Chapter 114: Suspicious Businessman

The following morning, Ethan repeated his usual routine.

He exercised in the living room, took a shower, and headed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. However, just as he began arranging the dishes on the table, Evelyn walked in and tied an apron around her waist.

"Move aside. I’ll help you."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"You’re volunteering to cook?"

"Hey, don’t look so surprised." Evelyn gave him a playful glare. "I know how to cook, you know."

"I never said you didn’t."

"But you were thinking it." She pursed her lips.

Ethan chuckled.

’She’s becoming more comfortable teasing me.’

He moved aside to give her room, and the two of them finished preparing breakfast together.

Nora soon joined them, looking sleepy as she rubbed her eyes.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, sweetheart," Evelyn replied. "Go wash your face. Breakfast is almost ready."

Nora obeyed, returning a few minutes later with her hair neatly arranged. The family ate together before leaving the house.

This time, Evelyn accompanied Ethan when he drove Nora to school. After dropping their daughter off, they returned to Eve Refreshments together.

The morning started much like the previous day.

Customers came and went, Evelyn and Cassandra handled the fruit sales, and Ethan assisted with the bulk orders. Across the adjoining shop, Maya and Gilbert continued working on their promotions.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until a well-dressed man walked into the third shop.

He appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. His clothes were expensive without being excessively flashy, and the watch on his wrist suggested that he was accustomed to spending considerable amounts of money.

The man glanced around the shop before approaching Evelyn.

"Are you the owner?"

She turned toward him. "Yes. How may I help you?"

"I’m interested in buying your bulk fruits," He said calmly.

Hearing that, her eyes brightened. "Certainly. What quantities are you looking for?"

The man looked at the crates stacked around the shop.

"All of them."

Evelyn blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I’d like to purchase everything you have available in bulk," He said again.

For a moment, Evelyn wondered whether she had misunderstood him.

"You mean all the fruits in this shop?"

"Exactly."

She quickly recovered from her surprise and began explaining the available varieties and prices. However, the man showed little interest in discussing the details.

He merely asked a few questions about the delivery arrangements, checked the total amount, and agreed to the price without attempting to negotiate.

Evelyn was pleased, naturally.

Selling the entire stock at once would save them considerable time and allow them to prepare for the next delivery sooner than expected.

"Very well," She said professionally. "I’ll have everything arranged for you. Would you like us to deliver the fruits to your location?"

The man provided an address and completed the payment.

While Evelyn began organizing the order, Ethan quietly observed the transaction from the side.

At first glance, there was nothing wrong with it. Wealthy customers made large purchases all the time, particularly when they supplied restaurants, hotels, or other businesses.

However, something about the man’s behavior bothered him.

He hadn’t asked much about the quality of the fruits. He hadn’t compared the available varieties or attempted to negotiate a better price. Instead, he had walked into the shop, looked around, and immediately decided to purchase everything.

’That’s strange.’

Ethan kept his expression neutral as he approached the man.

"That’s quite a large order. Do you run a fruit distribution business?"

The man turned toward him, his eyes narrowing. ’Something like that."

"Then you must have quite a few customers to supply." Ethan hummed, sounding casual.

"Yes. Business is good."

The answer came smoothly, but it told Ethan almost nothing.

He smiled thinly. "I see. I hope the fruits meet your expectations."

"I’m sure they will."

The man returned the smile before turning back to Evelyn to confirm the delivery details.

Ethan didn’t question him any further. There was no reason to make a customer uncomfortable simply because he had made an unusual purchase.

Still, he wasn’t convinced.

’He doesn’t seem particularly interested in the fruits themselves. He barely inspected them, yet he’s willing to buy everything we have without negotiating.’

His gaze briefly settled on the man’s hands, his watch, and the way he carried himself.

’And when I asked about his business, he avoided giving me a straight answer.’

None of those things proved anything. The man could genuinely be a wealthy distributor with little time to waste.

But Ethan had spent a large part of his previous life dealing with businessmen, investors, and people who concealed their intentions behind pleasant smiles.

He had learned not to dismiss his instincts simply because he lacked immediate evidence.

’I’ll have someone look into him.’

Ethan made the decision quietly, then returned to helping with the order.

The man left shortly afterward, promising to arrange the collection once the fruits were ready.

Evelyn watched him go, unable to hide her satisfaction.

"That was unexpected. We usually have to spend quite some time negotiating bulk orders."

Ethan glanced at her. "You’re happy?"

"Of course I am." She smiled. "Do you know how much time we’ll save by selling everything at once? We can use the space to arrange the next delivery."

"That’s true." He nodded.

He didn’t tell her about his suspicions. At least, not yet.

There was no need to make her worry over something that might turn out to be nothing.

After the order had been prepared, business continued as usual. It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that Gilbert approached Evelyn with his phone in hand.

"I’ve been thinking about something."

Evelyn looked up. "What is it?"

"The social media account has been getting more attention lately. The short videos are performing better than I expected, and we’ve had people asking questions about the shop."

Maya joined the conversation, nodding enthusiastically.

"He’s right. We’ve received more messages about our prices, delivery options, and smoothie menu. Some people have even asked whether they can watch us prepare the drinks."

Gilbert held up his phone.

"That’s why I think we should try livestreaming."

Evelyn tilted her head. "Livestreaming?"

"Yes. We could broadcast directly from the shop while you’re selling fruits and Maya is preparing drinks. People would get to see the business for themselves, ask questions in real time, and learn more about what we offer."

Maya’s eyes lit up. "That could work! We could also show how we select the fruits we use for the smoothies. People like seeing what goes into their food."

Cassandra, who had been sitting nearby, turned toward them.

"Wouldn’t that distract us from serving customers?"

"Not if we plan it properly," Gilbert replied. "I’ll handle the camera and the stream. Maya can monitor the comments and respond to questions when she’s free. Miss Evelyn and Cassandra can focus on serving customers."

He paused before adding, "We don’t need to force anything. We can simply show people what a normal day at Eve Refreshments looks like."

Evelyn considered the idea.

It was certainly different from their usual approach to advertising, but it wasn’t unreasonable. They had already invested time and money into promoting the business online. If livestreaming could help them reach more customers, it was worth trying.

"All right. Let’s do it."

Maya smiled. "Great! We should announce it beforehand so people know when to join."

Gilbert immediately began discussing the schedule, camera placement, and the kind of content they could feature. Cassandra offered a few practical suggestions about arranging the fruits, while Evelyn made sure the plan wouldn’t interfere with their regular operations.

After discussing it for a while, they agreed to conduct their first livestream the following day.

Ethan listened to part of the conversation before checking the time.

"I need to pick Nora up."

Evelyn turned toward him. "All right. Drive safely."

He nodded before leaving. Driving there didn’t take long.

At the school, Nora came out a little later and climbed into the car.

"How was your day?" Ethan asked, glancing at her.

"Good."

"That’s all?"

Nora looked at him. "Hm? What else do you want me to say?"

Ethan laughed lightly. "Nothing. I was just asking."

She shook her head, amused, and began telling him about something that had happened in class.

As he drove home, Ethan listened to her while occasionally glancing at the road.

His thoughts returned briefly to the mysterious customer.

’I’ll ask Lucas to look into him. If he’s simply a wealthy businessman, there won’t be a problem. But if he’s connected to something else, I’d rather find out before he gets too comfortable around my family.’

He didn’t know it yet, but the man had indeed come to the shop for a reason.

And it had very little to do with buying fruit.