Chapter 3

Day three of the cooling-off period.

Mira and I had explored several nearby streets, finally stopping in front of a newly developed art district.

"Here?" Mira turned to me.

"Yes," I nodded.

This street wasn't the most bustling, but it had several high-end residential areas nearby, with a young consumer base that valued quality and personalization.

Mira and I both studied design, so setting up a handmade craft studio here was perfect.

Three days for location scouting, five for renovation, ten for opening.

During those ten days, I slept only five hours a day, pushing the renovation team to meet the deadline, personally visiting building material markets to select materials, and contacting suppliers to negotiate raw material prices.

Mira was responsible for brand design and online operations, while I handled offline implementation and the supply chain.

Our division of labor was clear, and our cooperation seamless; we were like natural partners.

Day ten of the cooling-off period, the store opened.

But for the first three days, very few people came into the store.

Occasionally, a few customers would come in, look around, touch things, ask the price, and then leave.

Just then, Anya walked in, high heels clacking.

"Luna, opening a store and blocking Anderson... are you playing hard to get, hoping to attract Anderson's attention?"

She looked around at the store's decor, disdain evident in her expression.

I ignored her and continued trying to attract customers.

"Too bad, Anderson likes me for who I am, not for what I do. Copying me won't work."

People nearby, hearing the gossip, couldn't help but stop.

I quickly introduced the unique features of our store to them.

"Purely handmade and custom-made, one of a kind."

Seeing me ignore her, Anya got angry out of embarrassment.

She swept all the handmade accessories from a display shelf onto the floor.

"Thud—"

The sound of shattering glass was particularly jarring in the quiet store.

The customers were startled and quickly dispersed.

Anya folded her arms, giving me a defiant look.

I took a deep breath, pulled out a calculator, and started tallying the damaged items one by one.

"Three pairs of handmade glass earrings, priced at $120 each, total $360."

"Two imported ceramic brooches, priced at $280 each, total $560."

"..."

The calculator's mechanical female voice called out the numbers, echoing repeatedly in the silent store.

Anya's expression changed from defiant to impatient.

"What exactly do you want?"

"Pay for the damages."

I stood up and turned the calculator screen towards her. "Twelve thousand three hundred."

"What if I don't pay?" Anya sneered.

I didn't say anything, took out my phone, opened a video, and turned the screen towards her.

In the video, Anya was in a lounge, punching and kicking a staff member, verbally abusing them.

This was some dirt I had paid a lot for in my previous life when I was constantly at odds with her.

"Celebrity bullying staff. If this gets out, will your upcoming endorsement deals still be safe? Can you still make it in showbiz?"

I whispered in her ear.

Anya's face instantly went white.

"Pay up."

I held the QR code for payment in front of her.

This time, she didn't dare say another word.

She transferred the money quickly and efficiently.

Seeing the money arrive, I gave her a standard smile.

"Welcome back anytime."

Anya had a bitter taste in her mouth. She stomped her foot and left.

Her little scene, however, actually brought more foot traffic to the store.

When I tallied the sales that evening, we had our best day since opening.

When we closed, an uninvited guest arrived.

Anderson.