Chapter 171 No Men, Just Money!
The evening air was refreshingly cool as the three women stepped out onto the pavement.
Veyra walked out of the newly secured storefront alongside Mia and Megan. Her steps felt light, and a warm sense of relief filled her chest. The lease was officially signed, the location was locked down, and the renovation phase was finally right around the corner.
She felt like she was floating on cloud nine.
Against all odds, she had actually done it. She had built something completely on her own. Something real, solid, and undeniably hers.
Mia was still clutching her thick binder tightly against her chest as they walked down the sidewalk. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and she couldn’t keep the wide grin off her face.
"I still can’t believe we actually pulled this off," Mia gushed, her voice bubbling over. "We have an actual storefront, Veyra. A real one!"
Veyra let out a soft laugh, pulling her sweater a little tighter around herself. "I know. It feels surreal."
"We’re really opening our own milk tea place," Mia continued, bouncing slightly with every step. "We’re actually going to be business owners."
"Yes, we are."
Megan threw her arms in the air, practically skipping beside them. "This is honestly the most exciting thing that has happened to me all year!"
Veyra smiled warmly at both of them. "It’s the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a really long time, too."
They continued down the block together as the yellow streetlights began to flicker on one by one. The surrounding shops were closing up for the day, and the usual hustle of the district was settling down into a calm evening rhythm.
They met Jade right by the main entrance of the building.
She looked young, probably around twenty years old at most. Her short hair was dyed a bright pastel pink, her oversized jacket was scattered with dried paint splatters, and a pair of thick round glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.
She was holding a dark sketchbook in one hand, her eyes sharp as she looked over the front of the building.
"Jade!" Mia called out, waving her hand high. "Over here!"
Jade walked over to them with a relaxed stride, her expression full of quiet curiosity. "So this is the place you guys rented?"
"Yup! What do you think of it from the outside?" Mia asked eagerly.
Jade stepped back a few feet, tilting her head as she surveyed the overall structure, the wide glass windows, and the main entrance setup.
"It definitely has good bones," Jade said, nodding slowly. "The overall proportions are solid, and the natural lighting is going to hit just right."
Veyra’s eyebrows went up in surprise. "You can tell all that just by standing out on the curb?"
Jade gave a small shrug, a faint smile touching her lips. "I’m a design student. I notice these things automatically."
Mia quickly stepped in to introduce them. "Jade, this is Veyra. She’s the one who handled the lease and owns the business."
Jade extended a hand toward Veyra. "Nice to meet you, Veyra."
Veyra took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you too, Jade. Thanks for coming out on short notice."
Mia unlocked the heavy front door, and they all stepped inside the empty space.
The interior was completely bare and covered in a thin layer of dust from sitting vacant, but Jade’s eyes instantly lit up the second she crossed the threshold.
She walked around the perimeter of the main floor, running her fingers along the bare walls, checking the window frames, and snapping quick photos on her phone from different angles.
"The layout is actually really workable," Jade said, her voice echoing slightly in the vacant space. "High ceilings make a huge difference, and those big front windows bring in tons of street view."
Veyra nodded along, looking around the room with her. "We want the overall vibe to feel cozy, clean, and inviting. We need a space where people actually want to sit down, hang out, and relax for a while."
Jade’s gaze drifted up toward the ceiling beams as her mind started working through different layout ideas.
"I can definitely build a concept around that," Jade said confidently.
The four of them gathered in the center of the dusty floor space to talk details.
Veyra looked at the wide front windows, thinking about how they could stand out from the other shops on the block. "The visual appeal is going to be super important for us. In this day and age, a sharp design can drive a ton of foot traffic. If the shop looks unique, people will naturally take photos, post them online, and tell their friends about it."
Mia perked up, tapping her chin. "Honestly, I didn’t even think about the social media angle."
"It’s definitely worth putting extra thought into," Veyra replied. "It’s free marketing if we do it right."
Jade’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm behind her round glasses. "Say no more. I can easily design a setup that looks amazing in photos."
Veyra smiled at her confidence. "That sounds perfect."
Mia pulled her phone out of her pocket, her thumbs already flying across the screen at high speed.
"I’m setting up a group chat for the four of us right now," she announced without looking up. "That way we can dump all our ideas in one spot and stay organized."
Veyra blinked, taking a second to realize what she was doing. "A group chat?"
"Yeah, absolutely! We need an easy way to coordinate, share pictures, and keep track of updates while we fix this place up."
Mia typed away furiously for a moment, adding Veyra’s contact along with Megan’s and Jade’s.
Once she finished, she set the group title and showed them her screen with a proud grin.
The group chat title read: No Men, Just Money!
Veyra stared at the screen for a second, catching her breath before she burst out laughing. "Are you serious with that name, Mia?"
Mia grinned broadly. "Hey, it fits our exact energy right now!"
Megan giggled, pulling out her own phone as the notification popped up. "I honestly love it. It’s hilarious."
Jade chuckled softly, giving a quick nod. "It’s pretty accurate, if you ask me."
Within seconds, the group chat began buzzing with rapid-fire messages.
Megan typed out: I can handle getting us some decent tables and chairs for the main seating area. My mom’s old commercial space has extra furniture sitting in storage, and we can haul it over whenever we’re ready.
Veyra quickly typed back: That would save us so much money on startup costs! Thank you so much, Megan.
Mia jumped in: Jade, what’s your timeline looking like for the layout ideas?
Jade replied: I need to sit down and run through a few different layouts tonight. I’ll send over some rough sketches by tomorrow morning.
Veyra looked up from her phone screen and met Jade’s eyes directly. "Are you sure you’re okay taking on all this work with your school schedule? I don’t want to pile too much pressure on you."
Jade shrugged off the concern with a wave of her hand. "A little pressure is fine by me. It keeps my mind sharp and forces me to create better work."
After wrapping up their quick walk-through, they locked up the front entrance and said their goodbyes out on the sidewalk.
Veyra waved to Mia, Megan, and Jade as they headed off toward Megan’s car, then walked over to where Leon was waiting by the black sedan.
The drive back toward the Thorne estate was completely peaceful. The bright city lights blurred into long streaks of color as they moved through the evening traffic.
Veyra’s head was still spinning with a million different thoughts about wall colors, counter setups, seating arrangements, and lighting fixtures. She realized pretty quickly that she needed to do some serious research if she wanted to make smart choices for the shop floor.
"Leon," Veyra said, leaning forward slightly from the back seat. "Does the manor happen to have a library?"
Leon glanced at her briefly through the rearview mirror, his face composed. "Yes, Mrs. Thorne. The main residence has a very extensive library."
"Am I allowed to go in and browse through the books?"
"Of course. I can show you where it is as soon as we get back."
The estate grounds were quiet and dark by the time the car pulled up the long driveway.
Leon led the way inside, guiding her down the wide, dimly lit main hallway. They passed the formal living room, went around the private study, and walked deeper into the east wing of the house where Veyra hadn’t spent much time yet.
He stopped in front of a pair of heavy, dark wood doors covered in intricate carved patterns.
"Here we are," Leon said, stepping to the side. "The main library."
Veyra looked up at the height of the doors, already impressed. "It looks huge."
Leon pushed one of the heavy doors open, allowing the faint light from the hallway to spill inside.
The room was absolutely massive. Floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves lined every single wall, packed to the brim with thousands of hardcovers. A tall rolling ladder hung from a metal track along the top shelves, a grand stone fireplace sat along the far wall, and a cozy reading nook was tucked neatly into the corner by a massive window.
Veyra stepped over the threshold, taking a slow breath as the rich scent of old paper and polished wood filled the air.
"This place is unbelievable," she whispered, taking it all in.
Leon gave a small nod of agreement. "The Thorne family has been adding to this collection for generations. Many of the volumes in here are completely out of print, and a few are extremely rare historical editions."
Veyra walked slowly along the nearest row of shelves, her fingertips lightly brushing against the aged leather spines of the books. It felt like she had accidentally stumbled into a hidden treasure room.
Leon kept his voice low so it wouldn’t echo in the quiet space. "Mrs. Thorne, just be extra careful when handling the older texts. Some of the bindings are quite fragile."
Veyra turned back to face him, offering a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, I’ll be very careful."
"Mr. Thorne values this space highly," Leon added, his expression turning a bit more serious. "He rarely grants anyone permission to spend time in here."
Veyra nodded, keeping that warning in mind. "I understand. I won’t mess anything up."
Turning her attention back to the high shelves, she began scanning the titles row by row, looking for anything related to interior design, spatial layout, architecture, or retail aesthetics.
It didn’t take long to find a solid section near the back.
She reached up and pulled down a thick, heavy volume bound in dark blue cloth. Opening it up, she saw that it was filled with detailed architectural diagrams, color guides, and high-quality photography of retail spaces.
Carrying the heavy book over to the reading nook near the window, she settled into the plush armchair and laid the book across her lap.
She was just about to flip open to the first Chapter when Leon spoke up from near the entrance, breaking the silence one last time.
"Mrs. Thorne," he said calmly, standing straight by the doorway. "Just a quick reminder before I leave you to read. The library is technically Mr. Thorne’s private retreat, and he generally prefers to keep visitors out."
Veyra looked up from the page, giving him a quick nod of understanding. "Got it. I’ll make sure to leave everything exactly as I found it."
Leon gave a respectful bow of his head and took a step back toward the hallway. "Take all the time you need."
After Leon’s gentle warning, Veyra turned her attention back to the pages, carefully diving into the design guides to gather as many ideas as she could for their new storefront.