Arianne hadn’t expanded her vision to that stage yet. She was still feeling sentimental over the present. A calm and peaceful life like this was the best kind. “We’ll see. Besides, Christmas is coming up soon. We should have some kind of promotion and a small gift exchange to attract new customers and reward our regulars.” Tiffany patted herself on the chest, “Leave it to me! I can do it. It’s good to do these promotions, especially since they bring us minimal losses. By the way, I have something to tell you, but I’m not sure if I should.” Arianne stared at her, “Mm? What is it?” Tiffany hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “You have to promise not to get angry first.” Arianne curled her lips, “Our lives are pretty good now and I’m in a good mental headspace. Nothing could possibly anger me, unless you’re saying that the business has had a loss. Just tell me.” “Mark and Jackson have formed a partnership and started a financial company in the office building across the r
The shop was closed for a while during the Christmas season. Lynn and Tanya went back to their own homes to spend Christmas with their families, but Arianne and Tiffany only had each other. This was their first time spending Christmas in a different city. On Christmas Eve, Tiffany had an hour-long call with Lillian. Arianne was left staring out into the cold Christmas night. Suddenly, Arianne’s phone rang. She thought that it was a simple Christmas greeting and was not bothered. She picked up her phone and glanced at it, then realized that it was from Helen. The contents of the message may have been a greeting, but there was a bank transfer of 1,500 dollars into her bank account. Apparently, it was a Christmas present, to make up for all the presents she had owed her when she was younger. She felt nothing and simply replied to her with two words: Merry Christmas. Helen was standing in front of a window when she received the message and smiled. It was snowing heavily outside and h
Tiffany finally came to a realization, “Oh… I think I know who sent this. Then I don’t want it either. I’ll leave mine here too.” Many stalls in the market were not open during Christmas time. Arianne shopped for ingredients here regularly, and one shop owner whom she was well-acquainted with happened to be around. After choosing her items and making her payment, the shop owner suddenly pulled out a black plastic bag, “Here, it must be difficult for two young girls to be all alone during the holiday season. My son brought this back from another country. Have some, it’s my gift to you.” Arianne’s first instinct told her that it probably wasn’t anything too expensive. After declining a few times, she ended up accepting it anyway. Once they’d paid and left, Tiffany turned around and viewed their surroundings again. “It’s strange. Everyone’s packing up to go home after we’ve finished making our purchases.” Arianne turned around to look as well. It was true. It was still early, but
Arianne carefully went through the bad reviews. Soon after, she noticed a problem, “Something’s not right. These are blatantly malicious reviews. While most of them have complained or claimed that the products are questionable, or that they just don’t taste good, there's one review ridiculing the hygiene standards of our restaurant. It talks about how messy and dirty our kitchen is. No one but our staff could have been able to see this. But Tanya’s clearly been cleaning the kitchen every day, and the cups and cutlery have all been sanitized. This isn't a simple slanderous review, it’s personal!” Tiffany widened her eyes, “I’m pretty sure that Regina’s behind all of this! Look! The earliest date of these reviews is on the day after Regina’s dismissal. Then, we’d receive a few of these reviews every day, three to six on a steady average. I’m pretty sure that Regina’s asked a few of her friends to help out. She’s crossed a line!” Although their review page still had 90% of good review
At the dinner table, Tiffany was solely focused on inhaling her food. There was so much to do at the restaurant, that she and Arianne usually never had the chance to sit down for a good meal, and they rarely cooked their own meals. This meal was a rare treat, but she ended up getting full before eating much of it. Arianne and Jackson, on the other hand, had just started eating. Jackson was stunned when he saw her putting her knife and fork down, “Did it taste bad? There weren't a lot of condiments in your kitchen so I did the best I could. If it’s not good enough, I’ll buy all of the necessary ingredients and cook all of this again next time.” “She doesn’t have a big appetite anymore,” Arianne explained in Tiffany’s place. “This is how much she usually eats these days. No need to be alarmed.” Jackson did not tease Tiffany as he used to do in the past. Strangely, he felt bad, “I see that you’ve only got four people in your shop. Aren’t you exhausted? How can you live like this? Is
Actually, everyone was in a mask. No one knew what the other looked like, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone could pretty much let loose, even more so than usual. The lights in the bar were exceptionally dim today too. At some point, the woman who had led her to the dance floor disappeared. Everyone around her had lost themselves in the music. The specious dance floor was completely crowded, with zero space in between people. It was difficult to avoid rubbing against a stranger, and many people who were stuck together were complete strangers. The dance floor shook along with the booming music, making it difficult for anyone to stand still. One had to sway their body along to stabilize their footing. Arianne couldn’t find Tiffany at all due to the obscene crowd. She couldn’t even leave the dance floor, even if she wanted to. She had been squeezed into the center of it for some strange reason. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. She
By the end of it all, Arianne’s face was covered in tears. She had been screaming hysterically. Her voice echoed with helplessness and hurt throughout the silent night, crashing into Tiffany’s heart. Back when the situation unraveled, Arianne simply wept. She did not display too many emotions. Now, Tiffany understood how much hurt Arianne had to endure, “I’m sorry, Ari… I shouldn’t have said those things. Don’t cry, okay? We’re not going back; we’ll stay right here. Pretend that I never said anything. I’ll stay with you from now on!” … The dessert shop was due for a reopening in six days. Arianne had decided to go on with the reopening on New Year’s Day. Mark’s sudden appearance in the bar had affected her mood. She didn’t want to remain idle and have her thoughts preoccupied by people who should not cross her mind. It was best to keep herself busy. She had initially thought that she could let it all go, say goodbye to her past, and forget that man. On the contrary, she ended
Arianne was already starting down the stairs by the time Regina finally understood her.Regina went ballistic. “You think this is it, b*tch?! Did you forget that I can always buy a sh*t ton of SIM cards and rotate them in use and dislike-bomb you every single goddamned day? And then I’ll demand refunds from your stinking shop by telling everyone that the quality of your food is sh*t! B*tch, you drag me to hell, imma do the same!” She fumed. “Oh, and FYI? I’m sick of eating your stuff!”In contrast, Arianne was more tranquil than fuming. “Go ahead, Beautiful. Youths gotta’ dream big, so if this is your break, go for it! Besides, it’s not like I’ve just taped everything you’ve screamed, which is about enough evidence to sue you for slander. I guess being sent into prison at such a ripe young age is pretty legendary, so hey! I’m rooting for you achieving the impossible, Regina. Don’t hold back!”Regina’s clique quickly reconsidered their plan. “Um, Reggie? We kinda always finish everythin