Love Me Again

Chapter 26 - Time to plan

Chapter 26 - Time to plan

"Didn't the recent news say that Gio had fled to another country?" Mrs. Summer frowned. She had believed her daughter's words that Gio was threatening their family, but with no news of him after that, she came to believe he chose to escape rather than mess with them.

"My guess is that he lied about it so the media wouldn't pester him. That gives him time to plan his retaliation," Kyle said.

"You said Gio owns that restaurant opposite yours?" Sean asked Advin.

"He's the first owner. I heard that he sold it to another buyer so that he could spend all his time on his new job, but he is still involved with the restaurant behind the scenes."

"Does he still have a job?" Ashton muttered with sarcasm.

Kyle took his hand and squeezed it slightly, and it did not escape Mr. Summer's eyes. His wife must have seen it too, but thankfully, she graciously ignored it to keep the peace.

"Danny, the new owner, has not been seen for five days now," Rina informed.

"How do you know that?" Ashton asked suspiciously.

"I've asked her to try to get information from them," Ashley said.

"Why would you do that?" Mrs. Summer was alarmed. "It's dangerous!"

Ashley had asked Rina to help so that they could get more information from their competitor and avoid being trapped blindly. She had been wary when Gio made no move, and she guessed he might be using the opposite restaurant to attack their business. She had even installed CCTV around the restaurant for security purposes in case Gio chose a hooligan way to ruin them.

Especially when he had used that method before.

"For our protection. I told you Gio threatened me a few days ago. He will definitely do something."

"What did he say to you?" Sean asked coldly.

"Nothing nice to be heard. To summarize, he has every intention to ruin my family's business."

"What else did you find out about them?" Sean asked Rina.

"There are more workers hired, replacing some old workers that had left. There's some gossip from the old workers that Danny is no longer the owner of the restaurant, and his partner took over the entire business. They do not know who the partner is."

"I'm sure it's Gio," Ashton scoffed. "Only he would be this despicable."

"What are we going to do?" Mrs. Summer asked, looking worried.

"Don't worry, I will handle it. Advin, I have checked your salary list, and it's alright to tell your workers that their salary will increase starting this month. Try to act normal and go with your usual routine." Sean looked calm and totally in control.

"That's what Ashley had promised everyone," Advin Summer said.

"How much will you be lending us?" Ashley asked.

Everyone had thought she would continue refusing Sean's help, so her question surprised them. But what they did not know was that she had early on asked the bank for a loan and just gotten a reply from them.

The bank did not agree to loan them the amount she asked for, and Sean's offer was indeed too good to reject.

"Minimum two million. I can increase the amount if needed."

"That's too much." Mrs. Summer felt a little faint. It was not that their family did not have that amount of money before, but to receive it all in one go, she felt a little afraid.

"If you are worried about paying back, don't worry. With my investment and planning, your restaurant will pick up business and earn back in time. I'm not taking back my word on twenty-year repayment period with no interest."

"As long as our restaurant is still standing, repaying two million in twenty years isn't difficult," Advin Summer voiced his assurance.

"We can do it. Just prepare the contract so we can formally agree to it," Ashley said.

"I will prepare it," said Kyle, who was Sean's secretary.

Sean broke into a smile. "Martha, can you possibly try to ask the customers for feedback on the restaurant's food and services? At the same time, try to turn them into returning customers and, if possible, bring their friends along. But no matter what you say to them, you must not badmouth the opposite restaurant. Kyle will help you come up with more ideas to attract more customers."

"Flyers, boss?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. And discuss with Advin and Ashton to come up with affordable set meals only for certain hours. People with a low budget would love it. Get some ideas for easy takeout set meals, and you can charge a fee for the packaging."

"Roger that, boss."

"Before that, hire a car and go to the airport in the next hour. I have requested some helpers. Rina, that's your name, right?" Rina nodded, and Sean continued, "How did you manage to find that information? Are they trustworthy?"

Rina smiled, looking proud. "It's Miss Summer that thought of this idea. We implant a spy in their restaurant. They are looking for new workers, and it's a perfect opportunity. Miss Summer asked my cousin to spy on them."

"You do know there is a possibility that he will be fished out, right?" Sean asked Ashley.

"I do know that, but I have to risk it or we would remain in the dark. And he could defend himself if Gio caught him," Ashley said defensively.

"My cousin, Nico, is a big boy and has a sharp mind. I trust he can protect himself," Rina said with confidence.

"If you could think up that idea, so does Gio," Kyle said. "He could have one of your employees spy for him."

"Which is why I asked Dad and Ashton to keep an eye on them and try not to reveal private matters to them," Ashley said grimly. It was also because of that, their family's workload increased.

"We know Gio won't fight fair, so we have to be the same too in order to deal with him," Ashton said in disgust.

"I better head back to the kitchen. They need me there. I've been away for pretty long." Advin Summer used his cane to help him stand up from his chair.

If it were not for their restaurant having trouble, Advin would have taken a longer break and had a relaxed mind to rest without needing to return to his work this quickly. This caused his recovery to slow down.

"I will go and start talking to our customers," Mrs. Summer said cheerfully, ready to do verbal marketing.

"I will rent a car and head out in another-" Kyle glanced at his watch. "Fifty-eight minutes."

"I will help dad in the kitchen," Ashton said, and everyone hurried to do their task.

They were discussing things outside Ashley's office, at Rina's desk. But seeing that everyone had escaped, Rina also randomly offered some excuse and slipped away from her desk.

"I still have some matters that need my attention." Ashley turned around, only to have her wrist caught. "You could have stopped me civilly without touching me."

"But I want to." Sean took her by surprise when he pushed them into her office and closed the door for their privacy.

"Okay, what is it that you still want to say?" Ashley sighed, giving up when Sean did not let go of her wrist even after getting them into her office.

Did he think she would run and let him snoop around her office?

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