DaintyTeapot

After struggling through her early years, lacking the support of her family and those she once called friends, Jade is finally back on her feet. Not just on her feet. She's a successful, young woman running her own business, a cute cafe just outside the central business district.
But despite handsome, successful businessmen running in and out of her store every day, she still hasn't found the right man.
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"Come with me. I'll buy you a house, and you'll never have to worry about money or work again."
"No, thank you, I enjoy my work."
"Come with me. I'll buy you an island. You'll have a Michelin star chef cook your every meal."
"No, thank you, my own cooking is sufficient."
"Humph! Seeing as you won't come with me, I'll just move in here."
"Eh? What?"
"I bought the land your cafe is built on. I think you'll find that you no longer have a say."
"…"
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This is my first novel, so please tell me if you see areas where I can improve!
The schedule is one chapter a day. I will reconsider this if the novel's ranking improves.

Following my darling readers' advice, I have made a Discord server! Feel free to come hang out~ https://discord.gg/PPb7yWn

Night Cafe: CEO's Secret Love

Seeing the look of betrayal and dismay on Jade's face, the experienced Mrs Harper could tell what she was thinking.


"This is an engagement party," Mrs Harper said. "If we can't ask such questions now, we never will be able to. Now grow a pair and ask that nice lad out already."


Jade mumbled something and rushed back to the counter. 'Betrayed by my idol… and to think she would say such crass words. It looks like I need to find a new idol—it's clear that Mrs Harper is not suitable anymore."


Nursing the wounds of betrayal, Jade glanced over the room to check that no one needed anything before going into the kitchen to check on Bernie. She could afford to step out for a few minutes, especially with Patrick around.


"How are the sets going, Bern?" She smiled when she saw the intense concentration on Bernie's face as he arranged the cakes on plates.


"It's going alright. I'm confident that some sets will be popular, but the jury's still out on others—we can only wait and see."


Jade patted him on the back as she leaned in to inspect his work. "It looks great, Bern. I'm sure they'll go down a treat. Honestly, I can't believe you didn't suggest something like this sooner!"


"Well… I… er…" Bernie shot away from Jade and busied himself with some random chore. "It's nothing much, not compared to everything you do for the business."


Although she might have been imagining it, Jade could have sworn that the tips of Bernie's ears were bright red.


"Regardless, I'm really impressed. Good work."


"Patrick'll get that… Actually, that reminds me. I need to sort out a rota between me and Patrick. I can't be here all the time, and Patrick has school to worry about as well."


She glanced over at Bernie, and seeing as he still had his head down, working, she said, "I'll leave you to it, Bern. Don't work too hard, and make sure you come out for a while when the party really starts.


When Jade went back out into the cafe, there was a lot of chatter—Harriet and Alan had arrived. Naturally, everyone stood up to welcome them and chat, so Patrick was standing awkwardly by the counter, apparently not sure whether he should go out to greet them or not.


"Patrick, do you mind coming into the office one second? I just want to confirm a few things about your work here."


"Yes, um… is it ok for both of us to leave the counter unattended?"


Jade chuckled. "Yes, Harry's here, and Bernie keeps an eye on things."


"I didn't want to forget about this and thought we should get this out of the way before the party. When are you available to work exactly? Naturally, we want you to be here as much as you can, as I don't want to have to hire and train another employee, but if you have a lot on with school, you'll need to focus on that."


Schedule