Chapter 969

Avoiding a topic is fundamentally different from casual conversation.

Victor Laurent immediately sensed Vivian Dempsey's reluctance to revisit the past. Suppressing his curiosity, he shifted to sharing updates about his own life.

Perhaps letting her know about his journey these years wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Even after being away for so long, this place will always be home. I haven't forgotten basic skills like apartment hunting—it's just that living in hotels became routine after work. My parents settled in Australia and have no plans to move here."

Victor genuinely saw nothing wrong with hotel living. Without family, even the finest house is just an empty shell.

To him, a home and a house were never the same.

Misinterpreting his situation as loneliness, Vivian impulsively declared, "Why stand on ceremony with me? Leave the apartment hunt to me!"

Victor almost mentioned his long-term hotel lease but caught himself. "Alright, I'll await your good news," he said instead.

True to her decisive nature, Vivian had everything arranged within a day.

On Friday evening, she rushed straight from work to his hotel, whisking him off to the new apartment while enthusiastically detailing the neighborhood.

"Without a local driver's license, you can't buy a car yet. This building is under fifteen minutes' walk to Hamilton Group. By the way, I hear only management works overtime there now—which category are you in?"

"Likely the overtime category," Victor replied with unmistakable anticipation. "I'm back for good, and this first project must succeed."

Recognizing his determination, Vivian shot him a sympathetic look. "I give it a week before you change your mind."

Puzzled, Victor asked, "Why?"

Vivian's smile was knowing. "Because I once thought the same."

Three days later, Victor understood her meaning during his first day at Hamilton Group. Alexander Hamilton didn't exploit employees—he reserved his relentless drive for himself. Keeping pace demanded overtime from management without exception.

As Project Director, Victor fell squarely into that bracket.

He spent one day grasping the project and another acclimating to the team. Soon, his three-piece suits gave way to casual wear, and contact lenses were swapped for wire-frame glasses.

With only twenty-four hours in a day, every saved minute counted—even the time spent inserting contacts.

Hamilton Group had no dress code beyond neat professionalism. So when Alexander encountered Victor's liberated new style, he merely remarked, "Vivian won that bet."

Victor paused mid-file acceptance, eyes brightening. "Does Vivian still visit Evelyn often?"

In school, the two had been inseparable. Though Evelyn was now married, their recent dinner suggested frequent visits. Victor's eagerness surfaced at Vivian's days of silence.

Even busy executives make time for small talk. "Vivian adores my daughter," Alexander shared. "She visits to play whenever she's off early, giving Evelyn time for parenting classes."

Without waiting for a response, he smoothly added, "Evelyn and I will be out Saturday afternoon. Our daughter expects us around. Could you help?"

"Absolutely! Weekends are free, and I love kids!" Victor's enthusiasm rivaled a nanny applicant's.

Alexander simply provided the time for Saturday morning at the family estate. Only after Victor's cheerful departure did he call Evelyn.

"Mission accomplished for Uncle Dempsey, but results aren't guaranteed," he said, referencing the elaborate setup requested by Vivian's father. Normally, Auntie Wu could easily manage a half-day's childcare.

Fortunately, Victor shared Vivian's guilelessness, suspecting nothing. Any sharper observer would've seen through Alexander's amateur matchmaking.

In the greenhouse with her book, Evelyn sighed. "You shouldn't have to do this. Had I known visiting Grandma Dempsey would lead here, I'd gone alone."

The chain of events began two nights prior.

Alexander and Evelyn, estimating Grandma Dempsey's recovery progress, visited with gifts. After profuse thanks, Uncle Dempsey turned the conversation to Vivian's overtime habits.

"A friend saw Vivian touring apartments with some pretty boy last Friday. It's worrying. The matches I arranged were disasters, so I let her choose—only for her to pick some flashy freeloader clearly after her money."

He earnestly asked Evelyn to caution Vivian: flings were fine, but avoid gold-digging playboys.

Baffled, Evelyn only understood when Alexander deduced the "pretty boy's" identity from the apartment location. "Don't worry, Uncle. We know him—nothing like a freeloader..."