“No amount of advertising can match the recommendations from friends and family,” Emma explained.“And of course, I also want to gauge the traffic on Friday to determine how much inventory we need for the weekend,” she added.Brett laughed, giving Emma's shoulder a hearty pat. “Sounds just like my restaurant’s soft opening,” she said. Given the small size of Emma’s shop, a soft opening was not necessary, but the approach was certainly a good alternative.“Come on, it’s almost time. The mall is about to open. Let’s get ready,” Brett said, glancing at the clock.“Okay.” Emma took a deep breath and prepared herself for the day ahead.…At Stirling Group headquarters, Calvin noticed an issue with a document and called out to Ezra. “Send this to the boss for review and confirmation.”“Mr. Stirling said he has important matters today and must not be disturbed,” replied Ezra.Calvin was taken aback. “Important matters?”Ezra shook his head, indicating he did not know the details of
Landon ended the call with satisfaction. He continued to watch the screen, observing the steady stream of customers entering and exiting Emma's store. He smiled to himself. With the growing crowd, Emma would be tired, but he knew she would be happy nonetheless. Despite the fatigue, her smile never faded, and she bustled about with visible joy."You're right, Brett. This advertising campaign was pretty effective," Emma said, beaming with pride as she managed the busy store."Today's mall promotion is also a big help," Emma added, noting that the mall's activities contributed significantly. "They had a raffle and discount vouchers. With these vouchers, our bread and cakes are practically free—there’s almost no extra cost.""Of course, it's also because your products are good," Brett said, genuinely pleased. "If your items didn’t taste good, people wouldn’t keep coming back, no matter how great the promotion is."Emma nodded, acknowledging that the large number of customers woul
Landon took Asher out for a hamburger. When the meal arrived, he watched as Asher happily munched on a large burger, his face smeared with sauce. Amused, Landon picked up a napkin and gently wiped his face. Landon never imagined that he would enjoy such moments, having previously found children noisy and bothersome. Meeting Asher had changed his perspective. He found Asher irresistibly adorable.Just as Landon was watching Asher eat, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned slightly, and answered, “Hello? Yes… okay, I understand.” He ended the call quickly and returned to watching Asher’s dinner.Despite a nagging thought regarding the call, Landon did not let it interrupt his time with Asher. After dinner, he played with Asher for a while and, by nine o’clock, had him bathed and tucked into bed. Instead of resting, Landon carried on working in the living room with his laptop. At ten o’clock, the door creaked open quietly. Landon looked up as Emma entered, sur
“I may not be able to retain all the customers, but keeping five or six out of ten should be manageable,” Emma said proudly.“The most important thing is that I feel our customers were quite satisfied with our service.”Emma added quickly, fearing that Landon might not believe her, “I mean I saw them leave with happy expressions.“If the customer experience is good and our products are delicious, then when they want something to eat again, they’ll consider our shop an option.”Landon paused, then asked, “Why would it not be their first choice?”“Because of the distance,” Emma explained with a smile. “No matter how good something is, they wouldn’t cross mountains just to eat it after work.“Unless it’s extraordinarily delicious, the kind that makes you crave it daily,” Emma said with self-awareness. “Our bakery items aren’t irreplaceable.“If it’s nearby or if they’re shopping in the mall, they’ll buy from us,” Emma said, feeling motivated. “I’m planning to open more branches in
Emma finally noticed that Landon had appeared at the kitchen door. He was cheerfully waving at Asher. “Good morning, Ash.”Asher happily headed back to his room, while Landon smiled and walked into the kitchen. “Shall I pour it out?”He was already moving to pour the orange juice from the blender into cups. “I’m almost done here,” Emma said, glancing at Landon while quickly working on the egg pancakes in the pan.Landon helped out, and soon breakfast was ready. By that time, Asher had returned to the kitchen with his little legs swinging. “Mommy, Mommy, I’ll carry it.”“Okay,” Emma said, bending down to hand the plate to Asher. “Be careful, Ash, don’t burn yourself.”“Mm-hmm.” Asher nodded earnestly, gripping the plate tightly with both hands and walking slowly and carefully towards the dining table. Each step was measured and cautious.Landon chuckled softly. “Asher is destined for greatness.”Emma smiled, pleased with the compliment. It meant a lot to her, especially com
Emma shook off her sorry thoughts and focused on her breakfast. She could not afford to dwell on such ideas, especially when Landon had been so supportive and kind. The last thing she wanted was to risk harming him in any way.After breakfast, Emma quickly prepared a small pack for Asher. Since they were heading to the mall, she packed a bottle of warm water for him and told Landon, “If he runs out of water, just come by the store to get it refilled.”Emma's bakery was located in the mall, so it was convenient for them to stop by if they needed anything. She bent down to give Asher a final set of instructions, “Listen to Daddy, stay close to him, and let him know if you need anything.”Asher nodded earnestly, taking in every word. Landon watched with a smile on his face, clearly pleased by Emma’s care and attentiveness.When the time was right, Landon drove the family to the mall. Emma’s shop had started strong, and though the initial rush had calmed, business remained steady. Emma
“You do not seem to be making much money here,” the woman said sharply. Her comment drew the attention of the staff in the store who cast her disapproving glances. Despite being a newly opened store, the staff had developed a good rapport with Emma. They suspected that the woman was looking for trouble.Emma approached the woman, her smile unwavering. “If you’re interested in our store’s performance, I can explain it to you.”The woman scoffed dismissively. “I don’t care about your little rundown store. I’m not interested in the details.”Though unwilling to escalate the situation, Emma refused to let the woman’s rudeness go unchallenged. “If you’re not interested, why are you asking then? What exactly do you want?”The woman’s expression darkened, and she glared at Emma with venom. “Tsk. As expected of someone from a lowly background. You clearly lack manners.”Emma’s gaze hardened. “Yes, I come from a humble background, but at least I’m human and can treat others as such. Unli
The customers in the store glanced at the security footage, noticing how the woman was wandering around, scrutinizing everything with a critical eye. It was clear she was not a typical shopper. Especially at the checkout, her tone was dripping with sarcasm, deliberately picking a fight. It was no wonder she got called out.The funniest part was, she tried to play the victim, claiming the store owner had insulted her. What a joke! The surrounding customers started talking, their voices not even lowered, openly mocking the woman's shameless behavior.The woman, clearly not used to such treatment, pointed at Emma and sneered, "Alright, you win! Just you wait! You'll regret this!"With that, she stormed off, her heels clicking loudly as she left in a huff.A security guard approached and asked Emma if she needed any assistance. However, Emma shook her head. With a smile, she said, "Thank you, but no, it's fine."There was not much one can do with troublemakers like that. Besid
“Of course, marriage is about mutual benefit. You treat me well, and I treat you well in return. You help me shoulder life's pressures, and I offer you support. That’s what fosters a stable marriage,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.“It won’t work if one side keeps giving while the other takes without giving anything in return.“And sometimes, it may seem like one side isn’t contributing, but there are always invisible sacrifices being made.“Otherwise, how could any marriage last?” Landon wrapped his arms around Emma and sighed softly. “You know, what I love most about you is your clear understanding of things.“You give me a sense of security,” Landon said candidly. He knew Emma was not the type to overthink things as she was a very reasonable person.“You see, Asher has grown so optimistic and cheerful because of you. Being with you makes me feel incredibly at ease. That’s something money can’t buy.”Emma thought seriously for a moment. “If you need comfort, I feel like ther
Emma froze, her curiosity piqued. “What did you learn?”She was not surprised that Asher had absorbed her lessons as that was her goal in teaching him. But what had Landon learned? “I learned a lot,” Landon replied with a smile. “For example, your attention to detail and patience, your tolerance for others, and your ability to handle situations calmly—”Emma laughed, breaking his train of thought. “Stop, stop, stop! If you keep going, I might start believing I'm some kind of superhero! I’d be even better than you!” “Then I'd really be lacking in self-awareness if I think that,” Landon said as he wrapped his arms around her. “You genuinely possess many admirable qualities—exactly what I need.”“Alright, alright... what you need,” Emma replied casually.Landon gently tapped her shoulder. “Are you brushing me off?”Emma pouted. “You hit me…”Landon hurriedly rubbed her shoulder. “Did it hurt?”He had not even used enough force to swat a fly but hearing Emma say it made him do
People loved to take advantage of a good deal, and after consulting the owner, the manager anticipated such behavior from the customers when he proposed the solution. Besides, both the owner and the manager possessed a broader vision. They understood that they could not let a small financial loss tarnish their restaurant's reputation.The way they handled the incident turned into a great advertising opportunity. Those diners who experienced the situation firsthand became loyal customers. They now had a favorable impression of the restaurant and would be the first to recommend it for future gatherings or family outings. No amount of traditional advertising could rival the power of genuine recommendations from friends and family.Both the restaurant owner and manager knew how to effectively navigate a business crisis. What could have been a damaging situation had transformed into positive publicity due to their prompt action.“Let Daddy explain the specifics of the business
The restaurant manager politely apologized and thanked them before clearing all the food from the table. Emma smiled. "I really like this restaurant."Landon nodded, recognizing that this was a business that understood customer service. Just then, Emma spotted Asher’s confused expression. "Those dishes we had earlier might have been touched by that lady."If someone used a spoon that others had already used to scoop food for me, would you be pleased by that?" Asher shook his head vigorously. "Not at all!""Exactly! So, the food that might have come into contact with that lady's saliva was removed and destroyed by the restaurant staff," Emma continued. Asher looked concerned at Emma’s words. "That's such a waste!" "It is, but there's no other option," Emma sighed lightly. "If someone were to get sick from eating that food, it would be much worse. That was a terrible mistake that the lady made. "So the restaurant staff wants to make sure that the mistake was dealt with the
Asher nodded energetically. “Yes!”“Exactly! So, making mistakes isn’t scary, and not knowing things isn’t scary either. The key is to admit it boldly,” Emma explained.“When we make a mistake, we correct it. If we don’t know something, and it doesn’t affect others, we don’t have to learn it if we don’t want to.“But if it impacts others, we need to learn from it,” she continued.“Just like that lady earlier, she needed to learn not to use shared tongs to serve food. But for something like not wanting to do someone’s makeup, that’s okay, she doesn’t have to learn that.“Shared tongs are necessary for everyone, and they can’t be replaced. If you don’t want to do someone’s makeup, they can find someone else to help. That service can be substituted.”Asher listened intently and nodded his head. “I understand now, Mommy!”Landon watched the entire exchange and silently marveled at Emma’s approach. She had a knack for using examples from Asher’s own experiences to explain things, m
Asher beamed up at Emma, a sense of pride shining on his face.Emma finally gathered her emotions and turned to Asher. “Mommy makes mistakes too, Ash.”Asher’s smile faltered as confusion washed over him. “Huh?”Emma chuckled softly and ruffled his hair. “It’s not just Mommy who makes mistakes, Daddy does too.”“Really?” Asher exclaimed as he turned to look at Landon. His face was filled with disbelief.Landon smiled, though he was unsure where Emma was going with the conversation. Nevertheless, he cooperated without hesitation. “That’s right. Daddy makes mistakes too.”Asher’s mouth hung open in surprise, clearly shocked to learn that his impressive parents could also err.“Not just your parents,” Emma continued with a smile, “even people who are more capable than us make mistakes.”“Why?” Asher asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “If everyone makes mistakes, then why do we even learn?”“Because we work hard to make fewer mistakes and try our best not to cause trouble
“What disruption? You’re just bullying your customers because your business is big!” The middle-aged woman exploded in anger. “Don’t think I’m easy to push around. I’m calling the police!”The restaurant manager nodded calmly. “Please do. Since your actions have caused damage to our establishment, we will also hold you accountable for those damages.”“Damages? What damages?” the woman shouted, stomping her feet in frustration.Unfazed, the manager responded evenly, “Because of your actions, we now need to remove and replace all the food at the serving stations. You’ll be responsible for covering those losses.“And if any customers request refunds because of this, we’ll refund them in full. If they ask for compensation, we’ll provide that too. All of these expenses will be your responsibility.”The woman nearly exploded at the manager’s words. “You’re deluded!“Come on, son, we’re leaving!” She yanked her son’s arm, pulling him toward the exit.But the restaurant staff was not ab
Since Asher had decided to eat one piece of cake himself, he chose fewer cakes, worried that he would not be able to finish them.‘Look at that! He’s already learning how to make his own choices,’ Emma thought proudly.Emma followed Asher’s lead, picking up the cakes he wanted. Just as they were about to leave, Asher suddenly grabbed her sleeve.Puzzled, Emma looked down and asked, “What is it, sweetie?”“They’re using tongs to feed each other,” Asher said, frowning in displeasure.Emma glanced over and saw a middle-aged woman holding a pair of tongs, about to feed a cake to her son. The boy, around eight or nine, reached out to take the cake with his hand, but the woman pulled the tongs back and scolded him, “Don’t use your hands! Just open your mouth.”Emma felt her face flush in disbelief. ‘What are they thinking?’ she protested quietly.The woman did not want her son to use his hands, claiming it was dirty, yet she was about to feed him with the tongs that everyone used to
Landon smiled. “I like eating too. Our whole family does. But what I enjoy most is eating with all of you.”Asher quickly agreed, “I’m always happy when I eat with Mommy and Daddy.”The family of three arrived at the buffet. Thankfully, Emma had already reserved a spot using her phone while they were still on the road.They headed straight to a small private room, ordered their food through the app, and waited for the server to bring it.“Mommy…” Asher called as he tugged at Emma’s shirt. “I want some cake.”Emma laughed and put on her sunglasses. “Let’s go get some cake.”Asher beamed with excitement. “Okay!” With one hand he held Emma’s hand tightly, while he swung the other one back and forth enthusiastically. He hurried along, and his wide, gleaming eyes searched eagerly for the cake display ahead.“Mommy, over there!” He spotted the table filled with cakes in an instant.Even though he was thrilled to see the cakes, Asher did not let go of Emma’s hand or rush ahead.