A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

Jeffree lay in his lounge chair in the garden, and habitually narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gloria.

Gloria still had a black veil draped over her face, and her fists were clenched tightly, with veins bulging on the backs of her hands. She stood ramrod straight, and her purple eyes pierced through her veil as she looked directly at Jeffree. Her voice was very firm, and was a manifestation of her determination.

They were the only two people in the garden, and the atmosphere was very peaceful yet oppressive.

Jeffree was silent for a long time before finally asking, “What gives you the courage to say something like that to me? Or in other words, what makes you think that I would accept a woman as the heir to the Moreton Family?”

“My father gave me the courage. He chose to do something he truly loved, and I feel like I must do the same. Just like how he gave up on becoming the heir of the Moreton Family 20 years ago, I want to fight for something I believe in.” Gloria’s voice was very firm, and she clenched her fists tightly. Her voice rose a few octaves as she continued, “Besides, the heir of the Buffett Family, Scheer Buffett, is a woman, is she not? If she can become the heir of the Buffett Family, then I believe I can also inherit the Moreton Family and lead it in the right direction. I think I’ll do a better job than my uncle.”

“Heh, I’m not an idiot like Ian. Letting a woman inherit my estate is no different from handing it over to someone outside of the family!” Jeffree pursed his lips, and a hint of disdain and mockery appeared on his face. He looked at Gloria, and continued, “I gave him a chance 20 years ago, but he hasn’t shown any hint of remorse. You want me to give his daughter something that he abandoned years ago? If it were Mickey, perhaps I would give it some consideration, but you? I can’t hand my Moreton Family off to a woman who doesn’t even dare to show her face to the world. Also, denouncing your competitor behind their back is not a good habit.”

“Grandfather, this has nothing to do with Father. In fact, he had no idea about any of this. Besides, you know him better than I do; you should know that he would never regret a decision that he has made.” Gloria did not back down. Instead, her voice only became more resolute as she said, “One day, I’ll take off my veil, and show everyone what I look like. I don’t see this as something shameful, and I don’t think I’m inferior to any man. On top of that, I’m not denouncing my competitor; I’m merely stating an objective fact. I will definitely be able to do a better job than he’s doing. At the very least, I won’t lead the Moreton Family to ruin.”

Jeffree looked at the young woman before him, and was struck by a sense of nostalgia. He felt as if he could see the young woman in the red dress engaged in a heated argument with him in the conference chamber. Even though their personalities were different, both shared an unyielding nature.

Furthermore, Gloria’s final sentence was similar to what Scheer had said that day. Both of them were targeting Cyril.

With that in mind, Jeffree sat up a little involuntarily. He stared at Gloria in silence for a while before asking, “So what you’re saying is, your goal is to copy that little brat from the Buffett Family?”

“No, my goal is to surpass her.” Gloria shook her head.

“Oh?” A hint of surprise appeared on Jeffree’s face for the first time. He looked at Gloria with a serious expression, and asked, “So what is your goal?”

Gloria’s voice was as firm as ever as she replied, “I want to be your successor, and become the president of the Chamber of Commerce.”

“You sure dare to dream.” A smile appeared on Jeffree’s face for the first time as he lay back down on his lounge chair, and continued, “One’s goal determines the heights that they will ascend to. If you told me that she was your goal, then I would have been very disappointed as you would never be able to reach her level because you’re constantly looking up to her. I wouldn’t hand over my Moreton Family to someone who’s willing to settle for second.”

“Then, can I become the heir now?” A hint of nerves and anticipation crept into Gloria’s voice.

“No, I still haven’t decided whether I want to give you this opportunity. You may go now.” Jeffree shook his head, and the smile on his face had already receded.

“Remember, talk is cheap. Running a business is far more difficult than you can imagine. Even that little brat from the Buffett Family took over 10 years to reach her current position,” he cautioned in a meaningful tone.

“I know, but I still believe that I’m up to the task.” Gloria nodded without any hint of dejection on her face. Instead, she was slightly elated. This was the first time that her grandfather had ever paid close attention to her. It wasn’t approval or even acknowledgment, but it was a step in the right direction.

“President! The Catering…”

Right at that moment, Mars rushed into the garden, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face at the sight of Gloria. At the same time, he stopped himself from finishing his sentence.

“You may go now.” Jeffree raised a hand to dismiss Gloria.

“Yes.” Gloria curtseyed obediently before departing.

After she left, Jeffree turned to Mars, and asked, “What is it?”

Mars replied urgently, “President, we’ve received news this morning that the city lord’s castle has made a move against the Catering Association. Warren, the vice presidents, and all of the association’s higher-ups have been isolated and controlled. This morning, a group of people from the city lord’s castle was also sent to the main branch of our Chamber of Conference, and they filed away all of the information regarding our subsidiary restaurants. They’re currently verifying all of the documents and past transactions.”

“Has the city lord finally made a move against the Catering Association? Warren has become too complacent in recent years. He has strayed too far from the right path, so this was only a matter of time.” Jeffree wasn’t too surprised to hear such news. He turned to Mars, and said, “There should be no problems with our documents. Tell all of our subsidiary restaurants to keep a lid on the situation. The city lord’s castle has to protect their reputation as well, so they won’t make this into a big deal. After a while, things will slowly die down. Mars, why do you seem so flustered about such a minor event?”

“President, there’s something that I have to tell you. Last year, ever since Young Master Cyril took over the catering department, he expanded our cooperation with the Catering Association. He raised the proportion of reserved Aden Square food competition rankings from 50% to 90%, and has auctioned off those rankings to the highest-bidding restaurants. The documents of those transactions have been stored in our Chamber of Commerce.” Mars’ forehead was dripping with cold sweat at the sight of Jeffree’s darkening expression. Despite that, he still mustered up his courage, and continued, “Also, a while ago, Board Members Goodenia and Devoe became involved in one of the Gray Temple’s 4th-tier incidents. Young Master Cyril accepted payment from the two businesses, and attempted to bail those two out of Bastie Prison. Along with the group from the city lord’s castle, there was also a group of investigators from Bastie Prison that came to our main branch.”