Chapter 69: A Hegemon In The Business World

"Brother-in-law, you really gave my parents a huge scare," Cole started as soon as Ethan answered the call.

The young man rolled his eyes and said, "What...? I literally told you guys that I don’t remember poisoning it. You were the ones who didn’t take my words seriously."

Clicking his tongue, Cole didn’t buy it. "Sheesh, I know brother-in-law is a sneaky one. Anyway, that was a good way to get them off your back for a while. I’m sure my dad would be wary of visiting you again."

Ethan merely chuckled and didn’t respond to that. Instead, he asked, "How has the project been? You don’t need assistance again, do you?"

"Hm? No, not at all," Cole said, sounding relaxed. "Your proposal was detailed enough, and I’m following it line by line like it’s some scripture or something, haha."

Ethan nodded, and Cole continued.

"It’s just that I’ve been having a lot of competition in the office lately. Many people have been questioning the boss about my placement and they want me demoted. Thankfully, Boss can ignore them all, and they can do nothing but whine, so it’s fine."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "Do you want them kicked out of the company?"

"What? No!" Cole gasped in shock, then cooled down a bit. "Uh... maybe there’s someone who’s more irritating than the others."

"Who?" Ethan asked casually.

"Frank Roy," Cole answered, sounding irritated at the mere mention of the name. "He’s from a subordinate branch, but he has considerable influence and he’s been pestering me lately. Tch, bastard even dared to ask me why I haven’t married, yapping about his own upcoming wedding ceremony and whatnot."

Rolling his eyes, Ethan joked with a chuckle. "He wasn’t wrong when asking that, though."

He vividly remembered that guy, Melinda’s fiancé who had tried hitting on Evelyn.

Shaking his head, he thought, ’That man has shitty luck. Losing his job right before his wedding.’

Cole sighed. "Meh, I don’t want to think about it. Anyway, he better not annoy me too much, otherwise I’d punch him in the gut and steal his wife or something."

Raising an eyebrow, Ethan smiled faintly. "You? Steal his wife? With what?"

Cole sounded hurt. "Hey, you didn’t have to be that harsh. I was just saying..."

Clicking his tongue, he said, "You know what? I think I’m going to go get some sleep. I need to be at the site tomorrow. We’ll catch up later."

Ethan nodded and cut the call. Feeling sleepy too, he stood up and turned off the TV before going to join his wife and daughter in the bedroom.

......

The next morning, Evelyn prepared breakfast under Ethan’s guidance, making jollof pasta for the family. Again, there was improvement, and Ethan felt proud of her.

After tidying up the house and watering the plants on the balcony, they all left the house on Ethan’s motorcycle and headed to the shop.

As usual, Cassandra arrived early, already opening the shop by herself before they arrived.

Ethan and Evelyn assisted her, and they quickly put everything in place after the delivery truck came and left.

Ethan sat by the bench outside the shop, wearing a pair of neat glasses as he read newspapers with his legs crossed. Occasionally, a few people would glance at him, wondering who he was and what he was doing.

Intrigued, a young woman approached him and said, "Um... hi. Nice shirt you’ve got there."

Ethan blinked, looked at the fruit mascot shirt he was wearing, then nodded with a smile. "Thank you."

The woman relaxed slightly, then opened her mouth to ask for his name. Before she could, Evelyn’s voice reached them.

"Honey? Can you come help me with this?"

The young lady froze, then immediately turned to Evelyn who was staring at her with sharp eyes.

Ethan folded the newspapers and stood up. Passing by the lady, he said, "Nice scrunchies you have there too."

She blushed and hurriedly retreated, embarrassed that she had tried hitting on a married man.

When Ethan entered the shop, Evelyn shot him a displeased look and pouted. "I already did what I called you for. No need."

Ethan chuckled and pecked her cheek before retreating. Just as she was about to say something, a white limousine parked in front of their shop, and Lucas stepped out after the driver opened the door.

The couple immediately turned to him.

"Hello, Lucas!" Evelyn waved at him with a smile.

The man also smiled back. "Ah, Sister Evelyn. It has been a while."

Ethan stepped out of the shop to meet him. "You came in white today. What? A change of taste?"

Scratching his head, Lucas replied with an awkward laugh. "Haha, not at all. I just didn’t want to bring the black one today. Haha."

His gaze fell on the Honda Gold Wing Tour parked by the shop, and he asked, "Brother Ethan, did you buy that?"

Ethan nodded. "I just needed something simple and convenient."

Knowing what Lucas was going to say, he continued. "I don’t need a car yet. When I need it, I’ll let you know."

The man smiled and nodded. "Hehe, that’s good, Brother Ethan."

Then, Lucas sighed. "Haa... it really hasn’t been easy since the government made their move."

Raising an eyebrow, Ethan inquired, "What do you mean?"

"I think I took your advice too seriously and bought too many properties here in Cold River District," Lucas said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, my competitors and other companies are on my neck, claiming I’m monopolizing the economy of an entire district to myself. Those people really suck at making allegations."

Ethan’s lips twitched, and he laughed loudly. After calming down a bit, he shook his head and said to Lucas, "If you cannot handle the pressure of a few jealous people, then you are not ready to become a hegemon in the business world."

The man blinked as enlightenment dawned upon him. Before he could say anything, Ethan’s phone rang.

Staring at the unfamiliar caller ID for a moment, Ethan eventually answered the call.

"Hello?"