Chapter 263 Deadbeat Brothers
Caroline didn’t flinch. Her voice was light, almost amused. “If it tanks, then it is what it is.
The truth was, once the new location opened, she planned to shut this place down anyway. And she had no intention of telling either of them.
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Liam frowned, clearly irritated. “If you can’t manage it alone, then let Edwin and me step in. You stay in the kitchen, we’ll take care of everything else.”
Edwin nodded eagerly. “Exactly. You’ve gotta be exhausted trying to run the whole thing by yourself. That’s why I wanted to partner up in the first place. If Liam and I handle the business side, you can just focus on cooking. Doesn’t that sound better?”
Caroline eyed them both. They’d stopped bringing up the expansion after she turned them down. But now, out of nowhere, they were back–and pushing the same idea again.
Something was definitely going on.
“You guys already have jobs. I’m guessing they pay better than anything you’d make here. So what’s really going on?” She had a pretty good hunch they were hitting a rough patch at work.
Just like she’d figured, Liam’s face sank in an instant. “You seriously don’t need to question how committed we are. Edwin and I already left our jobs. We’re fully focused on building this restaurant up.”
“You quit?” Caroline lifted a brow. “You guys were raking in the cash at Grayson Group. What made you walk away from that?”
She didn’t believe them for a second. They wouldn’t have quit unless something forced their hand. Especially without her on board.
Neither one of them had the kind of talent to land solid work elsewhere, and if they did manage to find something, they’d probably turn their noses up at it.
It didn’t take long for her to piece it together–Helen’s paternity results must’ve come back.
It had been several days already.
Her lips curled into a slight smirk. “Let me guess. The baby’s not Linden’s, and he kicked you both out.”
Edwin stiffened and turned away, keeping his mouth shut.
Liam’s jaw tightened. “Do you have to be so damn nasty about it? Nobody got kicked out. We’ve been ready to quit for a while.”
He didn’t deny it–and that was all the confirmation Caroline needed.
So the kid really wasn’t Linden’s.
Helen was probably falling apart over it by now.
Caroline felt a surge of satisfaction, then said lightly, “So you’re both dead set on running this restaurant? Alright. I’ll be the bigger person and hand it over to you-”
Before she could even finish, Liam cut in, all fired up. “That’s more like it! We’re family, aren’t we? We
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Chapter 263 Deadbeat Brothers
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should be helping each other. You just focus on cooking–we’ll handle the rest. Give it a few days, we’ll grab the shop next door and start expanding. This place is gonna take off!” He laughed like he was already picturing the grand opening.
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Can you not interrupt every time I start a sentence?”
Liam toned it down but kept the grin. “Alright, I’m listening.”
The only thing that mattered to him was getting control of the restaurant. The fine print didn’t matter yet.
Caroline said evenly, “You can take it. But everything in here is coming with me. And you’re paying the rent from now on.”
Liam’s smile dropped. Edwin’s expression turned hard. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you bailing on the whole thing? Or are you just shutting us out?”
There was no way Caroline was about to spill her real plan–that she’d already secured a new place and the renovation was underway.
She let out a long breath. “I’ve been at this for a while. I’m worn out. I need a real break.
Liam shot her a glare, his voice edged with irritation. “You’ve been closed for days. That’s more than enough break. Don’t feed us this crap. You just don’t want us involved.”
Caroline brushed him off. “Whatever you say. Handing you this restaurant is already more than fair. If you don’t want it, don’t take it.”
She didn’t bother arguing any further. She reached into her pocket and unlocked the front door.
Liam looked like he wanted to say more, but Caroline didn’t give him the chance. “My mind’s made up. You can keep running your mouth, but it won’t change a thing. Might as well head back and figure out whether you even want the place. I’ve got customers coming, and I don’t need you two blocking my door.”
As she spoke, both Liam and Edwin turned their heads. Sure enough, someone was approaching the
restaurant.
They both knew how hardheaded Caroline could be. Sticking around any longer would’ve been pointless, so they left, deflated and silent, dragging their frustration with them.
On the drive, Liam still couldn’t drop it. “Edwin, are we really letting the restaurant go?”
Eyes locked on the road, Edwin kept his voice even. “What’s the point if Caroline’s not cooking?”
It wasn’t the space or the setup that mattered–it was her. Her food was the reason customers lined up outside. If a tiny spot like that could stay packed, imagine what they could’ve done with a proper restaurant. They could’ve made a name for themselves across all of Kingville.
But Caroline just didn’t get it. She had the talent but no business sense. She had no clue how much money. she was sitting on.
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