Chapter 81: Another Visit (4)

After ending the call with Vincent, Ethan called Lucas next. The CEO didn’t pick the call, so he deduced that the man was probably in a meeting or... spending time with his wife.

’Hmm...’

Shaking his head, he decided to call Cole instead. Unsurprisingly, the man answered the call after a few seconds.

"Brother-in-law, how’re you doing? It’s been a while."

Ethan’s lips twitched, and he answered, "I’ve been good. How about you? How’s work going? Did you receive a promotion? Did anyone bully you? Do you need someone to talk to? I know a few people that can help."

"Uh... Ethan...?" Cole asked, sounding unsure. "Why are you bombarding me with questions?"

"Oh, you finally noticed?" Ethan chuckled. "At least exchange good afternoon with me before saying other words. You just jumped straight into the conversation. Doesn’t make you any different from Vincent."

"Oh. My bad, my bad." Cole laughed awkwardly. "I was just greeting. Sorry."

"Nah, it’s fine." Ethan rolled his eyes. "By the way, have you finally gotten a spouse?"

Cole fell silent, then answered, "Why do I have a feeling that saying no will result in what I don’t want?"

"Bingo!" Ethan snapped his fingers. "You haven’t gotten one, right? There’s this blind date show I know about. If you’re interested, I’ll help you sign up."

"Blind date?" Cole scoffed. "There’s no way I’m interested in that. It’s too shady."

"What? No, it isn’t. That’s how Billy and Elizabeth got together," Ethan countered.

"Billy and Elizabeth, huh? They’re really a strange couple. So they met on a blind date?" Cole asked, unsure.

"Yes, they did. And look at them now, they’re happily married with kids. Don’t you want to do the same and carry your kid?"

Cole sighed. "I want to, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. I haven’t gotten myself properly settled yet."

Ethan nodded. "I understand. I’m not pressuring you. Just curious. Your parents are getting older every day, after all. And they must want kids from you too."

"Yeah, you’re right." Cole agreed. "I’ll just hope I meet the right person at the right time."

Ethan smiled. "I’m loving that determination. Not bad."

"Hehe, of course you would. My determination is the best in the world." He laughed loudly, then lowered his voice as he remembered something. "Oh, right! Did I tell you? That dickhead Frank was kicked out of the office. I heard he was involved in fraud or something, but I don’t really care anyway. Good thing is that he’s finally off my tail."

Ethan pretended to be surprised. "Oh? That’s a relief. No one would pester you any longer. Besides, how’s the project going?"

Cole cleared his throat and answered, "Pretty good so far. We’re still in the building phase, but we’ll launch it in about a month. The Boss seems excited."

Imagining Lucas rubbing his palms and grinning, Ethan laughed. "Well, yeah, he should be excited. Anyway, that should be the end of it. Do you have something to say?"

"No, no. Not at all. I’m fine." Cole replied heartily. "I’ll be off now. By the way, thanks for dealing with that bug. I know you were the one behind him getting kicked out. Talk to you later."

Before Ethan could say anything, Cole ended the call.

Ethan stared at the phone with a speechless expression. "This guy..."

He shook his head and took another sip of his wine.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated, and he saw Lucas’s call on it. Humming, he answered the call.

"Hello, Lucas," He said heartily.

Lucas replied quickly. "Brother Ethan, good afternoon. Hehe. Sorry I missed your call. I just concluded a meeting and forgot to remove my phone from silent mode."

"Oh, it’s alright." Ethan shrugged. "How’s the thing I asked you to do?"

"That? Heh, I’ve started processing it." Lucas answered, his voice carrying a grin that couldn’t be seen. "I’ve contacted both companies and they seem pretty interested."

Ethan nodded. "Your Stark Industries has a good reputation, after all. Small fry like them would definitely want to suck up to you."

"Oh, yeah. That’s true." Lucas laughed lightly. "If things turn out well, we should be completing the deal tomorrow. But I’m having an issue, actually. Even if I buy them, what use would they be to me?"

Ethan took a slow sip before answering. "You might not need them, but others do. Once the Yin and Yang Games are affiliated with you, their customers will become your customers and vice versa."

He paused, taking another slow sip.

"Besides, other companies that need their services will flock them since they have your backing already. Don’t worry, you’ll realize it isn’t a waste buying them."

"Hmm. Alright." Lucas agreed. "I think you’ve opened my eyes to a few scenarios that could really help me. Thanks, Brother Ethan."

"Nah, it’s nothing serious." Ethan shrugged. "You’re running errands for me, after all. I have to make sure you don’t lose a cut on the Tuesday deal."

Lucas chuckled. "Hehe, you always have me in mind, don’t you? Hm, this makes me feel good."

Ethan shook his head and decided to end the call. "You should go touch grass or something before you start sounding like a creep."

"What? No! Brother Eth—"

Ethan pressed the red button, ending the call.

He patted Prat’s head, and looked up at the tree in the garden. Suddenly, he heard a loud bellow that made him flinch.

"WHO OPENED MY WINE BOTTLE?!"

Ethan stiffened at his father’s voice, and he looked at the wine he was drinking.

’It can’t be this one, right? Maybe a coincidence?’

He shook his head. ’Yeah, right.’

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming his way, he quickly put the cup of wine before the dog.

Curious, it stuck its snout inside the cup and began licking the wine eagerly.

Ethan shifted away a little, maintaining some distance from the dog. ’Sorry, pal. You’re the sacrifice for today.’

Soon, the back door was opened forcefully, and Jason stormed into the balcony. His gaze landed on Ethan.

"Dad?" Ethan turned to him, blinking innocently.

Jason ignored him and turned to the dog. Seeing it drink something inside the cup, his expression changed.

"Prat... drank my wine?"