Chapter 260: Goodwill
Eleanor’s Pet Hospital.
When Vivian Lowell arrived, the pet hospital was already open.
Seeing the rolled-up shutter door, Vivian was a little surprised. Just as she walked over, a smiling face poked out from inside.
"Hello, Mr. Lowell."
It was Caleb Quinn.
His smile was sincere. Upon seeing Vivian, he said, "Today is my last day working here. I’ll be catching a flight to go abroad tomorrow.
"Still, being able to see both of you secure so much sponsorship on my final day here makes me truly happy for you!"
Caleb was leaving tomorrow?
Vivian thought for a moment and recalled what Caleb had mentioned before about going abroad for a year as an exchange student. He needed to head over early to familiarize himself with the area and settle in.
"Congratulations."
After some thought, Vivian decided to send Caleb a digital red envelope. "Consider this a reward for your hard work at the hospital over the past few days when Eleanor wasn’t around.
"Don’t turn it down. You’ll be all alone in a foreign country, completely unfamiliar with the place and without any friends. It’s always better to have a little extra cash on hand, isn’t it?"
Caleb did want to decline, but seeing that the amount Vivian sent wasn’t overwhelmingly large, he felt a bit more at ease.
"Thank you, Mr. Lowell. I came over early today to open up. I’ve already scooped the litter boxes and am in the middle of changing the cat litter. I smell pretty bad right now, so why don’t you have a seat and rest for a bit!
"Just leave those chores to me. That way, I can accept your red envelope with peace of mind."
Vivian initially felt bad letting Caleb do all the work alone, but since he insisted, she had no choice but to head to the hospital lobby to check out the newly decorated photo-op area for "tourists."
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Since Eleanor’s Pet Hospital had gone viral online thanks to Eleanor Rhodes’ animal rescue efforts, Eleanor had produced some merchandise like cat-shaped throw pillows and water bottles.
Pet parents who brought their animals in for treatment could use their receipts to enter a daily lucky draw to win these items!
If they were lucky, they could even win cat food, kitty litter, or canned treats. If they had dogs, they could win pillows and water bottles too!
At the check-in spot, there were messages left by adopters for the pet hospital. Most expressed wishes for the hospital to thrive and continue doing charitable work for the community.
Reading the overwhelming positivity, Vivian couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.
Just as she was engrossed in the messages, staff members began arriving for work one after another. Vivian recognized most of them as the veterinarians at the clinic.
Eleanor Rhodes arrived at eight-thirty sharp, carrying breakfast. She rushed into the pet hospital and immediately spotted Vivian.
"Vivian, you’re here so early!"
As soon as Eleanor saw Vivian, she hurried over. Munching on her breakfast, she mumbled, "Caleb texted me saying you were already here, and I had only just woken up!
"It just goes to show the difference between a successful businesswoman and us ordinary folks. You’re already so accomplished in your career, yet you still insist on waking up early every day!
"Sigh, the gap between people is truly vast!" Eleanor lamented. She was right in the middle of gnawing on her flatbread when an elderly man poked his head in through the doorway.
"Excuse me, are you open for business yet?"
The old man’s voice sounded incredibly familiar. Vivian turned to look and realized the visitor was actually Mr. Drake!
Mr. Drake was carrying a cat backpack. Through the transparent section of the carrier, Vivian could vaguely make out that it was the same kitten she had helped him rescue at the Drake Family estate!
"Eleanor, keep eating. I’ll go assist Mr. Drake."
Saying that, Vivian hurried over to Mr. Drake and asked, "We are open. Mr. Drake, what brings you here? Is the kitten not feeling well?"
"No."
Mr. Drake shook his head and said with a beaming smile, "The kitten has been eating and drinking well lately, and he’s gained quite a bit of weight. I came over today to have you guys run a quick check.
"I want to see if his antibody levels are high enough. If they are, we’ll go ahead and get him neutered!"
So he was here for a neutering procedure.
Vivian looked at the well-behaved kitten in the backpack and said, "He really does look noticeably bigger than before. It’s obvious you’ve been taking wonderful care of him, Mr. Drake!
"Wait right here, I’ll get you registered! Since we’re all so well-acquainted, let’s just make this neutering procedure free of charge!"
"How could I accept that?"
Hearing this, Mr. Drake immediately tried to decline, but Vivian spoke with feigned strictness. "Why not? Mr. Drake, you taught me how to beachcomb and I never paid you for it! Just consider this returning the favor!
"Alright, alright. We know each other so well, and a neutering procedure isn’t expensive anyway. It’s no big deal! Have a seat and wait for a moment while I take the kitty in for an examination!"
Seeing Vivian’s persistence, Mr. Drake found himself at a loss and could only helplessly agree.
Since Mr. Drake had arrived early, the operating room was still available—save for a few previously rescued kittens that needed medication for ear mites and stomatitis.
Vivian arranged for a vet to examine the kitten, and the surgery was quickly cleared to proceed.
Overall, it wouldn’t take long; everything would be wrapped up within an hour!
However, at nine o’clock, the representative from the sponsoring brand arrived with an entire truckload of cat food. Vivian and Eleanor had to go out to greet him.
At the entrance of the pet hospital.
A medium-sized cargo van had parked at the door. Vivian looked through the windows at the van packed to the brim with cat food, feeling absolutely delighted.
This was the most generous sponsoring brand they had!
The brand’s representative was a man dressed in a sharp suit. As soon as he stepped out of the vehicle, Vivian went to greet him.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Zane?"
"Yes, I am. Hello, Mrs. Faulkner. The three thousand pounds of cat food for this batch have all been delivered. We still have cat litter and canned food coming, which we will deliver in separate batches!
"May I head inside the pet hospital now to sign the contract?"
Vivian nodded quickly, answering with a radiant smile, "Of course you can, let’s go! What would you like to drink? I’ve prepared orange juice and coconut water, and we have mineral water too."
"Orange juice, thank you."
Mr. Zane looked every bit the part of upper management. His hair was slicked back flawlessly, likely styled with pomade, and he exuded an impressive air of vitality and professionalism.
Upon entering the pet hospital, Mr. Zane took a seat in the reception area.
The moment he sat down, Mr. Zane caught sight of Mr. Drake. He froze in his tracks, his pupils dilating in sheer shock.
Vivian was a little confused. Just as she was wondering if Mr. Zane knew Mr. Drake, Mr. Drake spoke up first. "I’m here to get my pet neutered.
"Vivian, is this gentleman the representative from the brand?"
"Yes, he is!"
After answering, Vivian called out to Mr. Zane, which finally snapped him out of his daze.
The contract signing process went by very quickly.
Vivian understood a bit of law. After meticulously reviewing the contract and confirming there were no issues, she and Eleanor signed their names and stamped their thumbprints.
Mr. Zane also signed and affixed his company seal. He tucked away one copy of the duplicate contracts and handed the other to Vivian with both hands.
"Mrs. Faulkner, please keep this safe. If you have any further questions down the line, feel free to contact me. If you’d like us to provide additional sponsorship, that is completely open to discussion as well!"
Mr. Zane was being overly polite.
Looking at the expression in Mr. Zane’s eyes, Vivian even got the feeling...
That as the prominent Party A, Mr. Zane was actually trying to curry favor with her, Party B!
It was truly unbelievable!
Fortunately, Vivian remained quite level-headed. After having Caleb help move the supplies, she saw Mr. Zane out.
Not long after Mr. Zane left, the surgery on Mr. Drake’s kitten was finished. The operation was a complete success. Since the anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off yet, the kitten lay there with its little pink tongue sticking out, looking absolutely adorable.
Vivian couldn’t resist gently teasing the well-behaved kitten before scooping it up into her arms and heading over to find Mr. Drake.
"Mr. Drake, here is your cat."
Vivian helped Mr. Drake settle the kitten back into the cat backpack, then stuffed some canned food and kibble into his hands. "These are a complimentary gift from us!"
"Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept this!"
Mr. Drake tried to refuse again, but Vivian blinked playfully and said, "Mr. Drake, you must accept it! If it weren’t for you, perhaps our pet hospital wouldn’t have secured such a massive investment this time, right?"
Mr. Drake looked a bit surprised and instinctively tried to deny it. "What are you talking about? Your pet hospital received the investment because you’ve done so many good deeds!
"This world is fair. You reap what you sow. Your kind hearts earned the recognition of the brand, which is why they made the donation. What does that have to do with me?"
"Of course it does."
Vivian mumbled slightly before explaining, "Julian told me everything last night. When you were abroad, you were a member of the Animal Protection Society.
"And the brand sponsoring us today is an international brand that just so happens to have made numerous donations to the Society. It’s all a bit too coincidental, isn’t it?
"Mr. Drake, if you say you didn’t pull any strings behind the scenes, I simply wouldn’t believe it."
Vivian spoke with such utter seriousness that in the end, Mr. Drake was left with no choice but to shake his head with a chuckle. "Since you’re so clever and have seen right through it, I won’t keep it from you anymore.
"It’s true, I did mention this donation to the Society. But don’t misunderstand—even though I brought it up, they still had to conduct their own assessment.
"Only after passing their evaluation and determining that you were worthy of funding did they approve the donation. It wasn’t a case of me saying a word and them immediately sending supplies over.
"Vivian, I know you’re doing charitable work, and it’s not an easy path to walk. I just hoped to lessen some of the pressure on your shoulders.
"Of course, as you said, I was part of the Animal Protection Society abroad. Naturally, I love animals, and I wanted to continue doing charity work after returning home.
"But I don’t have any foundation here! Investing in you was the best choice for me, too!"
Vivian remained noncommittal.
Mr. Drake’s words made it sound as though he really hadn’t done it specifically for her!
But rather, solely for the sake of the adorable little animals.
But was that truly the case?