Chapter 224: Shifts in Pride and Decaf Coffee

After walking Martin downstairs until he got into his car in the basement parking lot, Eric headed back up, not to his office, but to the second floor. Strolling through the retail arcade area, "chime," he pushed open the door to the pastry and coffee shop situated at the far end.

"Welcome in... oh, it’s you."

Melissa, who was inside, greeted the incoming customer, but the second she recognized Eric, she resumed grinding her coffee beans. Eric walked over and took a seat at the counter directly across from her.

"So, what’s up? Did you find a suitable location for our new office?" Melissa asked casually.

"Hmm... found a spot. I’ll take you and Avery out to survey the place later," Eric replied.

"Oh... that’s great! Where is it?" Melissa asked, turning to face Eric, her hands suddenly pausing.

Eric laid out the exact location of the property to Melissa, who listened attentively to every detail.

"Oh... over in that area? That’s a great spot... pretty strategic without being buried too deep in the core business district. Are you planning to buy or rent?" Melissa inquired.

"Location’s great, right? I’m planning to lease it, but there’s a condition attached," Eric answered.

"Huh... what condition?" Melissa asked.

"Sigh." Eric let out a soft breath, then proceeded to recount his entire conversation with Martin upstairs. Melissa listened quietly, but her expression—initially composed—grew steadily darker the more she heard. As soon as Eric finished, Melissa pressed the button on her coffee grinder again, filling the quiet room with the buzzing noise of grinding coffee as both of them lapsed into silence.

Once she finished grinding and pouring the beans, Melissa brewed the coffee, wiped her hands dry, and turned around to face Eric.

"Are you sure you want to partner with your father?" Melissa asked.

"You want the honest answer?" Eric countered.

"Of course. Don’t sugarcoat it," Melissa replied.

"Honestly, I don’t really want to partner with my dad, let alone enter a full business partnership with him. Not because he’s a bad businessman, but because I’m just not ready yet. Ten years of suppressed feelings don’t just vanish overnight, right? Even if I’ve forgiven him and don’t hold a grudge anymore," Eric admitted softly.

"That’s exactly why I asked. But I’m not going to tell you what to do, just follow your heart. I don’t want to meddle in your personal choices," Melissa replied.

"Yeah... I actually made up my mind already. I don’t mind working together even if it forces me to suppress what’s in my heart a bit. He found an investor willing to buy out our ruined family business, and that building is the only asset left. He mentioned he initially planned to open a branch in this city, but well... he couldn’t gather the funds because he had to keep covering for Jason and my uncle embezzling company money," Eric explained.

Melissa went silent again, and Eric did as well. Turning around, Melissa picked up a mug, poured a fresh cup of decaf coffee for Eric, brought it over to the counter, and set it down in front of him.

"Thanks," Eric said.

"What role are you giving your father in our foundation?" Melissa asked.

"Not sure yet. I just told him I’d discuss it with the team first," Eric answered.

"Hmm... what if we use him as a real-life cautionary tale of bad parenting, complete with proof of Jason sitting in prison?" Melissa teased playfully.

"Ha... he actually said the exact same thing earlier! He’s completely willing and even offered to draft the presentation materials himself," Eric said with a smile.

"Wait, really? He’s actually brave enough to take accountability like that?" Melissa asked, genuinely taken aback.

"He said it himself right in front of me. Too bad there were no witnesses and I didn’t record it," Eric replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

Melissa paused for a moment, her pretty features turning serious as Eric could practically hear the gears turning in her head. Then, Melissa locked eyes with Eric, her tone completely earnest,

"You’re telling me that Mr. Martin, the man with towering pride, who refuses to do anything that tarnishes his reputation and guards his image religiously, said all that? And he actually wants to work for you, the son he ignored for the past ten years?" Melissa asked, sounding entirely incredulous.

"Yep... trust me, I was just as shocked as you are. A man who always chased the stars suddenly lowered himself, lower than his own son," Eric answered.

"Hmm... maybe he genuinely repented," Melissa murmured.

"He said he’s tired and just wants to do something right with whatever time he has left," Eric added gently.

Both of them fell quiet once more. Eric held his coffee cup, watching the slight ripples on the surface of the liquid. Meanwhile, Melissa wiped down a stack of dry dishes that had been sitting on the counter for a while. Suddenly, "chime," the door chimed open as a few girls stepped inside chatting animatedly.

Melissa immediately stepped up to greet the customers and take their order. After taking the order, preparing the drinks, and handing them over, the girls paid and headed outside, taking a seat at the patio tables in front of the shop. Melissa turned back to Eric, noticing his cup was almost empty. Picking up the pot, she topped off his coffee,

"So... what role do you actually plan on giving your dad?" Melissa asked as she poured.

"I don’t know... that’s why I need your input," Eric answered.

"Hmm... I see. He used to have a pretty extensive network... though I’m not sure about now. Maybe he could tap into elite circles to secure investors... or perhaps serve as the face of the organization when negotiating with outside parties," Melissa suggested.

"You mean like our brand ambassador?" Eric asked.

"Something like that... though I’d prefer calling it Business Development or Fundraiser rather than ambassador," Melissa clarified.

"Hmm... good point, but... he’s not exactly a great role model, is he?" Eric noted.

"If he’s truly changed... that’s a whole different story," Melissa countered.

"Fair enough, but he definitely doesn’t need a seat on the board, right? I think the three of us with Avery is plenty," Eric added.

"Yeah, don’t put him on the board and make sure he has no voting power on our behalf... but, well, not necessarily forever. We’ll see how things develop first before considering that, because sometimes we do need a parent figure to help guide us," Melissa advised.

"You mean an experienced hand, not a parent figure," Eric corrected.

"Yep... exactly, an experienced hand," Melissa agreed.

"Alright then. I promised him I’d survey the building next week, so you should come along too," Eric said.

"Will do... by the way, does Ruby know about this?" Melissa asked.

"I don’t think so. If she knew, she definitely would’ve brought it up with me over the past few days," Eric replied.

"Hmm... I see," Melissa murmured, lost in thought.

"Sounds like you think it’s better if Ruby doesn’t know until everything is official, right?" Eric asked.

"Haha... you read my mind. It really is for the best. We both know what Ruby used to be like. Sure, she’s changed now that you gave her a job, but if you partner up with your dad, I’m afraid she might start viewing your foundation as just another family business," Melissa explained.

"Yep... true, I know what you mean," Eric agreed, taking a sip of his coffee. "I was actually thinking the exact same thing as you, which is why I insisted on leasing the building and putting my dad on a proper salary, because I want Ruby relying strictly on him, not on me," Eric added.

"It’s about time Ruby learned to mature a little compared to before. She can’t just expect everything to be handed to her on a silver platter whenever she asks for something," Melissa noted.

"Right now, though... she hasn’t asked Dad for anything yet. In fact, Dad told me earlier that Ruby actually gave him a cut of her very first royalty check... kind of funny, honestly, seeing a kid who used to hold her hand out for money now placing something into the hand she used to demand things from," Eric replied.

"Yeah... hopefully it stays that way and she doesn’t slip back into her old habits... speaking of which, is Avery really pregnant again?" Melissa asked.

"Yep, and upstairs earlier, Caleb looked like a walking corpse, even though you could tell he was genuinely thrilled," Eric answered.

"Man... if just taking care of Abby made him suffer like that, imagine what happens when the second one arrives, especially since Avery’s praying for twins this time around," Melissa remarked.

"Who knows... he overthinks everything and ends up stressing himself out. It’s pretty pathetic, honestly," Eric said.

"That’s what I’m saying! Knowing how tough it is, he really ought to keep his pants on a little more often around his wife," Melissa replied, giving a light shrug.

"Alright, let’s stop talking about him. So, what exactly does a fundraiser or business development role look like? Any ideas?" Eric asked.

"Hang on... let me look it up online, and if we don’t find anything solid, we’ll talk to Katie," Melissa answered, pulling out her smartphone.

After that, they dove into a more serious discussion about the specific job description they would assign to Martin, with Melissa occasionally pausing to serve customers who came in to buy pastries or order coffee.