Chapter 121: Old Man And His Brat

"Honestly, it wasn’t easy at first. I’d spent so much time thinking about our future that ending everything felt strange. But I’m doing better now. I’ve been focusing on my business, and keeping myself busy has helped." Melinda sighed, feeling emotionally weary.

Evelyn nodded slowly. "I understand. Still, don’t keep everything to yourself, okay? If you ever feel upset or need someone to talk to, you can always call me."

Melinda’s eyes warmed. "Thank you, Evelyn."

Evelyn smiled and gently squeezed her hand.

"And you should come visit our fruit shop sometime! We’re doing pretty well these days. You can come over, have something to eat, and we can catch up properly."

"That sounds lovely." Melinda nodded. "I’ll definitely visit when I get the chance."

"Good. I’ll be waiting for you."

Ethan watched the two women exchange smiles, feeling a little relieved that the conversation had ended on a happier note. He had initially expected their shopping trip to be straightforward, but meeting Melinda had turned it into something much more interesting.

He glanced at the suit that had just been prepared for him, then turned toward Evelyn. "Are we ready to go now?"

Evelyn nodded before looking at Melinda one last time.

"We should get going. Thanks again for the suit, and remember, I’ll repay you for this favor."

Melinda waved her hand dismissively.

"Don’t worry about it. Just make sure you two enjoy the wedding!"

Evelyn smiled and took Ethan’s hand before leading him toward the entrance. As they left the store, Ethan glanced at her with a faint smile.

"You seemed pretty angry back there."

Evelyn turned toward him, her expression immediately becoming serious again.

"Of course I was! How could Frank cheat on Melinda after everything?"

Ethan raised both hands in surrender. "All right, all right. I was just asking."

She huffed and looked away, still visibly displeased. Ethan chuckled as they continued toward the car.

’I guess I shouldn’t get on her bad side, either.’

The thought amused him, and he couldn’t help smiling as he opened the car door for his wife.

After leaving Melinda’s store, Ethan drove toward a children’s clothing store nearby. Since they had already decided to buy some dresses for Nora, there was no reason to postpone it any longer.

When they arrived, Evelyn stepped out of the car and followed him inside. The store was spacious, with colorful dresses arranged neatly on racks and several outfits displayed behind glass panels. A staff member greeted them politely before offering to show them around, but Evelyn thanked her and explained that they would look around first.

Ethan glanced at the clothes before turning toward his wife. "What do you think? Which ones should we get for Nora?"

Evelyn looked through the collection, her eyes settling on a lovely pink dress with a white collar. She took it off the rack and held it up, imagining how it would look on their daughter. "I think this one would suit her. The color is pretty, and the design isn’t too complicated."

Ethan examined it before nodding. "You’re right. She’ll probably like it."

He moved to another rack and picked out a blue dress with a simple design, followed by a cream-colored one that caught his attention. He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about children’s fashion, but he knew Nora well enough to choose things she might enjoy wearing. After all, she was still a child, and he wanted her to have clothes she could feel comfortable in rather than outfits chosen solely for their appearance.

Evelyn glanced at the dresses in his hands and smiled faintly. "You’ve picked quite a few already."

"What’s wrong with that?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. "We came here to buy clothes for her, didn’t we?"

"That’s true." She lowered her gaze to the dress she was holding, a little amused by his enthusiasm. "I just hope she doesn’t decide she wants everything in the store."

Ethan laughed. "If she does, you’ll have to be the one to tell her no."

Evelyn looked at him in disbelief. "Why me? You’re her father too."

"Exactly. That’s why I should be the good parent who agrees with her." Ethan hummed seriously.

She shook her head, unable to hide her smile. "You’re really... sigh."

They continued browsing, selecting several more dresses before heading to the counter. When the staff member finished calculating the total, Ethan reached for his wallet, only for Evelyn to gently stop him.

"Let me pay for these."

He turned toward her, surprised. "You want to pay?"

Evelyn nodded, holding her handbag close. "Yes. They’re for Nora, after all. Besides, you’ve been spending money on us lately. I’d like to buy something for her myself."

Her tone was gentle but firm enough to make it clear that she meant what she said. Ethan studied her for a moment before smiling and putting his wallet away.

"All right. Go ahead."

Evelyn seemed slightly surprised that he had agreed so easily, but she didn’t question it. She paid for the clothes, thanked the staff member, and collected the shopping bags. Ethan took some of them from her before they returned to the car.

As he started the engine, he glanced at her with a smile. "You know, you don’t have to feel like you need to pay me back for everything."

Evelyn’s fingers tightened slightly around the bag on her lap. She looked at him, her expression softening. "I know. I just want to do something for you and Nora too."

Ethan paused, then nodded. "I understand."

He didn’t say anything more, but he was pleased to see her becoming more comfortable expressing what she wanted. Evelyn had always been reserved, especially when it came to showing a piece of her mind, and he knew that erasing the scars of the past wouldn’t happen overnight. Still, moments like this made him feel that they were moving in the right direction.

....

By the time they returned to Eve Refreshments, business was still going steadily. Cassandra was behind the counter, assisting a customer who wanted to purchase several varieties of fruit, while Gilbert and Maya were busy at the juice shop. The livestream from the previous day had brought in some new customers, and a few people had even mentioned seeing their promotional videos online.

Ethan parked the car and carried the shopping bags inside before joining Evelyn at the main shop. He helped Cassandra arrange some of the fruits while Evelyn attended to the customers, occasionally stepping in when someone needed assistance with a bulk order.

It wasn’t long before his phone rang.

Seeing the caller’s name, Ethan raised an eyebrow before answering. "What’s up, old man?"

Jason’s voice immediately came through the phone, sounding displeased. "What do you mean, what’s up? Can’t you speak to your father properly, brat?"

Ethan chuckled as he leaned against the counter. "All right, all right. What do you want?"

"I wanted to know whether you’ve prepared for the wedding. Your cousin’s wedding is this weekend, and I don’t want you showing up looking like you’ve just crawled out of bed."

Ethan rolled his eyes, amused. "Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of everything. I’ll be there looking better than you."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Jason scoffed. "You? Looking better than me? Keep dreaming, brat."

Ethan laughed. "We’ll see about that, old man."

Jason seemed to want to say something else, but he paused before finally speaking. "Just make sure you don’t embarrass the family. And tell Evelyn I said hello."

The slight change in his tone made Ethan smile. For all his blustering, Jason was clearly looking forward to seeing them at the wedding.

"I will. Now stop worrying. Everything’s under control."

"Hmph. You’d better make sure of that."

The call ended, and Ethan slipped his phone into his pocket, shaking his head with amusement. ’That old man really can’t go five minutes without pretending he’s not concerned.’

He returned to work, helping Evelyn and Cassandra serve the customers as the afternoon gradually passed.

.............

When it was time to pick Nora up from school, Ethan told Evelyn he would be back soon before getting into the car. The drive was uneventful, and by the time he arrived, several parents were already waiting near the school gate.

He parked and waited until the students began coming out. Before long, he spotted Nora walking beside Alexa. The two girls were talking quietly until Nora noticed him and waved.

"Dad!"