Inside the Eversweet Dog café.
Karlene tapped her finger impatiently at the counter as she gazed at the woman sitting in the café corner with her laptop in front of her.
"Boss, I already told her it's our break time, but she still refused to leave," Irene Cooper, one of the staff working in the café, informed Karlene softly.
"What a stubborn bitch…" Karlene growled under her breath.
"Shh, not so loud, Boss. She might hear you," Irene replied in panic.
"So what if she heard me? Do you think I am afraid of her?"
"Boss, didn't you see the name card she gave you? She's the COO of the Carter Group! Do you know how powerful the Carter Group is? They are one of the giants in the finance world. Some even said they could control the economy as they pleased. Our tiny dog café is a speck of dust compared to her company," Irene tried her best to convince her boss not to do anything reckless.
However, Karlene simply ignored Irene, showing no fear regarding Sophia's status. She had no intention to give in to Sophia. She waved her hand at Irene, "Go feed the dogs and let them play in the playroom. I'll handle her."
After dismissing Irene, Karlene crossed her arms and approached Sophia. "Miss Carter, how long are you planning to stay? We're about to close for our break. I'll need to kindly ask you to leave."
Sophia continued to focus her attention on her work, clearly not showing any respect to Karlene as she replied, "Twenty thousand…"
"What?" Karlene raised her eyebrows.
Sophia lifted her gaze to glance at Karlene for a second before focusing her attention back on her work. "I'll rent down this place for twenty thousand per hour. It'd be more than enough to cover the monthly rental here."
Karlene clenched her fists in response to Sophia's arrogance since stepping into the café. After displaying her name card, Sophia proudly proclaimed her past engagement to Noran.
Despite Karlene's requests for her to leave, Sophia insisted on meeting with Shuri and refused to budge. And now, after being told it was their break time, she still wouldn't oblige and wanted to buy their time.
"We aren't short of cash. Please leave." Karlene tried to control her rising anger.
"This is why you and your sister remain poor…" Sophia looked back at Karlene as if she was a fool and sighed. "It breaks my heart to think that my poor Noran had to suffer all these years because both of you lack business sense."
"What the fuck did you just say?!" Karlene raised her voice at Sophia, finally losing her cool.
Her poor Noran?
They lacked business sense?
This woman was definitely here to start a fight. Karlene was more determined to chase her out before Shuri arrived.
Sophia crossed her arms at Karlene's rage. "Tsk, and you lack manners too."
"You're the one who lacks manners!" Karlene retorted angrily. "This is our shop, yet you shamelessly insist on staying despite we don't welcome you here!"
Sophia smirked. "You know, I can easily buy down your shop. Even though a small and lowly café like this isn't worth much, I'm willing to pay any price. How much? One million? Two million? I could even give you ten million. How does that sound?"
"Why you son of a…" Karlene growled, ready to bounce at Sophia when a hand stopped her from behind.
"Calm down, Lene."
Both Karlene and Sophia turned toward the source of the voice, only to find Shuri standing behind Karlene with an indifferent expression.
"Shuri, I told you not to come! Why didn't you listen?" Karlene's expression shifted from anger to concern as she looked at Shuri.
"It's fine, Lene." Shuri smiled gently at Karlene before she looked over to face Sophia.
"I heard you want to meet me?"
Sophia openly looked Shuri up and down, sizing her. Shuri was obviously very beautiful, with fair skin, a small, delicate face, and long wavy dark hair. Her big, dolly eyes added to her allure, giving her a soft and feminine appearance.
However, despite Shuri's stunning looks, Sophia still couldn't shake the impression that Shuri might be nothing more than a pretty face. Shuri seemed to fit the stereotype of a woman who relied solely on her looks, lacking substance or intelligence.
"So, it's just your face that he likes…" Sophia commented with a smirk.
"Are you insulting my sister?!" Karlene exclaimed angrily, jumping to that conclusion before Shuri could reply.
Her outburst drew the attention of their other staff members, Joshua Harlow and Irene, who came out to see what the commotion was about. Karlene was ready to defend her sister at all costs, but Shuri pulled her back.
"Lene, Iet me have a private chat with Miss Carter."
"But, Shuri, she…"
"Can't you trust me with this? You know my ability more than anyone." Shuri gave Karlene a meaningful smile, asking her sister to trust her.
Karlene's expression softened at Shuri's smile, and she reluctantly gave in. Since her precious sister had put it this way, she could never say no to her.
"Alright, let me know if she continues to insult you." Karlene pointed at Sophia. "I'll take care of her for you."
Shuri simply smiled and turned to the two staff members. "Irene, Joshua, please help me watch over Lene. Don't release her until I say so."
"Huh?" Karlene widened her eyes at Shuri while Irene and Joshua saluted obediently.
"Y-Yes! Big boss!"
"No, wait! Shuriiii….!"
Despite Karlene's protest, Irene and Joshua continued to drag her away much to Sophia's surprise.
"I see, so you're the true owner of this place," Sophia smirked.
Shuri simply smiled, not replying to Sophia's comment, and sat down gracefully. "Do you have any business with me, Miss Carter?"
Unlike her fiery sister, Shuri appeared calm as though nothing in this world could shake her which caught Sophia by surprise. This only fueled Sophia's excitement to see how Shuri would react once she revealed what she had in store.
"I'll cut the chase. I want you to divorce Noran," Sophia demanded bluntly.
Shuri's expression remained unchanged as she simply smiled. "And why should I?"
"You should know that Noran was previously engaged to me."
"So?"
Sophia smirked as she handed her phone over to Shuri, eager to see Shuri crumble before her. "As you can see, we got back together."
Shuri took the phone, her eyes landing on the screen displaying a photo of Noran and herself lying nude in bed.