Chapter 8

"This is the perfect spot for a food stand!" Upon arriving at the construction site Samuel had scouted earlier, Abigail's eyes lit up as she looked around in admiration. "What do you mean?" Jayden felt a growing sense of unease. Abigail stood to one side with hands on her hips as she surveyed the area. "Just take a look around. There are construction sites everywhere. Just based on the scale alone, there have to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of workers here. And what do workers need most?" Samuel replied, "Money." Abigail was momentarily speechless. Well, he wasn't wrong. "Food is fuel for the body. If you don't eat, you can't work, and if you can't work, you can't earn money, right? "After working hard all day, they're bound to have sore backs, aching legs, and general body pain. I could sell boxed meals here at noon, and during other times, I could set up a stall selling pain relief ointments. I could even offer massage and bone-setting services." Jayden's eye twitched involuntarily as he cleared his throat. "Abby, our family is actually—" "Good, I support you." Samuel gave Jayden a cool look, cutting off whatever he was about to say. "But the workload would be enormous. Just cooking alone would be too much for one person. Abby, do you have any other plans in mind?" Abigail thought for a moment. "Dad could help me. Even though I've only had his cooking a few times, it's clear he's quite skilled. We shouldn't focus too much on quantity at first. Let's just concentrate on quality. Once word gets out and we build a good reputation, we won't be lacking in customers. Then, we can stretch our budget to hire help." Samuel looked at her with approval, nodding slightly. Abigail truly had a good business sense. Her strategies and overall planning were both quite solid. "I'll quit my job to support you." "What?" Both Abigail and Jayden questioned in unison. Abigail was surprised that Samuel would be so supportive of her idea, while Jayden hadn't expected this act to go so far. The group moved incredibly fast and had the stand set up the next day. Since it was opening day and they needed to make a good impression, even Xavier made a rare appearance. "I told you Xavier really likes me." Abigail smiled sweetly, looking at Xavier. "Right, Xavier? We have a great relationship." Xavier snorted coldly from his wheelchair, his eyes full of disdain and mockery. "I'm just here to watch you embarrass yourself today and see how pathetic you look when you fail." "You little brat, shut that jinxing mouth of yours!" Yvonne scolded. Whether it was because of the herbs Abigail had given her, Yvonne's vision seemed noticeably better than before. She could accurately reach out and smack Xavier on the back of his head. Abigail just smiled and shook her head to show that she didn't mind. Rolling up her sleeves, she rubbed her hands together, ready to get to work. She was even holding a ladle bigger than her face. "Everyone ready?" "Ready!" Owen shouted the loudest, his eyes full of excitement. The boxed meals sold unexpectedly well. They were practically cleared out. … "What's going on up ahead?" Matthew slowly opened his half-closed eyes when he saw Roy stop the car. There was a huge crowd gathered ahead, and it looked like they were frantically grabbing something. "Is the Parker family's property management really this sloppy?" Matthew's gaze swept over and caught sight of the name, reminding him of the bidding war with the Parker family months ago that he had lost by just a few decimal points. Then, he moved his eyes over the crowd and spotted a familiar figure. Wasn't that the young maid who treated money like dirt from last time? Roy was about to get out and disperse the crowd when he caught Matthew's slight hand gesture in the rearview mirror. Matthew's thin lips curved slightly. "Pull over." "Isn't that the Dawson brat?" Owen had sharp eyes and immediately turned to Samuel for confirmation. The food stand was still bustling with activity. Owen glanced at Abigail and leaned closer to Samuel, lowering his voice. "Don't blow our cover." As Matthew approached, he found the situation increasingly interesting. Not only was there that boldly outspoken "young maid" but many other familiar faces as well. He carried an innate energy that kept strangers at bay. Despite wearing a costly custom luxury suit, he gracefully settled onto a plastic stool worth two dollars. "Ah, the sophisticated Mr. Dawson. Since when did you develop a taste for street food?" Samuel got the first word in, stepping forward to block Matthew's view with a cold expression. Matthew's eyebrow arched as he gave a cold smile. "I have to wonder what circumstances reduced the illustrious Mr. Parker to hawking lunch boxes. Something tells me it involves that young lady who's practically your carbon copy." He had mistaken her for a simple maid before, but it seemed even Matthew wasn't infallible when it came to reading people. Samuel's expression hardened. "Matthew, losing that deal doesn't give you the right to take it out on other people. Stay away from my sister." Matthew gave a lazy smile. "Do you think I care about that? You won one contract. I'm not petty enough to go after your family over it." He paused. "Besides, what power do I have to make a move against the most mysterious family in all of Jewls?" "Aren't you that trouble-making old man?" Abigail turned and saw Matthew, exclaiming in surprise. Samuel's brows furrowed coldly. "You two know each other?" "We do," Matthew said. "We do not," Abigail denied without hesitation. Matthew laughed in disbelief. "If you don't know me, why are you calling me an old man?" "Oh, you look like you're about that age." Abigail was wearing a pink girly apron that Owen had specially bought for her, creating a stark contrast with the ice-cold expression on her young face. Samuel couldn't help but smile at her response. Meanwhile, Matthew gritted his teeth. What a sharp-tongued woman. Her cutting remarks were exactly like Samuel's. "Well, a customer's a customer. I've got one boxed lunch left. I'll give you a special discount price. That'll be a hundred dollars." Matthew's face remained expressionless. "Are you trying to rip me off?" He pointed to the price sign nearby, where the clear "20 dollars per meal" was plainly visible. Abigail didn't bat an eye. "Oh, if you can't afford it, then move along. Don't hog the spot if you're not buying. By the way, Samuel, do you two know each other?" Only after the words left her mouth did Abigail realize she should have asked this question earlier. "We do not." "We do…" Samuel gave the same answer as his sister while Matthew maintained his previous stance, drawing out the word with an almost mocking tone. Abigail made a confused sound. Matthew began, "Your brother and I are—" "Boss and employee!" Samuel's eyes flashed with embarrassment as he quickly cut off Matthew's words. "He's the boss I mentioned!"