Chapter 178

Frederick’s comment could be considered friendly.

I sighed and laughed. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it. I know the budget for this is fairly limited, so I never considered appearances. I focused on buying the essential pieces. They’re good quality too. At the very least, there’s no formaldehyde, so it won’t be a health hazard for the staff.”

“You’re quite the considerate boss,” Frederick said.

He gave the place a once-over, clearly somewhat satisfied. “Plain and simple. I like it, and I’m not just flattering you.”

“It’s nothing compared to La Doghouse,” I replied with a smile. “Just the renovation alone is a completely different ballpark.”

“There’s no need to make comparisons.” He stared intently at me. “La Doghouse is a bar. It’s a service-oriented business. You, on the other hand, are running a startup. Comparing the two doesn’t really make sense.”

I nodded. He suddenly asked, “Have you been living here this whole time?”

“Yeah,” I shrugged. “I pull out the bed once everyone gets off work. It’s convenient to start my day as soon as I wake up.”

Frederick raised an eyebrow and leaned against the railing. He had one arm hanging loosely over the edge, making him seem rebellious. “Jonathan didn’t come looking for you?”

“He did, but I didn’t really want to see him,” I answered honestly.

“What about Alicia?”

“She came too, of course,” I said impatiently. “Stop asking about them. Just hearing their names gets on my nerves.”

“Okay. Sounds like you really don’t want to see him.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Frederick stopped asking about them. After a while, he said, “About my parents… I’m sorry.”

I knew what he was trying to say. I shook my head. “It’s okay. I understand where they’re coming from. After all, I’m technically still married. Of course, they wouldn’t want you to get involved with me. Even if we call it a sibling relationship, everyone can see what’s going on. No need to give anyone more reason to talk.”

I held his gaze. “I’ve been ridiculed long enough. You don’t need to be a part of this mess.”

“What if I wanted to be?” Frederick suddenly smiled, his eyes glinting for a moment as he stared intently at me.

But he quickly looked away and took a sip of water.

“I was joking,” he said with his head bowed.

Chapter 176

He was always like that. He would suddenly open up out of nowhere, only to pull away just as quickly. Every now and then, he would test the waters but was never brave enough to face the answer.

I knew what he meant, but I couldn’t answer him.

“I don’t want to think about anything right now.” I turned around, rested my hands against the railing, and stared off into the distance. “I just want to get the company on solid ground.”

“I understand. It’s not an easy task to establish New Voyage.”

I turned my head to look at Frederick. “Just you wait. I’ll make sure you earn a profit.”

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

We clinked our glasses. Though they were only filled with water, we both drained them in one go.

“Next time, I expect you to bring me some liquor,” Frederick said with a smile. “That ‘First Love’ from last time was not bad. It’s a pity Jonathan took it back.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He replied nonchalantly, “That’s the wine you two made together. He guided you through the whole process. I’m not interested in what belongs to the two of you. What I want is…”

He paused and said nothing more.

I knew what he wanted to say, but I didn’t push it. I simply looked down.

Silence hung heavy between us until a shrill honk shattered the moment.

I looked to see a familiar Brabus pull up downstairs. Jonathan stood in front of the car, dressed in a black trench coat. He was tall and slender with an upright posture. His gaze, however, was as cold as ice.