Repairing A Broken Home With My Patriarch System

”Who was that?” Evelyn asked softly.

Ethan reclined in the couch and answered, ”The previous owner of this apartment. Apparently, he wants to buy the place again.”

”Eh? Why would he do that?” She asked, confused. To her, it didn’t make sense. Why buy something you just sold?

Ethan chuckled and explained to her. ”House prices in the district are about to rise significantly. Once wealthy families start moving here because of the school, demand will increase. That man must have heard about it and wants to get back what he had here.”

”Ah...” Evelyn blinked in surprise. ”No wonder he called. But wait.”

”Mn?” Ethan turned to her.

Narrowing her eyes, she asked. ”Won’t we benefit from this too? I mean, the other floors are empty. We could let people rent them and have tenants. Or what do you think?”

Raising a hand, Ethan gently brushed her hair and nodded.

”I was thinking of that too. And since you’ve also mentioned it, we’ll allow tenants to live there.”

Evelyn smiled and snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. Nora shot them a glance, then refocused on the TV before her.

Holding Evelyn by her shoulder, Ethan smiled.

”Well, we’ll see how that’ll go. Soon, Nora will resume school and we have to prepare the things she’ll be needing.”

Evelyn hummed softly, then asked, ”How did you know the school would be here? I don’t think the government announced it beforehand, did they?”

Chuckling, he patted her head. ”That’s a mystery. If you find out, I’ll owe you something.”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, and she nodded with a determined expression. ”Fine! I’ll find out how you knew.”

Knowing she would never be able to find out unless he told her himself, Ethan chuckled again.

......

Over the next few days, the small family of three only moved between the shop and their house. Ethan spent most of his time with Nora, as Evelyn no longer needed his help when she had Cassandra.

Their business went smoothly, and they gradually became renowned in the area. Not because Evelyn’s fruits were special, but because her shop was the only one in the empty shopping complex.

People who heard were interested, and those who were interested came to check. Some only checked and left, but others bought a fruit or two before leaving.

On a Thursday morning, Evelyn had just finished setting up the shop and was chatting idly with Cassandra when an unexpected visitor showed up.

Turning to the blonde, young man, she frowned slightly. ”Chris?”

”Hey, Eve,” He said to her with a faint smile, waving his hand. ”How’ve you been doing? It’s been... a while.”

Despite his gentle tone, Evelyn didn’t smile. ”Yes, it has been. Why and how are you here?”

Chris’s smile froze, and he sighed. ”Look, Evelyn. I’m sorry about all that happened between us. I was just thinking of what was best for y—”

”For me?” Evelyn cut him off, her expression cold. ”Maybe you thought of it that way, but you were only inconveniencing me. Because of you, my dad ignored my husband and treats him so badly even till now, claiming you’re a better one.”

She took a deep breath, reigning in her anger.

”Chris, I’d appreciate it if you stopped bothering my life, alright? Look at me now, I’m better than I was. I have a family that cares for me. Thank you for the care. I really appreciate it.”

The blonde guy stared at her solemnly, his eyes clouded with emotions. After she was done speaking, he finally opened his mouth and talked.

”Did you... did you ever care about my feelings?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly, but she remained silent. He wasn’t done talking.

”I always loved you, Eve. Since high school, college... I’ve always loved you since then. But you only treated me as a friend. Even when you got married to that bas—that guy, I still loved you. That’s why I didn’t give up. It even broke me more when I realized that he wasn’t treating you nicely. Eve, I...”

Shaking her head, she stopped him. ”I appreciate it, Chris. But you should understand it now. I value you as a friend, but not as a man I want to spend my entire life with. I’m even married, so this conversation is not even right. Find someone else to love, Chris. I’m not for you.”

The young man’s eyes shook, and he lowered his head. ”I see...”

Just as he was about to smile and say something else, he heard Ethan’s cold voice behind him.

”What are you doing here?”

His own expression hardened, but he did not snap immediately. Instead, he turned around to face Ethan.

”I came to see my friend. You got a problem?”

Chuckling, Ethan led Nora into the shop. They had just returned from the park, where they had played and had fun.

Ethan returned to Evelyn’s side and looked at Chris with a dark expression.

”You still haven’t left? I thought you’d scram by now.”

Annoyed, Chris turned to Evelyn. ”Eve, are you just going to stand there and watch your husband insult me?”

The young woman bit her lip and turned away without answering.

Shocked, Chris stared at her blankly. He didn’t believe she would actually side with Ethan and ignore him.

’I see... I was a fool.’

Ethan sighed and waved at him. ”Now get going before I do something you won’t be able to recover from.”

Remembering the last time he saw them kiss, Chris’s heart deflated. He gritted his teeth, glanced at Evelyn, then turned around and walked away.

Hearing Ethan’s words, Evelyn also showed a reaction. Her cheeks reddened, and she bit her lip nervously.

Ethan stared at her in confusion, then shook his head. ”How did he know about this place? I don’t think you told him.”

Evelyn’s expression became serious, and her eyes narrowed.

”You’re right. I definitely didn’t give him my address. Perhaps it was Cassie?”

Hearing that woman’s name being mentioned again, Ethan smiled coldly.