THE DOOR of Coffee n’ Books opened, signaling that a customer had arrived, and Yumika looked up from the book she was reading. Luckily, there weren’t many customers at that time, so she was sitting in a corner near the door. Since her mother’s surgery last year, she had been managing the business on her own. She was the only child of the Pelarca family. Before, she and her parents had run the business together. Now, her father spent his time caring for her mother. But he still helped her occasionally.
Their business was called Coffee n’ Books because they served not only coffee but also offered free reading of different genre of novels. Over seven years, they had expanded to three branches. In their third branch, they had added magazines and self-help books.
Yumika scowled at the sight of Cade sauntering like a devil who had something up his sleeves. And yes, he has something in his hands—a sunflower bouquet and a box of chocolates. She tried to hide her amazement by scowling even more.
“I think you’re lost,” she greeted him, one eyebrow raised, as he walked over from where she was sitting. And of course, he flashed that mischievous smile, which only made her more annoyed. He let her words slide in one ear and out the other as he continued handing her flowers and chocolates. She glanced between Cade and what he was carrying, unsure, before finally taking them. She tried not to show how happy she was with the sunflower bouquet he gave her. Sunflowers were her favorite—but she wondered how Cade could possibly know that.
She frowned as she stood up but couldn't go anywhere. “Why a sunflower bouquet? Why not roses?”
“You like sunflowers more than anything else.”
She was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to know her favorite flower. A look of astonishment must have shown on her face because he smiled like he’d just hit the jackpot. She cleared her throat and looked away for a moment.
“You asked Steph.” It was a statement, not a question.
Cade laughed. “I knew you’d say that, but you’re wrong. Give me a little credit,” he replied. “I’ve known for a long time that sunflowers are your favorite. Remember when Brent gave you lilies, but you were allergic to them? And you were screaming that he should’ve bought sunflowers because that’s your favorite? Still remember that?” He chuckled, looking back on the memory.
She remembered that day clearly. Brent had been her suitor back in high school, and she had used him to make Cade jealous—but it backfired. She hadn’t seen even a hint of jealousy from Cade, and worse, she got an allergic reaction when Brent gave her the lilies. She remembered running away, shouting, “Sunflower! You should have bought sunflowers! That’s my favorite!” Because of that incident, she had hives all over her body and had to miss school for several days.
“I don’t know why you’re giving me this, but thank you,” she said.
Cade didn’t say a word; instead, he just stared at her. She fidgeted under his gaze. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. Was he planning to kiss her again, like he did last week in the garden at Crown Hotel? She glanced around. A few customers were busy reading in their own corners. But even so, Cade wouldn’t do something reckless that would draw attention, would he?
She was about to speak, but he beat her to it. “When I told you you’d be seeing more of me and not backing out without a fight, this is it.” He stepped closer, and she instinctively took a step back. “If I have to work my way up so you’d say yes, then I’ll take the risk. I’ll court you, my dear wife.” He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear, and then he kissed her on the forehead.
She couldn’t move, just stared at him. If his gaze hadn’t shifted to her lips, she wouldn’t have realized that they were slightly parted. She quickly closed them and caught Cade grinning mischievously. She secretly cursed under her breath. With a wink, he sauntered out of the building. She let out a deep sigh, grateful that he had finally left.
She sat back down, but she couldn’t continue reading. She felt a little flustered by his sudden appearance. She certainly hadn’t expected the flowers and chocolates he had brought.
When I told you you’ll be seeing more of me and not backing out without a fight, this is it. I’ll court you, my dear wife. Her whole body shivered as she remembered what he said. She didn’t know whether to take him seriously. But that look of determination in his eyes told her otherwise.
“Freak,” she whispered softly. Mentally, she was in full panic mode. She just buried her face in her hands, feeling helpless. She didn’t know what she would do if Cade actually meant what he said.
The door opened again, and her chest skipped a beat, thinking Cade had returned. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw her father instead.
“Why do you look like that? Did you just see a ghost or something?” her father said, laughing. She shook her head and kissed him on the cheek.
“I just didn’t expect you here, that’s all,” she said. “Is everything okay, Dad? Why did you come?” she asked, a little worried.
“Everything’s fine, don’t worry. Doris is at home,” he said, referring to her mother’s live-in nurse who helped take care of her. “I just wanted to check on you, my child.” They both sat down, and she set aside what she was doing for the moment.
“I’m fine, Dad. It’s not a busy day so it’s okay,” she said. “Do you want some coffee? I’ll get you—”
“No, it’s fine. I won’t be staying long anyway,” he interrupted her. His gaze was serious, and she couldn’t help but worry. She was about to speak, but he beat her to it. And his next question confused her even more. “How’s Cade? Are you still seeing each other?”
She straightened in her seat at his question. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like Cade had something to do with her father’s visit. “Dad, why are you asking about Cade?”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. Yumika felt that something was off, and it made her uneasy. Had her father been involved in something with Cade? Did he threaten him or something? Cade will be in deep trouble, she swore!
“Mika…” he began. Yumika swallowed hard. It seemed like something was troubling her father. “…I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Dad, you can tell me. What is it?” She held both of his hands and squeezed them, hoping to give him the courage to speak. She also wanted to show him that she was ready to listen to his concerns.
He sighed again. “Aren’t you wondering why, after all this time, our business is still thriving even though your mother had surgery and is on her medication? Why we haven’t sold anything just to make a big sum of money?”
She froze for a moment, deep in thought. It hadn’t even occurred to her until now. Her mom had undergone open-heart surgery. Aside from her medication, they also had a healthcare team being paid to monitor her mother. She hadn’t questioned where the money came from, thinking they could easily cover all of it. But thinking about it now, her mother’s surgery had cost them as much as two million to begin with.
“What are you trying to say, Papa?” she asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.
“It was Franco,” he said. “Your Uncle—I mean, your father-in-law covered the expenses for your mother’s surgery, including all the hospital bills. Mika, it’s not just a debt of gratitude we owe them—we also owe them money.”
Yumika’s head spun with the sudden news. This was completely new information to her. “We need to pay the Hernandez family, Dad.”
He nodded. “Yes, I know. Franco said that we don’t have to pay back the full hospital expenses, we’d only need to pay half of the two million.”
“But Uncle Franco is gone. Aunt Fiona might expect us to pay the full amount,” she replied.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Fiona knows this, and she agreed with Franco.”
She let out a relieved sigh at his words. “But, how about Cade? Does he know about this?”
“I don’t know, but I think Fiona already told him. Cade is the heir—he has the right to know,” her father said. They were both silent for a moment. If Cade already knew about this, there was a chance he might use it as leverage to get her to do what he wanted. Her stomach churned at the thought. But Cade hadn’t mentioned a word to her earlier.
“Here’s what you need to know, Mika,” her father said, turning his attention back to her. He looked pained, as if what he was about to tell her would hurt her. She swallowed hard, nervous about what he was going to say. “If we can’t pay the Hernandez family, they could take Coffee n’ Books.”
She gasped. “No, Papa! We worked so hard for this business!”
“I’m so sorry, Mika, but I’ve already signed the agreement.”
Dread washed over her, filling her entire being.