Chapter 284: The Secret Garden

A month had passed since Skylar’s birthday party, and many things had happened in Sienna’s life during that time.

Two things, in particular, had made her happy over the past month.

The first was her growing relationship with Zachary’s family, especially Hannah and Zoey. Almost every weekend, she and Skylar visited Hannah. They spent wonderful family time that brought them even closer, thanks to Skylar.

She also met Zoey quite often. Initially, Sienna had thought her sister-in-law was a typical arrogant heiress who spent most of her time shopping for expensive branded goods and hanging out in fancy places. As she met her more often, she had quickly realized that she had been wrong.

Zoey was actually a humble and kind sister-in-law who viewed work much as the many career women she had met before did, serious about their work and wise about how they spent their hard-earned money. And Sienna had become comfortable around her.

The second thing that had made Sienna happy was that the business she had started with Ava had finally kicked in and come to life.

They had decided to name it The Secret Garden Resto and Cafe. The restaurant and café were located in an old house in the city center, surrounded by tall trees that made anyone entering the grounds feel as though they had stepped into a quiet garden hidden away from the busy streets.

The place had required a lot of work. Still, thanks to Zachary, who had helped them assign several professionals to handle the renovation and business permits, everything had gone much more smoothly than Sienna had expected. It had taken them only four weeks to get everything ready, and they were now prepared for the grand opening this weekend.

Early in the morning, Sienna had already headed to The Secret Garden to meet the new floor manager, someone they trusted to help run the restaurant’s day-to-day operations.

"Madam, we have arrived."

Logan’s voice pulled Sienna out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and sat up straight, only to find herself looking at the two-story old brick house in front of her. The beautiful garden surrounding the building immediately caught her attention.

The exterior still had its old, slightly worn appearance. At the same time, the interior had been renovated into a modern yet cozy space. Despite the changes, they had managed to preserve the homey ambiance of an old, well-maintained house.

Sienna believed it would be a pleasant place for customers to relax, meet with friends, spend time with their families, or even have a business meeting over coffee or lunch.

They had separated the café and restaurant into two different floors. The café occupied the entire first floor, while the restaurant was located on the second floor.

Sienna got out of the car and walked toward the main entrance. Before she could reach the door, a woman in casual clothes greeted her with an excited smile.

"Good morning, Boss."

Mia opened the door wider and gestured for her to come inside.

Seeing how excited her best friend was, Sienna couldn’t help chuckling and shaking her head. "Stop calling me Boss, Mia."

Mia followed her inside, still smiling. "Well, you are my boss. And I should thank you, my friend, because you hired me to work here, so I don’t feel lonely working alone at the Imperial Hotel anymore."

Sienna simply smiled at her. She continued walking through the café, taking a careful look around the entire first floor.

Everything was clean, organized, and ready to welcome customers. A few baristas and waiters were also busy training behind the counter to ensure they understood their responsibilities before the soft opening.

"Apologies, Boss," Mia said playfully. "But I’m not going to stop just because you asked me to. I’ll call you that when we’re at work."

"All right, suit yourself."

Sienna chuckled and stopped in front of the counter. She spoke with the head barista and the cashier, asking whether they needed anything before the soft opening the following day.

They went through a few small details with her, and Sienna listened carefully before giving them some instructions.

Once she was satisfied, she continued upstairs to check the restaurant.

The second floor was just as neat and organized as the café below. The tables were properly arranged, the dining area was clean, and everything appeared ready for customers. Sienna also checked the kitchen and was pleased to see that the chefs were already prepared for the soft opening.

They had everything they needed, and the kitchen staff seemed confident they could handle the expected number of customers.

Sienna stayed there for a while to speak with the assistant chef, one of Ava’s trusted employees who would eventually take over as the main chef. They discussed several topics, including the menu, kitchen staff, and preparations for the opening.

After a few minutes, Sienna felt satisfied with their progress and returned to the first floor.

She then looked at Mia. "Come with me to my office."

Mia followed her without asking any questions.

The office was located at the back of the café. It had two desks, one for Sienna and another for Ava, since both of them would use the room when they needed to handle business matters.

There was also a comfortable seating area with a sofa set and a meeting table where they could discuss work with the staff or business partners.

Sienna asked Mia to sit on the sofa before walking over to the coffee machine. She prepared two lattes and carried them over to the seating area. After handing one to Mia, she sat down opposite her with her own cup.

"Thank you," Mia said happily as she accepted the latte.

"Have you adapted to your new job?" Sienna asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yes! This is my dream job." Mia took a sip and smiled with satisfaction. "I can interact with customers directly, and I can enjoy coffee while I’m working. What more could I ask for?"

Sienna laughed softly. "I’m glad you were able to join us, Mia."

Her smile remained for a moment, but it gradually faded when another thought crossed her mind. Mia noticed the change immediately and lowered her cup slightly.

"What happened, Sienna?" she asked, her tone becoming more concerned.

Sienna didn’t answer right away. She took a deep breath and placed her latte on the table before looking at her friend.

"Zoey... she complained to me."