From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

Anthea nodded. "Yeah, just a quick spruce-up, so it went fast. Oh, Mom, we've got to get a health certificate."

After all, in the food service industry, a health certificate was a must to apply for a health permit.

"Sure thing," Carole replied with a nod.

Since Carole and Nanson were still in the dark about the exact location of the diner, Anthea decided to take them for a little tour after dinner.

The diner was quite spacious, the kitchen included. It rounded up to about eight hundred square feet.

The renovation crew had clocked out for the day, and their voices echoed through the space as they chatted.

"Ann, how much is the rent for this place?" Carole asked.

Nanson interrupted. "Given the size of this diner, I bet the rent's at least a couple grand a month, right?"

Anthea nodded. "Yup, three thousand dollars a month."

Although Carole knew rentals in Cloudcrest weren't cheap, the figure still made her gasp. "Three thousand a month? That's like, what, thirty-six grand a year?"

"Yep." Anthea's tone was light, almost breezy as if they were discussing the price of a coffee, not a year's worth of rent.

Nanson started doing the math. "My paycheck from delivering parcels is fifty-two hundred a month, so thirty-six grand is more than five years' salary for me!" It was shocking when he crunched the numbers!

Anthea spoke with gentle assurance. "You have to invest to reap the rewards."

At that moment, a middle-aged woman with curly hair wandered in, munching on bubble gums. "You folks rented this place?"

Anthea confirmed with a nod. "Yes."

The curly-haired woman continued, "My name's Fanny. I run a snack shop over there. Look, there, at Snacktastic Spot! Let me tell you. This location has got issues. It's like a curse. I've seen over a dozen owners come and go! Just take the recent one, Samia's Savory Symphony, for example. They bled money, and I mean tens of thousands!"

After hearing about the losses, Carole's face went pale. "Is that true?"

With a knowing smile, Fanny said, "Do I look like I'm pulling your leg? And that Samia's Savory Symphony owner, did they tell you they were moving abroad? Bull! Samia just switched to selling snacks right next door at Samia's Goodies Gallery!"

The topic touched a nerve with Fanny.

Her snack shop was the only one around until Samia's Goodies Gallery popped up, undercutting her prices and snatching away half her customers!

Otherwise, she'd be too busy to be out and about at this hour.

Fanny had her motives for sharing these insights with Anthea.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

If Anthea discovered the deception, she'd confront Samia's Goodies Gallery, which might cause them to lose business, and in turn, Fanny's shop would thrive.

Fired up, Fanny ranted. "Can you believe the nerve of Samia's Savory Symphony? Just accept the loss, but no, they lied about moving abroad! The things people will say for money! Pfft! Despicable!"

The more Carole heard, the more anxious she became. She had been full of hope for the future, but at that moment, it felt like a cold shower had drenched her from head to toe.

The rent was paid annually, and they were already thirty-six grand in the hole without even opening their doors.

What were they going to do?

"Ann?" Carole looked up at Anthea, her eyes filled with concern.

Anthea gave a reassuring smile. "Mom, don't worry. We shape our destiny, and success is made, not given. I believe we can make this place thrive."