"Calm down and explain."
Ethan peeled Cole’s hands away from his shoulders, then helped him sit down beside him. Evelyn also sat down, a worried look in her eyes.
’What happened?’
Cole took several deep breaths, then spoke.
"We had a board meeting today, and our boss reviewed all the proposals. A few got selected, but he didn’t choose the one he’d use yet. The proposal you wrote wasn’t among those he chose."
Evelyn’s eyes widened, and she looked at Ethan. Hadn’t he been confident in the proposal? Why wasn’t it chosen?
To her surprise, Ethan’s expression barely changed. He merely raised an eyebrow, then gestured for Cole to continue.
The older man gulped, then said, "After the meeting, Mr Stark asked me to wait behind. I immediately knew it was related to the proposal. He asked me who wrote it, and I told him I did it myself."
He clenched his fists, a nervous expression on his face.
"He clearly didn’t believe it. So he threatened to sack me if I didn’t bring the person who wrote the proposal."
He grabbed Ethan’s knees.
"Brother-in-law, you really have to do something! You have to help me."
Ethan remained calm on the outside. Inside, though, he was mildly surprised. He didn’t think Cole’s boss would actually want to reach out to him.
His original plan had been to help Cole gain influence within the company, then use that connection to establish himself in the business world.
However, his plan seemed to have escalated beyond control, and he had caught the attention of someone powerful.
’A Stark, huh... it has been a while since I heard that name.’
Back when he was a teenager, he remembered that company being one of the first few to collapse. They had been doing well until something happened and they crashed down abruptly.
Curious, teenage Victor made deep research for a whole year until he uncovered the truth.
’Not bad, this information would be useful.’
"Ethan, name your price. I’ll pay you, okay?" Cole begged, his expression desperate.
He didn’t want to lose his job. That was his lifeline. He couldn’t even imagine his life without the job.
"It’s alright, brother-in-law. I’ll come visit your boss after I’m done cleaning up some garbage tomorrow."
"Eh? Really?" Cole hadn’t expected him to agree this easily.
He had even prepared himself to be rejected, as he knew Ethan was cruel enough to use this opportunity to make him lose his job.
’Right... he’s been a little different lately.’
His eyes narrowed as he watched Ethan nod. "I’ll follow you to your office tomorrow. You have to come pick me up, though."
Cole immediately nodded. "Don’t worry about that. I’ll definitely bring you there myself."
He sighed in relief, then said, "Thank you."
Ethan smiled and patted his shoulder. "It’s fine, really. We’re family, after all."
Cole was surprised that he said such words with a smile, but easily accepted it.
’Perhaps he’s really changing...’
For some strange reason, he was compelled to believe Ethan. The younger man’s demeanor reminded him of his boss. That strange confidence and the authority in his bearing.
It was definitely something only to be expected from someone in authority.
"Alright, I’ll get going now. See you tomorrow."
Smiling broadly, Cole stood up and walked towards the door. Evelyn escorted him while Ethan merely waved and greeted him goodnight.
Once they stepped outside the house, Evelyn asked her brother, "Big brother, it seems you trust Ethan. Why is that?"
Cole paused and answered, "I still don’t trust him all the way. However, I have a strong reason to believe that he’s changing. At least by a little."
Evelyn sighed, relieved that she wasn’t the only person to have noticed.
"I was thinking the same too... he seems to have gotten nicer recently, and he’d do things for us voluntarily."
Smiling, Cole ruffled his sister’s hair. "Perhaps we’re right. He might be really changing. But I guess it has something to do with you. You have suffered a lot under him. He better take care of you well."
Evelyn smiled at her brother’s words, feeling a warmth spreading in her heart.
"Thank you, Big brother," She said with a smile. "Goodnight."
Cole returned the greeting and got into his car, driving back to his own house several districts away.
Evelyn returned inside and found Ethan sitting with Nora. Both father and daughter watched the cartoon with serious expressions as if analyzing a crime scene.
She stared at them silently for a while, then went to the bedroom to tidy up the place. An hour later, they all gathered on the bed and went to sleep.
Ethan slept peacefully without having to fear Evelyn suddenly driving a broken glass bottle into his throat. The broken family was already being pieced together little by little.
Although 9.8% might seem small, Ethan knew it would only snowball from that point.
’Besides, I don’t need the daily tasks to repair this family. As long as I rebuild their trust in me, it’ll all be fine.’
His eyes snapped open immediately after that thought, and he looked at the wall clock.
’6:30 a.m. Nice.’
He stood up from the bed, careful not to wake the others, then slipped into the living room.
[Family Happiness: 9.8%]
[Today’s Task: Indirectly make Evelyn happy.]
[Reward: Photographic Memory]
’Oh? This isn’t a straightforward task, is it?’
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and a smile appeared on his face. Feeling the smile, he paused.
’I’ve been smiling a lot lately. That’s unlike me.’ He paused, raising a hand to touch the corners of his mouth.
As Victor Caldwell, he rarely smiled. His expression was either stoic or relaxed. He never smiled because he didn’t have a reason to.
The only person who had ever brought color to his world had been taken away from him. Why would he smile anymore?
However, without him even noticing, he had smiled more than he could count ever since his transmigration.
’Am I now at ease with this family? Oh, this is a surprise.’
He chuckled, then took off his tank top.
He immediately began a long session of exercise, pushing his body past normal human limits.
To his surprise, he was able to perform a hundred push-ups and a hundred sit-ups. Unfortunately, increased stamina didn’t mean he could avoid muscle soreness.
He managed to drag himself to the bathroom, where he relaxed in the bathtub, allowing his sore muscles to recover.
Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and stood up.
’Today will surely be a productive day. I’m loving it already.’