Chapter 227 The First Crack

Chapter 227: Chapter 227 The First Crack

?The interior of the shop was loud and chaotic, filled with the constant, grinding noise of tools.

?The harsh sound of electric drilling echoed sharply off the bare brick walls, sending tiny vibrations through the floor. A fine cloud of white dust floated steadily in the warm air, catching the beams of sunlight streaming through the windows. The strong, pungent smell of fresh paint and wet plaster hung thick in the room, filling everyone’s noses.

?Veyra stood right in the middle of the noisy construction zone. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly into a messy ponytail to keep it out of her face, and her clothes were smudged with white plaster dust from head to toe. She held a black clipboard firmly in her left hand, flipping through the pages of notes.

?Mia was working nearby, measuring out space near the front window. Jade was upstairs checking on the lighting fixtures, while Megan was standing near the entrance, talking quietly with the head contractor.

?The contractor was a large, imposing man with graying hair and a deeply weathered face that had seen decades of sun and wind. His name was Frank, and he had been running construction projects in the city for over thirty years. He was not a man known for smiling or sugarcoating bad news.

?As soon as he finished talking to Megan, he turned around and walked directly toward Veyra with a grim look carved into his features.

?"Ms. Solenne," Frank began, his voice cutting through the noise. "We have a serious problem."

?Veyra felt her stomach drop instantly, a cold knot of dread forming in her chest.

?"What kind of problem, Frank?" she asked, her voice tightening up.

?Frank gestured with his calloused hand toward the structural wall directly behind her. "It is a major foundational issue. The main support beams inside this wall are completely rotted out, and the concrete foundation underneath has a large fracture running right through it. It looks like it has been like this for several years, but nobody noticed it until we started tearing away the old drywall."

?Veyra turned slowly to stare at the wall. To her untrained eyes, the surface looked completely fine and solid. But she knew Frank well enough to know he was never a man to exaggerate or invent trouble just to pad a bill.

?"How much is it going to cost us to fix this properly?" she asked, bracing herself.

?Frank reached into his back pocket, pulled out a folded slip of paper with a row of figures written on it, and handed it over to her.

?Veyra unfolded the paper and scanned the numbers. The moment she saw the final total, her blood ran instantly cold in her veins.

?"That is... that is an absolute fortune," she whispered, her hands shaking slightly.

?"I know it is," Frank admitted, his expression sympathetic but firm. "Believe me, I hate bringing bad news. But it has to be done. If we do not shore up those beams and repair the foundation right now, the entire front half of this building could eventually collapse under its own weight."

?Veyra stood completely silent for a long moment, unable to form any words.

?Her mind raced instantly to her carefully calculated financial budget. She thought about the remaining money sitting in her business account, and the cash she had strictly set aside for purchasing high-end laboratory equipment, comfortable customer furniture, and the upcoming advertising campaign.

?The total on Frank’s paper completely wiped out all of her remaining funds. It was not even close to being manageable.

?A voice in the back of her head reminded her that she could always talk to Dorian. He possessed limitless wealth, owned massive real estate and business resources, and could write a check to cover the entire repair bill in less than a minute without even blinking an eye.

?But the moment that thought crossed her mind, she shoved it away.

?She had made a solemn promise to herself from the very beginning of this journey. She had sworn up and down that she would pull this off entirely on her own merit. She refused to rely on his money, and she refused to fall back into a position where she was financially dependent on him.

?She took a slow, deep breath to steady the rising panic in her chest.

?"Can you give me a few days to figure something out?" she asked, looking up at the contractor. "I need some time to rearrange my finances."

?Frank nodded slowly, folding his arms across his chest. "I can give you one week to sort it out, Ms. Solenne. But not a single day more, or we have to shut the whole site down."

?Without waiting for another word, he turned around and walked back toward his crew.

?Mia hurried over the moment Frank walked away, noticing the pale look on Veyra’s face.

?"What did he just tell you?" Mia asked, her tone laced with worry.

?Veyra wordlessly handed the slip of paper over to her friend.

?Mia looked down at the numbers, and the color drained straight out of her face. "This is... this is an insane amount of money."

?"I know," Veyra said quietly.

?"So what on earth are we going to do now?"

?Veyra let out a defeated sigh, shaking her head. "I honestly do not know."

?"Well, we could always ask Mr. Thorne for assistance," Mia suggested hesitantly, watching Veyra’s reaction. "He definitely has the—"

?"No," Veyra interrupted instantly, her voice dropping to a sharp tone.

?Mia blinked in surprise. "Why on earth not?"

?"Because I refuse to do that."

?"But Veyra, we are in a massive bind—"

?"I said no, Mia."

?Mia clamped her mouth shut, realizing how firmly Veyra had drawn the line.

?Finding themselves exhausted, the two women slowly sat down right on the dusty floorboards near the corner of the room. The thick construction dust settled slowly around them, and the sound of drilling finally stopped as the workers took their scheduled lunch break.

?Mia broke the quietness first, speaking in a gentle tone.

?"All right, I respect your choice. We will not ask your husband for a single cent," Mia conceded. "But the simple truth is that we desperately need capital right now. If you will not take a loan from him, we could always look around for outside investors."

?Veyra frowned, turning the idea over in her head. "Investors?"

?"Yes, exactly," Mia encouraged. "Business partners who want to put money into a promising venture. They give us the cash we need right now, and in exchange, we give them a fair share of the future profits once the shop is running."

?Veyra stayed silent, staring down at her boots.

?"I actually know a few people who might be interested," Mia continued, warming up to the idea. "Some folks from my old university contacts, and a few regular patrons from the coffee shop who have money to spend. They might jump at the chance."

?Veyra shook her head slowly from side to side. "I do not know about that."

?"Why are you so against it?"

?"Because..." Veyra paused, swallowing hard as old memories resurfaced. "Because I have been down this exact road before."

?Mia tilted her head, looking confused. "What do you mean by that?"

?Veyra kept her gaze fixed on the dirty wooden floor beneath her.

?Her mind flashed backward in time to her painful marriage with Caspian. She remembered how eagerly he had taken her hard-earned money, how he had stolen her creative business ideas, and how he had mocked her long-term dreams. He had sworn up and down back then that he wanted to be her financial partner, promising to invest in her future and help her build her career.

?And then, the moment things got inconvenient, he had thrown her work and her trust straight into the trash without a second thought.

?She had been so blindingly naive back then. She had trusted him completely, opening up her entire life to him, and handing over everything she had built.

?In return, he had completely betrayed her and left her with nothing.

?"Veyra?" Mia asked softly, breaking through her thoughts as she noticed her friend’s distant stare. "Are you doing okay?"

?Veyra slowly lifted her head, her eyes looking far away and clouded with lingering pain.

?"I honestly do not know," she admitted, her voice trembling slightly. "I just... I honestly do not know if I can ever truly trust anyone with my business or my money ever again."

?Mia fell completely silent, letting the weight of those words hang in the air between them.