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and he thought, ’I don’t think they’re all fake reactions, though.’
He remembered her smiling when they went to the restaurant, laughing when he did something hilarious. Those reactions couldn’t have been faked.
’Then why...? Is she restraining herself?’
"What are you thinking about?" Evelyn asked, noticing his furrowed brows.
Ethan shook his head and said, "I was just thinking about what to do."
He blinked at her, then smiled and pulled her into his arms. "Don’t worry, though. I’ll think of something to please her. We’ll be one happy family again."
Evelyn hummed and melted in his embrace, satisfied.
......
Two days later, the family of three stood before the beautiful gate of their new house, all filled with a profound sense of pride.
Ethan had a hand on Nora’s shoulder and another around Evelyn’s waist. He looked ahead and smiled.
"Welcome to our new home."
Standing a few steps away, Lucas clapped and said, "Congratulations, Brother Ethan. You’re slowly moving up the ladder. Soon, you’ll buy a penthouse and move into one."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Probably not."
He glanced at Evelyn and smiled. "Let’s go inside."
Two men followed them, carrying bags containing things that Evelyn hadn’t been willing to leave behind.
They finally settled into their new house, far more easily than expected. There were no heavy loads to pack, and the whole place had been arranged and prepared in advance.
Ethan smiled in satisfaction. The money invested in this was definitely worth it.
"Ethan, come take a look at this."
Hearing Evelyn call him, he walked towards her. She was holding a framed picture in her hand, and he looked at it.
It was a picture of him and Evelyn carrying a very young Nora between them. Each of them wore genuinely happy smiles, and they looked happy together.
Ethan felt something stir in his heart, but he didn’t even know what it was. He suddenly gained an idea and looked toward Nora.
She was seated on the couch, clutching her teddy bear while staring at the screen of the large television powering up.
Ever since they had gone to the cinema together, she had developed an interest in movies and TV shows. Sadly, there had been no television in the old house.
Here, however, there was a large flat-screen TV that she could watch whenever she wanted. Nora was very eager to watch a movie.
"Nora, you should come see this."
The little girl turned to him with surprise and curiosity. "What’s that?"
Ethan waved the frame at her. "It’s a picture. Come look."
She got up from the chair and came toward him. Ethan handed her the frame with a smile.
"You have really grown a lot, haven’t you?"
Nora checked the picture, then froze. She could see her younger self—around three years old—smiling happily with innocence in her eyes.
She couldn’t remember the exact time the picture was taken, but seeing it made her heart flutter strangely.
’My childhood...’
It had been blissful. It must have been, since she couldn’t remember. Sadly, Ethan just had to ruin it for her.
’When was the last time I smiled like this?’
To her surprise, the answer unsettled her. She remembered cooperating with Ethan to tease Evelyn recently.
’Why did I do that? Have I forgotten what he is?’
She held the picture in her hand for a while, and Ethan didn’t interrupt. Only after a full minute did he collect the picture from her.
"Do you want it hung in the living room? Small things like this usually matter a lot."
Nora hesitated slightly, then nodded.
Ethan smiled and turned away. "You should go watch the TC. It’s already on."
She turned back to the television and walked over to the couch. Sadly, her focus was no longer the movie being played.
It was something else. Something that troubled her greatly.
Ethan left her alone in the living room and headed to the balcony.
Evelyn was there, admiring the flowers that had been planted and carefully tended.
The glass roof allowed softened sunlight to shine upon the plants, and the cool air brushed their leaves gently.
Evelyn smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool, morning breeze. Hearing Ethan approach from behind, she opened her eyes and turned to him.
"It’s really beautiful!"
Ethan nodded. "They did a good job. Though, it’s up to us to maintain it."
Evelyn’s smile widened into a grin, and she gave him a thumbs-up.
"Leave it to me!"
Ethan chuckled and held her hand, leading her to the reclining chairs that had been provided under the shade.
The two of them sat down and relaxed, momentarily letting go of their worries. Ethan allowed himself to think back to his life as Victor, remembering the people who had worked for him and his business partners.
’If that reality still exists without me... how is Eric doing?’
He couldn’t help but wonder, curious about the well-being of his secretary.
Evelyn also stopped worrying about her strained relationship with her parents. Instead, she enjoyed the calmness, filling herself with positive thoughts.
She couldn’t help but imagine owning hundreds of fruit shops and watching as customers flooded the place. The thought alone brought an eager smile to her face.
On the other hand, Nora was deeply troubled, unable to focus on the movie she had been trying to watch. Two parts of her were clashing. A part of her that absolutely hated Ethan for all she knew him to be, and another part that had witnessed the change in him recently.
’Am I... being paranoid?’
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter