Chapter 3 When Alex came home that night, he handed me a file folder. I froze when I saw “Restaurant Business Plan” written on the first page. “I called a few buddies who own restaurants over lunch. This combines all their experience and advice. Since you actually want to do something, study it carefully. Come ask me if anything doesn’t make sense.” I clutched the folder and nodded like a bobblehead. Then I made some excuse about wanting to read through the whole plan and practically sprinted to my room. I pulled my recipe notebook from under the bed, flipped to the last page, and wrote under yesterday’s entry: *August 28th: Just because someone loved you once doesn’t make them your forever person. The world is beautiful and full of possibilities–learn to love yourself first. Focus on YOU.* After closing the notebook, my heart finally stopped racing from Alex’s unexpected gesture. The reason I fell for Candy’s bullshit so easily last time was because I’d already caught feelings for Alex. Falling for your sugar daddy is like the number one rule you don’t break in this business. But I couldn’t help myself. noveldramaI had to hide it so Alex wouldn’t kick me to the curb. But feelings are weird–the more you bottle them up, the worse it gets. So when someone told me Alex actually have real feelings too? I went all–in and stopped pretending around him completely. By the time I opened the business plan, my heart was totally calm. Combining what the owner had told me with this detailed plan, I could actually picture my restaurant taking shape. I jotted down a few questions and went to find Alex in his study. When he saw I actually had legitimate questions, Alex raised an eyebrow: “Damn, you’re really serious about this. Not just a passing phase?” I smiled without answering and took careful notes while he explained everything. “Any thoughts on location?” Alex asked as I was heading back to my room. After thinking for a moment, I shared what I’d learned from the restaurant owner: “There’s a coffee shop on Riverside Avenue up for sale. Near that shopping district and two colleges. I want to check it out tomorrow. If it looks good, I’ll set up there.” Alex looked puzzled: “You seem like you’re in a huge rush?” I was definitely rushing. Reborn Sugar Baby’s Motto: Cash Yes, Daddy No 1.6% Finding a location, designing, renovating–that whole process takes forever. If I went through all those steps, my restaurant wouldn’t open until next year. I’d heard about this coffee shop before. The decor was totally on–trend with young people–exactly my target demographic. The owner was only selling because of a family emergency. If I could snag this place, I’d just need to tweak the layout a bit. That would save me tons of time. I wanted to get as much done as possible before Victoria came back. That way, even if Alex stopped helping later, I’d be mostly set up. Obviously I couldn’t tell him any of that. “Good locations don’t come around often. Gotta strike while the iron’s hot.” Alex nodded in agreement: “Tomorrow, Lucas will go with you. If you like it, we’re taking it. Forget the price. Since you’ve finally decided to do something, consider the place my gift to you.” Like I was gonna say no to that. Lucas, Alex’s personal assistant, was incredibly efficient. With his help, we handled everything from price negotiations to contract signing in half a day. That’s when I started pouring basically all my energy into my restaurant. Even though I loved the coffee shop’s existing decor, it still needed modifications to work as a restaurant. Following Lucas’s recommendation, I met with this up–and–coming interior designer. Once the renovation plans were finalized, Lucas’s construction crew was ready to roll. I was out from dawn to dusk every day. After more than two weeks, Alex and I barely exchanged a few words.