Chapter 203: Wrath of a Branch Captain (1/2)

Today was a good day.

Having been working as a cashier for the Captivating Fragrance Coffee Shop, Charlotte now looked healthier than she was before she met Calvin. There was always this vibrant smile on her face that truly represented the essence of the Coffee Shop's name. Yes, it was captivating.

Furthermore, the changes that she proposed for the sake of the coffee shop brought a lot of improvements to the coffee shop's foot traffic.

She proposed to abolish the ridiculous pricing to cater more to the masses and even though Ron Samuel was adamant to keep the coffee shop strictly for those that could afford its prices. It just didn't make sense to Charlotte.

Sensing that she was starting to feel suspicious as to why the coffee shop wasn't trying to make an effort to actually make money.

Ron Samuel had no other choice but to bitterly smile and accept the changes that she had proposed.

James, Bruce, and especially Ashlynn were delighted with the changes.

Finally, customers were pouring in. After a few days of adjustment, it wasn't that hard for them to handle the influx of customers anymore and Ashlynn would always have this wide smile on her face whenever she was counting the coins that they had earned for the entire day.

The next morning, the staff members of the Captivating Fragrance Coffee Shop came early to prepare for the morning rush.

Charlotte was also there, and despite the fact that her job was being a cashier.

She still went the extra mile and helped the others clean the store by wiping the tables and chairs

”Charlotte, you don't have to help us with this... Aren't you still going to make an account of our inventory for today?” James stared at Charlotte with embarrassment laded on his face.

He was doing his job, but he clearly wasn't doing it as well as Charlotte. To be honest, he was starting to think that Charlotte was the manifestation of a cleaning god.

No surfaces were safe against the onslaught of Charlotte and her damp cloth.

”It's okay. I'm quite used to making an inventory now, so I might as well help you with this.” Charlotte smiled at James, ”Ah, did you add ammonia to that bucket of water?”

”Oh... Ammonia?” James asked in confusion.

”Yes, it's quite useful for cleaning surfaces.” Charlotte nodded.

”Are you sure? Doesn't that thing have such a strong smell? Why would you use something that smells so strong to clean things?”

James frowned.

”I was also as confused as you, sir James. But I learned these cleaning tricks up my sleeves back when I was still working at a matchstick factory in the Western Borough...”

”Most of us women even use ammonia in our underwear when it's that time of the mo—ah! What am I saying!” Charlotte suddenly blushed in the middle of her sentence as she held her cheeks in embarrassment.

”Well anyway, if you mix a quarter of a cup of ammonia in a bucket of water. It'll clean these glass faster.” Charlotte cleared her throat and continued, ”But don't ever add any other cleaning solution to that bucket of water, okay? If you do that, then you'll create poisonous fumes that will haunt you for the next two weeks. Trust me, I've learned the hard way.”

Charlotte lightly chuckled.

James Branzuela stared at her in shock.

”Madame, you sure are quite knowledgeable.”

Charlotte waved her hand, ”Not really. I just had a rough life.”

The smile on James's face deepened, ”Now that I think about it, it's been a few days since that young lass visited the shop. Where is she?”

”Ah, Cecilia? I enrolled her in one of the schools a few blocks away from us so she's not really that far from the shop. I thought it was better for her to learn things from a proper teacher than me.” Charlotte promptly answered.

”James! What's the lolly-gagging there? Hurry up and come here! You still don't know how to create that creamy foam for a coffee latte, right?” Ron Samuel's voice could be heard from the inside.

James Branzuela revealed a bitter smile.

He didn't know what to say.

Charlotte noticed his awkwardness and she stared at him with a smile, ”It's okay. You can leave the cleaning out here to me.”

”I'm really sorry...” James apologized while awkwardly scratching his head as he stood up and went inside the shop.

But his expression changed the moment he stepped into the store.

Crash!

A crashing sound akin to a shattering glass rang out from outside the shop.

James turned to look at the source of the sound and it came from Charlotte who had accidentally dropped one of the potted plants while she was relocating it to one of the nearby elevated shelves.

”Ah! I'm sorry!” Charlotte opened the doors of the shop and fervently apologized, ”I didn't mean to do it... my hands slipped.”

”It's okay, it's okay... Just clean it up before the morning rush starts.” James said these words as slowly as he could. It was as if there was something stuck in his throat for he found it hard to speak in front of Charlotte.

”I really didn't mean it... All right, I'll go clean it up!” Charlotte was quick to leave the shop with a broom and dustpan in her hands. Then, she got to work and cleaned the mess that she had created as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile inside the shop.

Ron Samuel was trembling.

The atmosphere in the shop was thick with killing intent.

Ashlynn's eyes were completely cold.

In her hands was a crystallized gem that had shattered.

”Ashlynn, didn't I tell you to bring over the mop to me here in the kitchen? What's taking you so long?”

Bruce walked out of the kitchen with his eyebrows furrowed. Upon noticing that everyone was gathered behind the counters, he walked over and asked, ”What the hell are you guys looking a—”

He didn't manage to complete his sentence.

It was because he saw the shattered crystallized gem and he knew what it meant.

”S-S-Someone died?!” Bruce sucked a mouthful of cold air as he hissed in shock.

His eyes eventually landed on the name above the wooden plaque of the crystallized gem and his pupils constricted when he saw it.