CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: YOU REALLY WANT ME TO MOVE OUT?

Eugene Vaughn’s eyes darkened slightly, his tone a bit displeased, "So, you want to kick me out of the house."

Victoria Sinclair shook her head, "That’s not what I mean."

"To me, it sounds exactly like that."

"You misunderstood."

"Do you really not want to see me anymore?"

Victoria looked at him speechlessly, opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

Eugene asked further, "Do you really want me to move out?"

Victoria sighed softly, "I’m just worried you’ll be tired from driving back and forth every day."

"I have a driver," Eugene replied flatly, "I just don’t like others driving my car."

"My parents’ Splendor Villa is very close to your company, you could consider..."

Eugene interrupted coldly, "You still want to kick me out."

Biting the hand that feeds you, not understanding kindness, Victoria forced an awkward smile, "This is your home, how could I possibly kick you out?"

Eugene countered, "It’s your home too."

Victoria’s heart tightened slightly, a warm feeling surged instantly, he was right, but coming from him, the words carried so much weight, giving her unsettled heart a sudden sense of belonging.

She didn’t know how to respond for a moment, staring at him blankly.

Eugene stood up, "You wash the dishes, I’ll take a shower and then drop you at the research institute."

Victoria blurted out, "No need, it’s just a ten-minute walk to the research institute."

"Saving you a few minutes isn’t better?"

That made sense too.

Victoria tacitly agreed.

However, Eugene’s germophobia was truly severe, he already showered last night, and only made breakfast in the morning, yet he wants to shower again.

Really exhausting!

As Eugene went into the room, she quickly finished the remaining noodles and took the bowl to the kitchen to wash.

Knowing his OCD, she also wiped the clean stove one more time.

——

Eugene dropped Victoria at the research institute and didn’t go directly to his company but headed to Timothy Sinclair’s fruit shop.

In the morning, there weren’t many people in the shop.

The small twenty-square-meter shop was packed with a variety of fruits, neatly and orderly.

From the pricing, it seemed to be low to mid-tier affordable produce, Timothy was picking out rotten fruits from a pile of oranges.

Eugene walked over and politely said, "Brother."

Timothy turned around and seeing Eugene sharply dressed coming in, quickly put down what he was holding and warmly greeted him, "Brother-in-law, what brings you to my shop?"

"I was just in the area for some business, so I stopped by."

Timothy hastily took a stool from behind the counter, "Have a seat, I’ll make you a cup of tea."

Eugene grabbed his arm, "No need, brother, I just had some. You sit down too, I have something to discuss with you."

Timothy nodded honestly, took out another stool, and sat opposite Eugene, apologetically saying, "Sorry about last night, for disturbing your rest and making you see a joke."

Eugene remained calm, "We’re family, no need for formality."

Timothy pursed his lips, sighed lightly, and nodded.

"How are Mom, Dad, and sister-in-law?" Eugene asked with concern.

Timothy shook his head, "Not well, Mom was so upset she didn’t sleep all night, now she’s sick, and Dad is at home taking care of her. My wife, on the other hand, without a care in the world, got swindled out of two million, yet she can still eat and sleep. All the burden falls on my shoulders, she doesn’t realize the seriousness of it and spent the night complaining about my sister..."

Realizing he said too much, Timothy stopped abruptly.

Eugene remained silent, not responding.

Timothy quickly patted his chest and said, "Brother-in-law, I’m a man of integrity, I remember how much my sister has helped me. Once I make some money, I’ll definitely repay her, I won’t take advantage of her. I can earn money now, and I won’t ask my sister to take money from her husband’s family for her own family, rest assured."

Eugene smiled warmly, patting his shoulder for comfort, "Victoria earns her own money, she has the right to spend it freely, it has nothing to do with me."

"Even so, she’s married, she can’t always think about her own family."

Eugene looked at Timothy’s honest face, those eyes shining with innocent loyalty.

Education and skills are important, it’s truly hard for someone to earn beyond what they know.

Timothy’s education can’t be improved in the short term, but skills can be developed.

Eugene thought it’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them fish, "Brother, I want to discuss a partnership with you."

Timothy was astonished, "What kind of partnership?"

Eugene said, "My company buys a lot of fruits every year, we give them as benefits to employees during holidays, the cafeteria always has fruit supplies, and there are some events too. I haven’t looked into the exact amount, but it’s also quite a bit of business."

Timothy honestly asked, "For such business, wouldn’t it be cheaper for your procurement to go to a wholesaler?"

Eugene nearly laughed in exasperation, nodding in agreement, "Indeed. But you can become a wholesaler too, though you’ll have to work a bit harder later, have your parents look after the shop for now, and you travel across the country to meet orchard farmers, getting the best goods at the cheapest prices, and deliver them to my company’s procurement department."

Timothy’s eyes lit up, immediately saying, "I’m not afraid of hard work, I can do it."

"Do you have time this Saturday night?" Eugene asked again.

Timothy nodded eagerly, realizing Eugene was willing to help him in business, he was very excited, "Yes."

"Can you handle drinking?"

"Yes."

"Saturday night, dress formally, I’ll introduce you to some business friends, some are in the restaurant business, some in supermarkets."

Timothy was so excited his eyes welled up; he spent a sleepless night worrying, nearly going gray from thinking about how to pay back that two million.

He didn’t want to borrow money from his sister and brother-in-law, but earning it through his own efforts wasn’t shameful.

He tightly grasped Eugene’s hands, choking up, "Brother-in-law, I’m really grateful, I’m not afraid of hard work, and I definitely won’t embarrass you, thank you, thank you for your guidance and help, I... I won’t let you down."

Eugene gently patted his hands to comfort him, "This has little to do with me, I’m just showing you a path, it’s up to you to expand it and make it longer."

Timothy nodded tearfully.

Eugene paused for a few seconds, then said, "I hope you don’t tell Victoria about this."

Timothy was confused and puzzled, "You’re helping me wholeheartedly, why can’t I tell my sister?"

Eugene hesitated for a few seconds, a hint of unease hidden in his eyes, "She’s preparing for her doctorate, with a lot of pressure from work and studies, I don’t want her to worry about our business matters."

Timothy didn’t think much about it, "Okay, I won’t tell her."

"Then I’ll head back," Eugene stood up.

Timothy quickly took out a bag, filling it with the best fruits, "I’ll pack some fruit for you to take home."

"No need, brother."

"Take it, take it, my sister likes tangerines and mangoes, what kind of fruit do you like?"

"Apples," Eugene replied.

Unable to refuse such kindness, Eugene finally left with a big bag of fruit.