[Location] At a Cafe somewhere near Makati, Philippines
Two ladies sat as they engaged in a discussion of their own. Occasionally, The staff and the other patrons of the cafe would steal glances as they were captivated by the beauty and demeanor of the two.
The two seem accustomed to the strangers' gaze, continuing to mind their own business, not even paying a single glance at the people chatting about them.
A common trait of the Elite who are well exposed to criticism and judgment.
— Break —-
"Mom... What do you think of this place?... You know I've been thinking of asking dad to acquire this place..." The younger lady whispered to the older woman beside her, who seemed to be her mom.
Hearing this, the older woman smiled. She has been trying to imprint an interest in business on her daughter ever since she was little, but the age today has too many leisures and distractions.
Had her daughter only invited her out for a simple cup of coffee, she would've thought that her daughter, again, was planning to ask her to buy something expensive but hearing her daughter say something related to a business perspective for the first time,
her tears couldn't help but well up, ...or the equivalent of that.
She has never been very good when it comes to expressing herself. In fact, she is well known for being straightforward and cold-hearted when it comes to business.
The only qualified successor of the Zhao Clan after so many years. The Ice Empress. The elders of her Clan would often call her that.
Nevertheless, family has always been one of the areas where she has always tried to show a softer side,
and admittedly, she is one to dote on her daughter from time to time. She even absolved her daughter from most of her clan duties and has supported her daughter ever since the start of her career as a professional fighter.
Granted the fact that she was not going to use the Clan's techniques, of course.
— Break —-
'She's finally growing up….'
She thought proudly. Subtly glancing sideways to secretly wipe the barely visible tear away from her left cheek.
'It's about time she develops an interest in their clan's businesses.'
She thought to herself. Glancing at her daughter one last time before taking a more technical look at the environment of the shop.
Starting from the aroma permeating, the smell of Oakwood plus the natural aroma of the coffee beans blending in the air delivers a very relaxing feeling. It was well-modulated. Strong but not irritable upon long exposure.
She thought it conjured a lively and productive atmosphere.
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Each block of space is well-intended and pleasingly balanced, giving the guests enough sense of privacy and solitude while still being able to keep the essence of company that you get from the crowd every time you visit a coffee shop.
The wooden chairs and tables are well defined, all of them handcrafted and handsomely designed to provide not just comfort but to display a homey vibe to the place as well. Every single detail of the shop has been crafted with such aesthetic mastery to the point that it complements everything from the doorstep up to the bar, including the staff members whom she was well keen on.
Glancing at the well-mannered staff members as well as the baristas, she didn't notice even a single wrong move in their routine. All of them kept invoking a constant and genuine smile on their face, almost giving even her the impression that all of the staff here are enjoying serving customers.
Or are they?
She took one sharp glance before shrugging off the thought.
She hadn't seen the menu yet, but looking at the coffee in her hand, she immediately gauged that it was a lot more expensive than your usual Starbucks. The aroma of the coffee itself was a testament that it was something that only middle to higher-class families would be able to afford,
yet looking at the other guests nearby, she quickly deduced that some, if not most of the other guests, were from the low to middle-class bracket. They seem to be here for various occasions, and they seem to talk in whispers as if they were trying to protect the serene atmosphere of the place…
For a coffee shop to be a place where people gather and celebrate. It only means that this place has consistently satisfied them and has helped them create beautiful memories. Enough for even low-class families to come back and celebrate.
Finally, looking at the prices on the menu, her forehead instantly wrinkled.
'...'
Although she was delighted by the food and the level of service in the place. Selling coffee at the price of a lobster is simply just ridiculous. She then looked back again at the low and middle-class families who were celebrating not too far from them.
She couldn't help but shudder, conscience creeping up on her as she looked at the brainwashed families with newfound pity.
As impressive as it was that the owner of this place managed to pull off all of this, This was all just a blatant rip-off.
Even in business, there's still a thing called 'etiquette.'
— Break —-
…
… ...
"By the way, Mom, aren't you excited to try NOIM out? When I heard uncle that you're gonna be joining as well, I got so excited." The daughter asked. Finally, breaking her mother's chain of thought.
"I'll only be there to help set up the central branch of the guild. Nothing else."
"Oh. I thought you'd be more excited about all of it."
"Not at all. In the end it's just fighting, researching and developing new things. What's there to be excited about?"
"Even so. It's still the first realistic simulation after all. We'd finally be able to compete against the other ancient families without the risk of actual death."
"Oh, that's right."
"Right."
They both nodded. Evidently, she inherited the same cold and quiet demeanor from her mother. Unlike the madame, though, the younger lady looked almost emotionless. Even when she brought up something that she was excited about.
…
… …
They took a brief pause before they finally continued their apathetic-looking conversation.
"What I asked you earlier Mom. What do you think about this place? To be honest I'm already thinking about recommending this place as one of our acquisitions this year. I'll even recommend prioritizing this if you'll grant approval for it."
"..."
She didn't answer right away and continued staring at the coffee in her hand. She then took a sip.
'Impossible.' Her eyes almost widened as the madame thought to herself.
She has been all over the world and has tasted coffee from hotels to executive and 5-star restaurants and the most high-end coffee shops, but none of them were as good as the cup of coffee she's holding right now.
She was bewildered. The taste was ridiculously strong and flavorful but surprisingly not irritative nor painful to the tongue. There was no hint of acidity on it, and the texture was completely different, being incredibly thin but thick at the same time. It was as if the coffee was melting inside of her mouth. It almost made her moan in the process...
"I especially like the coffee here."
The madame smiled upon hearing her daughter. Inwardly praising her for the perfectly timed remark.
She looked again at the perfect black coffee in her hand and thought about the situation seriously.
As much as she wanted to support her daughter's first business proposal, it was highly unlikely that the owner would give up the franchise, much more the supplier of its coffee beans. Even without the investment of their Clan,
it was only a matter of time before new branches of this cafe start to pop up all over the country. In the future, if the owner manages it well, possibly even globally. They would have to give out an alarming amount of money to make the owner to even consider it.
But even so, the secrets this coffee shop held itself should be worth enough to calm down the council.
More importantly, this was for her daughter, after all.
'Let's see who's behind this place.'
The madame thought to herself before asking one of the staff members to call the manager.
…
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