Chapter 978

Evelyn Carter watched Vivian Dempsey's beaming expression and couldn't help but massage her temples.

This girl's thought process was a perfect match for Victor Laurent's.

"You could actually help with this, but..." She hesitated.

Vivian's eyes lit up. "As long as I can help! I'll ask him what relationship problems he's having. If necessary, I'll personally help him pursue someone!"

Evelyn opened her mouth, then closed it. In the end, she could only pat Vivian's shoulder sympathetically.

She hoped Victor would face reality sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Victor was clutching his phone, texting their class president.

He began by sincerely apologizing for leaving without a word years ago before cautiously broaching the real topic.

"Will that third-ranked student from back then be at the reunion? Who initiated the breakup between him and Vivian?"

"President, I just don't want to say the wrong thing in front of our classmates."

He deleted and rewrote the message repeatedly before finally sending it.

The president instantly replied with a sweating panda emoji.

Victor stared at the awkward-looking panda and immediately realized he'd stepped on a landmine.

He quickly sent a question mark.

The chat fell into prolonged silence.

Just as he worried the president might report him to Vivian, a reply finally arrived.

"He won't be coming."

"It's not appropriate to discuss this. Ask Vivian yourself."

"Forget it. Pretend this person never existed."

"Whatever you do, don't ask!"

Four messages exploded into the chat like consecutive bombs.

Victor's temples throbbed.

This was clearly something major!

His fingers hovered over the screen before he deleted everything he'd typed.

With the president's attitude, there was no way he'd get answers.

Tormented by curiosity, Victor desperately wanted to question that third-ranked student from years ago. But being alone in the country with no connections left him helpless.

By Monday morning, dark circles hung heavily under his eyes.

Alexander Hamilton frowned at his disheveled appearance. "What happened?"

"Couldn't sleep." Victor handed over the revised design plans.

The resort project had hit a snag, prompting Alexander to specifically recruit Victor back from abroad to resolve the details.

But Alexander's frown deepened as he reviewed the new designs.

"This is what you produced after staying up all night?" He pointed at the lakeside pavilion. "Director Laurent, this isn't your usual standard."

The design overly preserved the pond's original appearance, completely disjointed from the surrounding architecture.

Victor seemed distracted. "Just a draft. I can make changes if there are issues."

His tone suggested he'd expected revisions from the start.

After studying him for a moment, Alexander understood. "Relationship troubles?"

"If it were just design problems, you wouldn't look this haggard. Is this about Vivian?"

Out of consideration for Evelyn and Victor's newcomer status, he let it slide this time.

But if it happened again, he'd reconsider the director position.

Knowing Alexander's strict professional standards, Victor lowered his head. "My apologies, Mr. Hamilton."

Seeing his admission, Alexander's expression softened. "No need to apologize to me. If you truly regret it, adjust your state quickly."

Silence filled the office.

Victor nodded slowly.

"Want to know about Vivian's current situation?" Alexander said bluntly. "She's single. Grandma Dempsey is open-minded, but Uncle Dempsey and the company situation have her considering taking in a son-in-law."

Victor's previously drooping head suddenly lifted.

His eyes shone startlingly bright.

He showed no resistance—even seemed eager—at the prospect of becoming a live-in son-in-law.

The Laurent family had multiple children. His parents wouldn't object to him "marrying out."

The real question was—did Vivian's consideration list include him?

Bitterly, Victor asked, "Do you know about that third-ranked student from Vivian's high school days?"

He hung his head like an abandoned puppy.

He assumed Alexander wouldn't know.

Unexpectedly, Alexander nodded straightforwardly. "I do."

"How would you—"

"He was also Evelyn's classmate."

To understand Evelyn better, Alexander had investigated her school years—including why she chose medical school.

After hearing Alexander's account, Victor's face turned ashen.

"Honestly," Alexander sighed lightly, "after learning why Evelyn studied medicine, my feelings were complicated."

"If she'd gotten into that top university as planned, we might never have met."

The thought of Evelyn being able to soar higher made his chest ache faintly.

"I've never told Evelyn this. But if there were a chance, I'd prefer she achieved her original dreams."

Victor rubbed his face hard. "I'm sorry..."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "You left early and knew nothing. Why apologize?"

"I don't know." Victor's eyes reddened. "But I can't help feeling things might have been different if I'd stayed."