Chapter 49: A Promise of Ruin

When Linda, the owner of the shop next door, spotted the law enforcement officers, she immediately scurried back into her store like a mouse fleeing a cat. She didn’t dare show her face.

Jason walked straight toward her and spoke without the slightest hesitation.

"You can tell your son to keep sending his lackeys. Don’t chicken out now. I promise you, for every person he sends after me, one of them will leave here unable to walk."

Linda’s pupils shrank. Shock flashed across her face.

She quickly forced a nervous smile.

"What are you talking about? I don’t understand what you mean. They must have come after you because you provoked them. This has nothing to do with me."

Jason gave a faint smile. He couldn’t be bothered arguing with someone like her.

"Heh. Believe whatever you want. Oh, and Rachel and I are sworn enemies."

He paused, his eyes cold.

"So I spent a considerable amount of money specifically to take over this shop. My goal is simple—I want to drive your business into the ground."

Jason smiled confidently.

"Give me one month. By the end of it, I’ll make sure your shop earns nothing."

He deliberately said those words because he wanted to plant a particular image in Linda’s mind.

A young man with enormous wealth and power.

A man who wouldn’t hesitate to spend a fortune just to destroy someone who had crossed him.

Jason was certain that the real drama would soon begin within Rachel’s family.

There was nothing more entertaining than watching people turn against one another when their own interests were threatened.

Linda was so frightened that her heart nearly stopped.

The young man standing before her carried an extraordinary presence. Everything about him—from the way he spoke to the confidence in his eyes—made it clear that he wasn’t an ordinary person.

He was probably the heir to some wealthy family.

But Rachel, that useless girl, had somehow managed to provoke someone like this?

How could she have been so stupid?

"Sir... there must be some kind of misunderstanding between us."

A playful smile appeared on Jason’s lips.

"No misunderstanding."

His voice was calm, but his words were merciless.

"My goal is to watch Rachel’s entire family fall apart."

After saying that, Jason no longer had any interest in talking to her.

He turned around and walked away.

Linda remained frozen in place.

Her expression changed repeatedly as fear and panic battled inside her.

Her face alternated between pale and flushed as she tried to process what had just happened.

---

When Jason returned to the milk tea shop, he spotted Claire cleaning up the mess left behind by the troublemakers.

"Claire."

He waved her over.

Claire immediately looked up.

"B-Boss... are you okay?"

Her eyes were already glistening with tears, and her voice trembled slightly.

She had begun to think that Jason might give up on the shop.

After all, troublemakers had already come looking for trouble once.

What if they came back?

What would happen the next time Jason wasn’t there?

The more Claire thought about it, the more anxious she became.

She was afraid she was about to lose her job.

She didn’t care that much about herself. What worried her was her daughter.

If she lost this job, supporting her child would become much harder.

Thinking about it made Claire sniffle.

Before she could stop herself, tears began rolling down her beautiful face.

A crying woman could be devastatingly attractive, and Claire looked especially vulnerable at that moment.

She stood there with tears streaming down her cheeks, looking so helpless that most men would have found it difficult not to feel protective toward her.

Jason, however, was completely confused.

Why had she suddenly started crying?

What was going on?

He had actually intended to discuss the shop’s upcoming renovations and future development with Claire.

Instead, he had walked back to find her crying.

Jason was Jason.

His instincts immediately kicked in, and he focused on handling the situation in front of him.

He stepped closer and gently wiped the tears from her cheek.

Then he placed a reassuring hand on her back.

"What’s wrong?"

Claire felt the warmth of his hand against her back, and her body stiffened.

For a moment, she almost pushed him away out of nervousness.

But when she looked up, her eyes met Jason’s.

His gaze was clear and calm.

There was no hint of mockery or impatience in his eyes.

Only concern.

Claire froze.

A wave of embarrassment suddenly washed over her.

Her boss was simply trying to comfort her, yet she had almost pushed him away.

She had been the one overthinking things.

Jason seemed completely sincere.

Seeing that she wasn’t pulling away, Jason gently drew her into his arms.

"What’s wrong?" he asked softly. "You can tell me."

He paused.

"Don’t think of me as your boss right now. Just think of me as a friend."

Claire’s body went rigid.

The sudden closeness made her heart race.

She could feel the warmth of his chest and hear the steady beat of his heart.

Her cheeks quickly turned bright red.

She lowered her head against his chest, suddenly unsure of what to do with herself.

After a moment, she cautiously glanced upward.

Once again, her eyes met Jason’s.

His expression remained calm and reassuring.

Claire had been considered beautiful for as long as she could remember.

She had received plenty of attention from men over the years, and she had grown used to the way some of them looked at her.

But Jason’s gaze felt different.

There was no obvious greed or disrespect in it.

For the first time in a long time, Claire felt genuinely comfortable around a man.

After her divorce, she had completely lost interest in relationships.

Her entire world had become centered around raising her daughter and building a stable life for the two of them.

She had never expected that meeting Jason for the first time would stir feelings she had buried for so long.

"I... I don’t really know what to say."

Claire’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Jason smiled gently.

"It’s okay. Take your time."

His voice was soft and reassuring.

Claire took a deep breath.

After hesitating for a while, she finally gathered enough courage to speak.

"Boss Jason... I-I was worried you might give up on the shop."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I?"

Claire looked down.

"Because of what happened today."

She clasped her hands together nervously.

"Those people keep coming around and causing trouble. Even if we drive them away once, who’s to say they won’t come back?"

She swallowed.

"This is your business. We employees don’t really have the right to tell you what to do."

Her voice became quieter.

"If you decide to give up on the shop, there’s nothing we can do."

Claire’s fingers tightened.

"It’s just... I’m a little scared."

She hesitated before continuing.

"I’ve been raising my daughter alone since my divorce, and our monthly expenses are pretty high."

Her voice trembled.

"If I lose this job..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Claire had never wanted to use her circumstances to gain sympathy.

She had always been gentle and soft-spoken, but beneath that gentle exterior was a strong woman who had learned to stand on her own.

When her marriage fell apart, she hadn’t begged her former husband to stay.

She had walked away and chosen to raise her daughter herself.

But that didn’t mean life had become easy.

The thought of suddenly losing her only stable source of income terrified her.

Jason looked at her for a moment.

Then his expression softened.

"Claire..."

She slowly looked up.

"You don’t want to lose this job, do you?"