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
The girls’ bustling day finally ended with Tiffany gleefully counting their earnings. “Oh my god, Ari, we hit the jackpot on the very first business day of the year!” she exclaimed. “Honestly, that office building across us alone will keep our shop afloat forever. In fact, I’m sure we’ll be hiring more hands a few days from now! Oh, by the way, having people order from a takeout app rather than directly from our shop made us lose some revenue to the middlemen. If they’d ordered directly, we could have earned even more! I’ll have Tanya give them a little contact card next time.”“Already done that, Tiffany,” Tanya interjected. “I’ve presented them with our business cards during today’s deliveries. Told them that they could give us a ring the next time their cravings struck them.”On cue, Tiffany brought the girl’s bonuses, wrapped in a nice little packet, to her. “Here’s a little something for you, our little smart alec.”At first, Tanya was delighted to receive her reward, but then her
Lynn let loose a quick curl of her lips. “Oh, no, no. Held my breath when I was bending down just now.”While the two were bantering, a group of twenty-something men strode through the front door, all of them donning business suits with their nameplates pinned to the chests.Strangely, there was no woman among them; this curiosity hooked Tiffany’s attention. Experience told her that men didn’t typically visit cafés in throngs, and women were usually better appreciators of all things sweet.Instinctively, she reasoned that these men were here to buy for their girlfriends. “Welcome! What would you like? Here are our latest goods, and they are guaranteed to be a favorite among the ladies. Would you like me to introduce them to you?”A clean-shaven man leading the troop was a little bashful. “Um, well… Just giving all of us a set of your recommendations will do.”Tiffany cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm? Dining-in? You’re not buying for your girlfriends or female friends?”The man’s friends had alr
The man fumbled out an excuse, “Makes takeouts more convenient.”Tanya mused between reciting each of Arianne’s numbers, “Don’t you guys always ring up the shop directly? Ari may be one of the two bosses, but she’s always busy in the kitchen, so she rarely manages orders. I think directly calling the shop is a better idea.”The man stored the girl’s number gingerly while replying, “I see, I see. Thank you very much for your help.”Tanya thought of telling Arianne about the little exchange regarding her phone number once she returned to the shop, but the bustle of the day kept coming, and soon, she forgot about it altogether.Night fell. The café was near its closing hour when Arianne’s phone beeped: ‘A cup of warm milk. Less sugar.’It baffled her to see someone ordering through her number, but she replied patiently, ‘Please tell me the address for delivery.’The other side was quick to respond. ‘The office building opposite your shop. I’ll send you the details when it’s ready.’The pr