Chapter 147: A Familiar Face

After leaving Nora’s school, Ethan drove back toward Eve Refreshments. The morning traffic had begun to thicken, but he arrived at the shop without much delay. He parked the BMW near the entrance, stepped out, and glanced through the glass door.

Evelyn was behind the counter, attending to a customer, while Cassandra was busy elsewhere. Everything appeared to be running smoothly, so Ethan decided not to interrupt them just yet.

Instead, he took out his phone and walked a short distance away from the entrance before dialing Lucas’s number.

The call connected after a few rings.

"Brother Ethan," Lucas greeted him. "Good morning."

"Morning, Lucas. I wanted to ask about Samuel Wayne. Have you found out anything new?"

"Yes, actually. Something interesting happened recently." Lucas paused briefly before continuing. "Samuel has purchased another support company for his game company. From what I’ve gathered, he’s already started shifting his attention toward the new acquisition."

Ethan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Another support company?"

"That’s right. It seems he’s no longer interested in working with Yin and Yang Game Company. He’s gone ahead and spent his own money to secure another company that can provide the services he needs."

Ethan nodded slowly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

As expected, Samuel hadn’t been willing to tolerate the inconvenience for long. Rather than continue dealing with a company that had become a problem for him, the young member of the Wayne family had decided to spend more money and find an alternative.

’Just as I thought.’

Samuel Wayne had the resources to make such a move, but Ethan doubted the decision had been easy on his pride. He had already invested in the previous arrangement, and now he had to spend additional money to replace it. For someone who was used to getting things his way, that was hardly an ideal outcome.

Still, Ethan wasn’t particularly interested in dwelling on the matter.

"All right. Don’t worry about Samuel for now," He said. "There’s no need to keep pushing against him. Let him handle his own affairs."

Lucas was quiet for a moment before responding. "Understood. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?"

"Yes. Keep a low profile, and make sure you don’t leave any obvious connection between yourself and me. I don’t want Samuel or anyone else getting suspicious about our relationship."

"Don’t worry, Brother Ethan. I’ll be careful."

"Good. That’s all for now. I’ll contact you if I need anything else."

"All right. Have a good day."

Ethan ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket. He remained outside for a while, letting the cool morning breeze brush against his face. The street was already growing busy, with vehicles passing by and pedestrians moving between the nearby shops.

He watched the traffic for a few seconds, then rolled his shoulders and took a slow breath.

For the moment, Samuel Wayne wasn’t his main concern. There were more important things to deal with, particularly the matter scheduled for the following morning.

Ethan had barely begun to turn toward the shop when his phone rang again.

He took it out and glanced at the screen. Vincent was calling.

Ethan answered immediately. "What’s up?"

"I’ve got some information about the car that followed you the other evening," Vincent said.

Ethan’s expression sharpened. "What did you find?"

Vincent explained. "I looked into the license plate and managed to identify the registered owner. However, there’s a problem. According to the information I’ve gathered, the owner is presumably dead."

Ethan’s hand stopped halfway toward his pocket. "Presumably?"

"I haven’t confirmed it beyond doubt yet, but the available information points in that direction. I’m still checking the details, so I don’t want to give you a definite answer just yet." He added.

Ethan turned his gaze toward the road, watching a motorcycle weave between two cars.

"So, someone used a dead man’s car to follow us?"

"That’s what it looks like." Vincent agreed. "If the owner is indeed dead, then whoever used the vehicle may have deliberately chosen it to make the trail harder to follow. Even if we identify the car, tracing it back to the person who was driving could be difficult."

Ethan’s brows drew together.

A faint tingling sensation crept across his skin as he considered the implications. Someone had taken the time to use a vehicle that would be difficult to trace, followed his family, and then disappeared without leaving an obvious lead.

This wasn’t the sort of carelessness he would expect from someone acting on a whim.

’Someone is being cautious around me.’

He rubbed his thumb against the side of his phone, his gaze narrowing as he thought through the possibilities.

’Could it be the people from my college? We spoke a few times online, but I sensed no hostility from them.’

He paused, then shook his head slightly.

’Hmm. It’s too early to jump to conclusions.’

He had no solid evidence connecting them to the incident, and he wasn’t going to start accusing people based on a vague suspicion. Whoever had sent the car might have been someone he knew, or someone whose existence he hadn’t even considered.

Either way, he needed more information.

"All right, Vincent. Don’t push yourself to find an answer immediately. Gather whatever information you can about the car and its owner, and keep an eye out for anything unusual."

"Understood. I’ll continue looking into it and let you know if I find anything worth reporting."

"Good. Be careful."

"You too, Ethan."

The call ended, and Ethan lowered his phone. He remained where he was for another moment, his eyes following the vehicles passing along the road.

Someone had gone to the trouble of hiding their tracks, but he wasn’t going to let that possibility distract him from everything else he had to handle.

For now, he would wait for Vincent’s findings.

Ethan slipped his phone into his pocket and walked into Eve Refreshments.

The familiar scent of fresh fruit greeted him as he entered. Evelyn was still behind the counter, checking an order, while Cassandra was helping a customer select some oranges. The sight brought a faint smile back to his face.

He walked up behind Evelyn and gently patted her head.

She turned around, blinking in surprise before looking up at him. "You’re back."

"Of course. Where else would I go?" Ethan replied, smiling as he adjusted a loose strand of hair near her forehead.

Evelyn’s cheeks warmed slightly. She glanced toward Cassandra, who was busy with the customer, before turning back to him.

"Did you take care of everything?"

"Yes. Everything’s fine."

She nodded and returned to her work, though a small smile remained on her face. Ethan watched her for a moment before taking an apron from its hook and tying it around his waist.

He was about to join her at the counter when he noticed a couple of customers waiting near the entrance to the bulk fruit section.

"Looks like I’m needed next door," He remarked, heading toward the bulk shop.

The bulk section was a little busier than the main shop, with several customers examining crates of fruit and asking about prices. Ethan stepped in and began attending to them, weighing their selections and helping arrange the purchases.

One customer wanted several crates of oranges, while another was interested in buying apples and bananas in bulk. Ethan handled their requests without much difficulty, occasionally calling for assistance when he needed an extra pair of hands.

The work kept him occupied, and before long, he had almost forgotten about the phone calls.

Almost an hour passed before he noticed someone approaching the shop.

The man was dressed in a business suit and carried himself with the confidence of someone accustomed to dealing with people in positions of authority. Ethan recognized him immediately.

It was the same businessman who had purchased an unusually large quantity of fruit from Evelyn’s shop before.

Ethan’s hands slowed as he watched the man approach the entrance.

The faint smile on his face disappeared.

He set the crate he was holding down on the counter, his gaze remaining fixed on the approaching figure.

’You’re back again?’