Another Fortune Awaits
Cynthia Green was beaten and scolded by Jasper Cheng. No matter how she tried to explain, Jasper and his family refused to believe that Cynthia could possibly have dirt on Dean Jade Evans.
Cynthia wanted to secretly investigate on her own, but since she was bought by the Cheng Family, she couldn't go out without Jasper Cheng's permission.
Helpless, Cynthia could only keep the matter in her heart and wait for another chance.
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These days, Eight Treasures Bistro's dishes lacked seasonings, so the quality dropped sharply, and the taste was still hard to swallow.
But Suxin Pavilion was another story—business was booming, making it the dark horse of the Capital's restaurant scene.
Princess Mira was so delighted, she could hardly keep her mouth closed from smiling.
But here came a problem: the spy who had stolen seasonings from Eight Treasures Bistro was almost out of stock. If they didn’t restock soon, Suxin Pavilion’s dishes would be just as bland as Eight Treasures Bistro’s.
But where could they get more seasonings?
Princess Mira was getting desperate. She sent out spies one after another to snoop around Eight Treasures Bistro, but got nothing useful. All she heard was that even Eight Treasures Bistro couldn’t get their hands on those spices anymore—otherwise, their food wouldn’t have gone downhill so badly lately.
Princess Mira was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. Watching her once-glorious Suxin Pavilion teeter on the edge of disaster, she couldn’t sit still. After much fretting, she summoned the head chef she’d poached from Eight Treasures Bistro to brainstorm solutions.
"Do you know where to buy those seasonings?" Princess Mira demanded of the chef.
The chef frowned and thought for a moment. "Back when I was at Eight Treasures Bistro, us chefs never dealt with suppliers. Someone else handled all the purchasing. So honestly, I have no clue where they got those spices!"
Princess Mira glared at the chef. "I pay you a hefty wage every month, and you don’t even know this?"
The chef quickly bowed. "Please don’t be angry, Your Highness! I may not know, but I’m on good terms with the purchasing manager from Eight Treasures Bistro. I can invite him out for a meal, slip him a little something, and maybe he’ll spill the beans."
"Fine, just do whatever it takes to get those seasonings!" Princess Mira waved her hand impatiently, dismissing the chef.
The chef nodded, then added, "Princess, we should have a backup plan. Even Eight Treasures Bistro is out of seasonings, so maybe their supply chain wasn’t reliable. Let’s put out word that we’ll pay top dollar for those spices. Then, whoever has what we need will bring it straight to us!"
"Whatever works—as long as you get the seasonings!" Princess Mira snapped, shooing the chef away.
Princess Mira had finally managed to get the upper hand over Lily Evans, and now Suxin Pavilion was about to crush Eight Treasures Bistro. She couldn’t afford to mess up at such a critical moment.
The chef left Princess Mira’s office and immediately reported all her movements in secret to Bella Bell.
The next day, Bella Bell was walking with Lily Evans to the academy when they started discussing the spice situation.
"Suxin Pavilion’s seasonings are almost gone. Eight Treasures Bistro is a cautionary tale—Princess Mira is nearly frantic trying to find more," Bella Bell said. "Master, Edward’s fleet should be arriving soon, right?"
Lily Evans smiled, pulling out a letter from her sleeve. "Here—just got this yesterday. Edward’s fleet has already docked at Ningport. Everything we ordered is packed up and sailing toward the Capital. Once we drive up the price of spices, our shipment will arrive right on cue. Tsk, we’re about to make another fortune."