Chapter 113: A Day Without Alexa

Ethan woke up early the following morning, as usual.

After washing up, he walked into the living room and began his daily exercise. He started with a few stretches before moving on to push-ups, sit-ups, and several other exercises to keep his body in shape.

Although his current body was considerably younger than the one he had possessed in his previous life, he had no intention of neglecting it. A healthy body was essential, especially when he had a family to protect and businesses to manage.

After finishing his exercise, Ethan took a shower and headed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

By the time Evelyn and Nora came out of the room, the kitchen was already filled with the aroma of freshly prepared food.

"Good morning, Dad!"

Nora greeted him as she entered the kitchen, her eyes immediately landing on the food.

"Good morning." Ethan glanced at her, amused. "You seem more interested in breakfast than in greeting me."

"That’s because breakfast smells delicious." Nora pulled out a chair and sat down. "Besides, I greeted you already."

Evelyn chuckled as she joined them. "Don’t tease her. She’s still growing."

"Then she should eat more." Ethan placed another serving on the table. "Come on. We need to leave soon."

The three of them enjoyed breakfast together before getting ready to leave.

As usual, Ethan drove Evelyn to Eve Refreshments before taking Nora to school. After dropping his wife at the shop, he watched her walk inside before driving away.

He still had a few things to think about concerning Lucas and the Fertility Pill, but there was no reason to spend the entire day worrying over something he hadn’t decided to do yet.

Besides, he had a business to help run.

By the time Ethan returned to Eve Refreshments, Evelyn had already begun arranging the fruits while Cassandra helped organize the main shop. Across the adjoining space, Maya and Gilbert were busy at the smoothie and juice shop.

Maya stood behind the counter, preparing an order while occasionally glancing at her phone. Gilbert, meanwhile, had positioned himself near the entrance, recording short clips of the colorful drinks on display.

"Try turning the cup slightly toward the light," Maya suggested.

Gilbert adjusted the angle of his phone.

"Like this?"

"Yes, that’s better." She leaned closer to inspect the screen. "The colors look more appealing now. Make sure you record the one with the mango and strawberry layers too."

"You’re the expert."

"Of course I am." Maya smiled proudly. "Now, stop talking and keep recording."

Gilbert laughed before returning to work.

Ethan watched them for a moment before walking into the main shop.

"How’s business?"

Evelyn looked up from the fruits she was arranging, her face brightening with a smile.

"Not bad. We’ve already had a few customers this morning, and there’s still a lot of time left."

"That’s good."

Ethan rolled up his sleeves and joined her, helping arrange the crates of fruits that had arrived earlier.

Business gradually picked up as more customers entered the shop. Some came to purchase small quantities for their homes, while others wanted to buy fruits in bulk.

It wasn’t long before a middle-aged woman approached Evelyn with a shopping basket.

"Good morning. How much are these apples?"

Evelyn gave her the price with a polite smile.

The woman’s eyebrows rose.

"That much? I bought apples from another shop yesterday, and they were cheaper."

Evelyn didn’t let the comment affect her expression. Instead, she picked up one of the apples and showed it to the woman.

"I understand. Prices can vary from one shop to another, but these arrived recently, and we’ve been careful about how they’re stored. You can see that they’re fresh, and the quality is consistent."

The woman examined the apple in her hand.

"Still, can’t you reduce the price a little? I’m buying several."

"How many would you like?"

"Perhaps ten."

Evelyn nodded.

"If you’re buying ten, I can give you a small discount. However, I wouldn’t want to promise you a price that would compromise the quality of the fruits we sell."

The woman hesitated before looking at the apples again.

"All right. Give me ten."

"Certainly." She smiled.

Evelyn quickly selected the fruits and packed them into a bag.

Watching the exchange from the side, Ethan smiled faintly.

’She’s getting better at this.’

He had seen plenty of business owners ruin perfectly good sales because they either became defensive when customers complained or lowered their prices too quickly. Evelyn, on the other hand, knew how to remain polite without allowing customers to dictate the terms of every transaction.

She wasn’t trying to win every argument. She simply understood the value of what she was selling.

Another customer arrived shortly afterward, this time a man who wanted several bunches of bananas.

He attempted to negotiate the price, but Evelyn explained the available options and offered him a reasonable discount for the quantity he intended to purchase. After a brief discussion, the man agreed.

"You’re quite good at this," Ethan remarked when the customer left.

Evelyn glanced at him, grinning.

"Did you think I would be bad at running my own business?"

"Not at all." He shook his head, amused. "I was simply admiring your skills."

Her cheeks warmed slightly.

"You’re becoming quite good at flattering people."

"Only when they deserve it."

Evelyn rolled her eyes, though the smile on her face remained.

The morning passed quickly. Ethan helped with the bulk orders, moved crates when necessary, and occasionally assisted customers who needed recommendations. Meanwhile, the smoothie shop continued receiving orders, with Maya handling customers and monitoring the shop’s social media account whenever she had a spare moment.

Gilbert had also begun collecting footage that could be used for future promotional videos.

By early afternoon, Ethan checked the time and prepared to leave.

"I’m going to pick Nora up."

Evelyn nodded and hugged him.

"All right. Be careful on the road."

"I will."

He gave her a brief smile before heading outside.

When Ethan arrived at the school, he parked in the designated area and waited for the students to come out.

A few minutes later, Nora appeared among the other children. She spotted the BMW and immediately hurried toward it.

"Dad!"

Ethan opened the passenger door for her.

"How was school?"

"Fine." Nora climbed inside and fastened her seat belt. "But Alexa and I couldn’t play together today."

Ethan glanced at her. "Why?"

"She had extra lessons. She told me yesterday that she’d be staying behind after school."

"Oh..." He nodded slowly.

Nora pouted. "It was boring without her."

"Then you’ll have to find something else to do when she’s unavailable," He said.

"I did. I read a book during break."

"That sounds productive."

"It wasn’t that interesting."

Ethan laughed softly as he started the car.

The drive home was relatively peaceful, with Nora occasionally telling him about her classes. By the time they returned, she had already forgotten most of her complaints and was asking what they would have for dinner.

Ethan listened to her, amused. For now, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about their lives. And perhaps that was a good thing.