Chapter 186: The Good Girl of Modern Family, the Notorious Haven
Chuck ignored Secretary Helen's "matchmaker" thoughts and casually flipped through the pile of documents.
Anna helped to screen them first. If there were really people in need who required his help, he would have known about it long ago.
Now looking through these was just to get a clearer understanding of the current situation in Haven.
This time, Chuck found more evidence to confirm the gossip Secretary Helen had mentioned.
Haven was indeed full of undercurrents.
"Hi~"
Just when Chuck and Secretary Helen were busy with their own tasks, accompanied by a knock on the door, a slightly exaggerated laugh rang out.
"Mr. Dunphy?"
Secretary Helen was taken aback.
"Oh, please, call me Phil."
A thin middle-aged man walked in with a big smile on his face. "Helen, is Chuck back?"
Without waiting for Helen to speak, he added, "I just happened to be passing by and saw his car. I'm so lucky. Am I the first person in town to know that Chuck is back?"
"Haha."
Secretary Helen could only smile politely and said professionally, "Dr. Wolfe just got back. Phil, what can I do for you?"
"No big deal."
The middle-aged man named Phil Dunphy peeked into Chuck's office and said with a smile, "Just came to say hello. Chuck is the pride and glory of our Haven."
Seeing that Chuck had no intention of coming out to meet him, Phil avoided Secretary Helen's look that said, "If there's nothing else, please leave." He glanced around the office and shook his head. "No, this place won't do. With Chuck's current status and position, how can he still work in a place like this? It's completely beneath him."
Having said this, he slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "What a coincidence! I just happen to have an excellent office space available. It's spacious and elegant, with a pleasant environment and great neighbors. It's perfect for you and Chuck to move to. I happened to bring some information with me. You can take a look. I'm available whenever you want to visit."
Secretary Helen took the real estate brochure handed over by Phil Dunphy and smiled, "Phil, you really are Haven's number one real estate agent."
"Do you really think so?"
Phil Dunphy's face lit up with joy, trying to be modest but failing completely. "Better than Janice Litman?"
Janice Litman was another real estate agent in Haven, and she had always outperformed Phil Dunphy.
"Of course,"
Secretary Helen said, waving the complete property documents in her hands. "You're not just a real estate agent, you're the best among all agents!"
"The best?"
Phil Dunphy's eyes grew somewhat distant. "Well, there are other great agents, like Dean Boland of Boland's Auto Sales."
The United States, as a nation on wheels, has the highest number of cars in the world. Cars are a necessity for almost every American, cheaper than houses, and the volume of sales is simply incomparable.
After all, the US has a well-established rental culture.
Selling cars is easier than selling houses.
Therefore, among all the salespeople in Haven, led by Dean Boland of the automotive dealership, Phil Dunphy, as a man with dreams, always strives to be the best in every aspect.
When it came to wives, while his own wife was wonderful, Dean Boland's wife was clearly superior.
When it came to children, his own two daughters and one son couldn't compare to Dean Boland's two sons and two daughters.
When it came to professional success, he wasn't even number one in the real estate field in Haven, while Dean Boland was the undisputed number one in auto sales.
Now serving as secretary to the renowned detective Chuck, Helen's compliments to him were, in her mind, merely polite. But his ever-sentimental nature led him to take it all to heart.
"There'll be opportunities in the future. I believe in you,"
Helen said perfunctorily, waving the real estate brochure in her hand.
One lie required countless lies to support it, and she already regretted complimenting the man before her.
"Oh, Helen,"
Phil Dunphy said, his hand over his chest, looking at Helen with a deeply moved expression, his eyes almost tearing up, causing Helen's lips to twitch.
If she hadn't known he had a wife and three children, she would have suspected that such sentimentality might indicate he was gay.
"Can I speak to Chuck?"
Phil glanced into the inner office again. "I know he's the best accountant. You know, if I become a true top real estate agent in the future, I'll need a top accountant too."
"Sorry,"
Secretary Helen immediately demurred. "You know."
"I know, I know."
Phil didn't actually know what Helen meant by 'you know,' but as a skilled real estate agent, he couldn't afford to expose his ignorance at this moment. He immediately put on a knowing expression, reluctantly moved toward the door, and peeked back into the inner office, raising his voice. "If you need anything, talk to Phil Dunphy! He's the top real estate agent in Haven. You deserve the best!"
After sending Phil away, Secretary Helen knocked on Chuck's office door with the real estate documents. "These are from Phil Dunphy," she explained. "I didn't let him disturb you."
"Leave them there,"
Chuck nodded, unmoved.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford a better office, but he didn't see the need. He'd just rented this office when he first settled in, and he didn't like to change things unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, he rarely appeared here these days, constantly traveling around the country. Renting a larger and more luxurious office would be a sheer waste.
Secretary Helen arranged the property information neatly and quietly withdrew.
Real estate agents like Phil Dunphy, who often posted roadside billboards around Haven, were familiar faces even if she didn't know him personally.
She also knew that her boss had approached him to rent this office initially, with Phil praising it to the skies. Now, as he prepared to sell a larger and more luxurious office, he was disparaging the current one, which amused her. She'd sarcastically quipped, "You're the best real estate agent in Haven."
Who could have guessed he didn't hear the sarcasm, or rather, chose to ignore it with shameless optimism?
He also had a rather flamboyant personality, but Helen understood that being a real estate agent required social skills. Just look at another real estate agent in Haven, Janice Litman, the true top real estate agent. Her flamboyance was even greater than Phil Dunphy's, to the point where the mere mention of her name conjured up images of her iconic, exaggerated cackle.
However, Helen knew that her boss liked peace and quiet and did not appreciate this kind of exaggeration, so she directly blocked Phil Dunphy.
As fate would have it, not long after Phil Dunphy left, a curly-haired woman knocked on the door and came in, accompanied by her signature nasal laugh, saying with a familiar smile, "Helen, excuse me? Wow! You look beautiful again!"
"Janice."
Helen responded with a wry smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Of course there is."
Janice smiled. "I heard through the grapevine that Chuck is back, so I came to say hello. You didn't know that my boyfriend Chandler Bing is actually Chuck's good friend. What a coincidence, haha~"
"Haha, what a coincidence."
Helen said in surprise. "Chandler Bing is actually your boyfriend?"
"Of course."
Janice acted happy and shy. "We're true love. I just found out that Chandler is actually Chuck's good friend."
"Are you back together?"
Chuck got up and walked out after hearing this.
"Not yet..."
Janice's eyes lit up when she saw Chuck emerge. "But I believe we can get back together anytime, if necessary. I know him best; he just can't figure out his own heart."
"What do you need?"
Chuck glanced at her.
"No big deal, just coming to get acquainted."
Janice smiled. "We're both Chandler's closest friends, and we live and work in the same town, Haven. We're such a natural fit, haha."
"Joey and Ross are Chandler's closest friends,"
Chuck said, then retreated to his inner office.
Chandler's ex-girlfriend, with whom he'd had the strongest bond, was also wildly enthusiastic about connecting with every single one of her boyfriend's friends.
"Don't say that,"
Janice followed him in. "I know Chandler. He definitely likes you more than Joey and Ross."
"I don't care,"
Chuck said bluntly. "Anything else?"
"I know Phil Dunphy was here."
Seeing Chuck's expression that told her to leave, Janice quickly abandoned the small talk and got straight to business. "But I have to emphasize that I'm the best real estate agent in Haven. I can provide everything he can, and I can also provide things he can't. In short, if you need anything, just come to me."
"The best service?"
Chuck looked at her. "You know who I am, right?"
"Uh."
Janice was a little confused, not sure what Chuck meant by that. She could only smile and say, "Of course, you're Detective Chuck, the one who saved Amazing Amy, the most famous detective today."
"Then why do you think I didn't go to you, the top real estate agent, when I first settled in Haven, but went to Phil Dunphy instead?"
Chuck looked at her calmly.
"...I was unfamiliar to you, and you didn't know me?"
Janice vaguely understood, and her smile became forced.
"As a detective, understanding your surroundings is fundamental,"
Chuck said. "For the average person, buying a house consumes most of their life savings. Getting scammed and buying a problematic property is a lifelong regret and heartache. Have you ever scammed an ordinary person like that?"
"No!"
Janice denied instinctively, but meeting Chuck's overly calm gaze, she forced a smile. "It's not like you think. Some clients buy on impulse and regret it later, then blame us innocent real estate agents... I'm leaving now."
At this point, unable to continue, she gestured toward the door and briskly walked away.
To make money as a real estate agent, one must sell every available property. Properties with obvious problems—bad location or construction issues, a murder having occurred there, or where someone committed crimes in the basement—are very difficult to sell.
She became the top real estate agent in Haven because of her ability to sell these difficult-to-sell properties.
As for the homeowners who later discovered problems and were stuck with the property, that was none of her business.
"These agents are so well-informed and so calculating,"
Secretary Helen complained after sending Janice away and closing the door for Chuck.
She returned to her seat. A moment later, a middle-aged white man knocked on the door with a forced smile on his face. Helen's lips twitched and she politely asked, "Mr. Boland, what can I do for you?"
That's right!
It was another salesperson this time: none other than Dean Boland, the car dealership owner Phil Dunphy had been trying so hard to compete with.
"Is Dr. Wolfe here? I have something to discuss with him,"
Dean Boland said with a smile.
"Let him in."
Secretary Helen was about to dismiss him as usual when she heard Chuck's voice over the intercom.
"Yes."
Secretary Helen paused for a moment, then, with a complex expression, addressed the delighted Dean Boland, "Mr. Boland, please come in."
After watching Dean Boland enter, his posture slightly deferential, Secretary Helen immediately reached for her phone and texted her niece Jane, urging her to make up her mind, quit her job in Las Vegas, and come work with Chuck.
She was worried about several beautiful women in town who rivaled her niece Jane, and one of them was Dean Boland's wife.
Good heavens!
Already a mother of four, Dean Boland's wife, Beth Boland, hadn't been worn down by her four children. Instead, she'd become even more stunning. Even with forty more children, they wouldn't diminish her vitality.
Crucially, unlike the average frumpy mother, she was incredibly fit, with curves in all the right places and a slim waist. Combined with this formidable figure, she had a delicate, youthful face.
This combination would fill even women, not just men, with envy and jealousy, and a hint of envious admiration.
Secretary Helen thought that while Dean Boland was a successful businessman, he looked sullen and unremarkable. After all, not all successful people are talented; many are simply lucky.
Her boss, who had been dismissive of fellow salespeople Phil Dunphy and Janice Litman, and hadn't even considered meeting them, treated Dean Boland differently. This made Helen wonder if it was Mr. Boland or Mrs. Boland that her boss wanted to see.
With these thoughts in mind, Secretary Helen peered toward the inner office while texting her niece Jane. Dean Boland didn't emerge for a long time, and Jane's hesitation and reluctance to make a decision made her increasingly anxious.
"Mr. Boland, did you bring your family photos?"
Secretary Helen couldn't help but ask as Dean Boland walked out, looking nervous.
"Yes."
Dean Boland was taken aback. "What's the matter?"
"Well,"
Secretary Helen said somewhat randomly, "I have a niece who is already grown up and has never wanted to fall in love or get married. Mr. Boland's family is a model family, so I thought I'd get a photo of your family and show it to my niece so she can understand the benefits of family happiness. Would that be convenient?"
"Of course,"
Dean Boland smiled and nodded after listening. He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a family photo, and handed it to Secretary Helen.
"That's perfect."
Secretary Helen took it, examined it carefully, and was filled with admiration. Then she took out her phone and photographed the family portrait, asking, "Mr. Boland, do you have any more? Ideally, a photo of just you and your wife together."
"Yes,"
Dean Boland had already spoken with Chuck, so he naturally wouldn't offend Chuck's secretary. He pulled another photo from his wallet, a photo of just the two of them.
"What a perfect couple!"
Secretary Helen took a look at it. Seeing that the photo, without the four children taking up space, maximized Beth Boland's appeal, and that it was Beth Boland at her youngest—more than ten years ago—she was delighted and took a picture of it, immediately sending it to her niece Jane.
After returning the photos to Dean Boland and seeing him off, Secretary Helen kept an eye on the back office. Then she heard the phone ring. Chuck picked up the phone. Although Helen couldn't lip-read, she knew Chuck was talking about Jane, and a knowing smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
As expected, words are cheap, and a picture is worth a thousand words.
(End of Chapter)
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