BuzzNovelBrendan's words instantly dampened the excitement in the room. Alessia understood exactly what he was
getting at-he wanted to know if she'd bought the shop with money from the Tate family.
She couldn't help but smile. Just as she always managed to surprise the Mortons, the Mortons themselves never
failed to catch her off guard with their behavior.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly, “I invested my own money and earned it myself. Not a single cent cfrom the
Tates.” Not unless you count Cole's, she thought privately.
Brendan, however, didn’t look particularly pleased, even after her reassurance.
“Still, business is business, Lessie. We need to keep the rent fair and square. Let's draw up a contract. We'll rent
the place from you at market price. What do you think?”
Alessia’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Actually, | have a better idea than just charging you rent.”
All three of them fixed their gaze on her, waiting for her to go on.
“Ill let you use the shop rent-free-"
“No way,” Karen interjected, cutting her off. Alessia remained calm, patting Karen's hand gently to settle her
nerves.
“Not only will you pay no rent, I'll cover all the renovation costs, too. Of course, you'll still have to pay utilities.”
“Then what's your condition?” Brendan asked, as if they were negotiating a business deal across a table.
“I'll invest, and we split the profits. Forty percent for me, sixty for you.”
“You're not worried you'll lose out?”
“With this location and your cooking, there’s no reason the place shouldn’t make money.” Alessia’s confidence
was palpable.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
you
“We can work out the details later. I'll have your brother draft a contract, or if know a good lawyer, they can look
it over. Even family should keep accounts clear, It's best not to be careless, even with relatives.”
Alessia nodded. “Let's have my brother handle it.”
1/2
14:42
nerop
They ironed out a few more details, talking late into the night, until Alessia stifled a yawn and everyone realized
it was nearly midnight.
“Alright, off to bed, you two,” Karen said, gathering up the scattered papers from the table and giving Zachary a
nudge. “You've got school in the morning.”
Zachary and Brendan obediently got up to head to their rooms.
“Lessie,” Brendan called after her.
She paused, and Karen and Zachary did the same.
“Don’t be too open about your finances. Always keep something to yourself, even with family. You never know
when you'll need to play your cards close to your chest. Understand?”
Alessia hadn't expected Brendan to say something like that, She blinked, then a small, genuine smile appeared
on her lips.
“I understand,” she replied, her voice warm.
“Alright then, off to bed.” Brendan watched her smile, unsure if she truly took his advice to heart, but he didn’t
want to push further. Sometimes, too much insistence only backfired.
He knew Alessia was capable, but
she was still young and might not
always see people Le Better'she
Ere kespa 3 rd up her sleeve
than get burned by misplaced trust.
After all, you never really know what's
in someone's heart—today's friend
could bectomorrow's enemy.
He just didn’t want Alessia to repeat his mistakes.
Meanwhile, across town, Illeana
seemed like a different person jg she
stormed into heen ddse) The fAoment
the Boot bigsed behind her, she
hurled her expensive backpack onto
the floor with a thud. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“Where is everyone? Are you all dead or something?”
Mae, startled, rushed over to the entryway at Scott's bidding.
“Miss,” she greeted, her posture hunched, clearly nervous.
“What are you even doing here?
Where are my shoes? And my m
bag-can’t 5 seq Ws Gh the ‘floor?
Of are WU till thinking about that
Alessia girl? She's a Morton now, but
I'm still a Tate!” The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
