My Child and I Married a Billionaire novel Chapter 242

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Caught in the Middle

Anyone could tell he was taking a jab at Zeke Walton.

How could Zeke Walton, in his current physical and mental state, possibly endure such ridicule?

Cecelia Archer was so startled she immediately started hitting Damien Vaughn, but he paid her no mind.

"What are you hitting me for? Is he so useless that no one’s allowed to point it out? The great young master of the Walton Family wants to be self-reliant, which is fine, but why of all things become a delivery driver? Those who know might say he’s not picky and can handle hardship. Those who don’t might think the Walton Family went bankrupt."

"You should be glad he’s not your son. Otherwise, after all the trouble of raising him for so many years, seeing him debase himself like this would be enough to make you cough up blood."

"He’s in this state, and he’s still worried about his pride? Pride is something you earn, not something others give you. Plenty of people in this world need their pride saved. You and I might humor him, but what about everyone else? Even if everyone accommodates him, does he really have the standing to expect it?"

Cecelia was left completely speechless, looking over at Zeke with her heart in her throat.

Thankfully, he wasn’t a three-year-old. The violent, unbearable breakdown she had imagined didn’t happen.

Zeke just squeezed his eyes shut in pain, pressing his hands to his stomach as if the words had been a physical blow.

"Zeke..."

"I’m fine." A thin sheen of sweat beaded on his forehead. Zeke took a few seconds to recover before opening his eyes again.

"He’s right. I’ve let myself go, and I’ve failed to repay my parents for raising me. I deserve this."

"..."

"I really can’t go on like this. I can’t bring shame to the Walton Family."

Cecelia silently breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to gently rub his chest in a soothing motion.

"I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Take it slow, there’s no rush. I know you just left home and probably couldn’t think of a better solution at the time. It’ll be fine once you’ve calmed down. Don’t you know fashion design? If you really don’t like the family business, you can go back to that. As long as you work hard, you’ll definitely succeed."

Zeke let her soothe him for a moment, then leaned back against the seat and spoke slowly.

"I don’t want to do fashion design anymore. My dad shut down my studio. I don’t want to rely on him again."

Cecelia was shocked. She hadn’t expected his father to be so ruthless. She was silent for a moment.

"Then what do you want to do? Isn’t fashion design your passion?"

"I can always pick that hobby up again; it’s not going anywhere. There’s no challenge in it for me right now, so I don’t feel like doing it."

Although Zeke had suffered physically over the past few days, there was still a hint of naivete in him.

"I want to try a different industry."

’So after all that, does he still want to be a delivery driver?’

Cecelia didn’t know how to respond, waiting for him to continue. Zeke said seriously,

"Last year, someone approached me about investing in a website, but I turned them down. Thinking back now, I really wasted a great idea. Cecelia, I want to sell fruit."

Cecelia thought she had misheard. "What?"

Zeke explained, "When I say sell fruit, I don’t mean just setting up a street stall or renting a storefront. I mean creating my own website for fruit marketing and delivery. For example, we could launch a ’Thoughtful Boyfriend’ or ’Thoughtful Husband’ series where you can express your love to your girlfriend or wife by having fruit delivered daily. For holidays, birthdays, and Valentine’s Day, we could offer special couple’s packages. We could also partner with major supermarkets, flower shops, and home goods stores to offer a series of special promotions and gift bundles..."

"As far as I know, this is an untapped market in the country, maybe even globally. Given the current social trends and consumer spending levels, if I plan it out well, it’s bound to be a huge success."

Three million?

Cecelia really wanted to invest. She wouldn’t take a single share from Zeke; she purely wanted to help him. But she couldn’t come up with three million.

And she knew that Shane Grant couldn’t come up with it either.

The Grant Group had too much capital tied up in that useless plot of land. The company’s current liquid assets were barely enough to cover daily operations. If they openly diverted such a large sum, it would definitely cause dissatisfaction among the shareholders.

Cecelia didn’t answer him, turning her head to look at Damien Vaughn instead.

"A small project like this might not be worthy of President Vaughn’s attention, but it would be the first of its kind in Veridia, and possibly the entire country. If it succeeds in Veridia, it could be expanded to other cities through franchising. Not only would it be incredibly profitable, but it would also earn a great reputation. President Vaughn, why don’t you invest? Three million is a drop in the ocean for you. If it succeeds, the returns will be massive. If it fails, the loss is negligible..."

Damien Vaughn looked at her coldly.

"Three million is a drop in the ocean for me? A negligible loss if it fails? President Linden, so in your eyes, the Vaughn Group’s money just falls from the sky, free for you to throw away as you please?"

Cecelia retorted, "We haven’t even started, so how do you know it’ll be a waste? This success would be incredibly meaningful for Zeke. He’ll definitely take it seriously. Can’t you have a little faith in him?"

Damien Vaughn glanced at Zeke over Cecelia’s shoulder.

’His eyes are downcast, who knows what he’s thinking. It hasn’t even been that long since I last saw the energetic, noble young master, and now he looks like a vagrant.’

’Is he going to commit to this or not? He has absolutely no drive.’

Damien was annoyed, but he couldn’t bring himself to curse Zeke out directly, so he took it out on Cecelia.

"Are you the one starting this business or is he? The man himself hasn’t said a word, yet you’re already making guarantees on his behalf?"