Chapter Six: Decision
1673 Words
Three days. Flynn gave Molen only three days to decide whether she'd grab the partnership he had for her.
Win-win situation.
That's what the young man told her. They will both benefit from the partnership he offers her. Even though Molen thinks about it a few times, Flynn's offer doesn't seem to work. And there are two reasons why Molen believes it will never work out.
First, she hates Flynn.
Second, she hates Flynn to death!
Molen let out a deep sigh as he faced her laptop. Her day was beginning, but she wanted it to end so that she would not have to think again and again.
"Molen, I know it's a bad time, but we have bills to pay." Nana Rosa said, sliding two sealed envelopes in front of her.
She took another deep breath and took the envelope that Nana Rosa handed her.
“I’ll take care of this, Nana. Thank you, and don't worry about me.” She had to decide before she and her cousins would end up dwelling on the streets.
“Your mom left a recipe book, Molen. Do you want to use it and add some of your touches to those recipes?” Nana Rosa sensed distress in Molen’s aura. She had known her since she was a kid and the old lady wanted to help Molen.
“Can I do that? I already disappointed Mommy when Molecules Café closed down because of my recklessness.”
"Everybody makes mistakes, and believe me, your mom made several mistakes before she acquired your father as her first investor."
Molen's parents have a beautiful love story. That's before God took them early, leaving her all alone. But she is not alone because she still has Nana Rosa, Abbey, and Vina. They are the only ones who have and support her in everything she does.
Abbey and Vina lost their parents in a fire in the middle of the sea. They were supposed to go home, but the ship caught fire, and their parents failed to escape. They have a common denominator; they're all orphans. Nana Rosa is their immediate family, even if they’re not related to the old lady by blood.
Nana Rosa is Molen's mom's nanny. She was there for Molen’s mother from childhood to marriage. So, when both of Molen's parents died, she became her parents.
"Thanks for always reminding me that I don't need to be perfect all the time, Nana,"
"That's my job as your guardian, Molen," Nana Rosa smiled at Molen and said goodbye to picking up her mother's recipe book.
Molen needs to rebuild the Molecules Café. They are not closed, but since she quarreled with Flynn online, the customer who enters has been reluctant. Flynn's extensive network and her powers can't argue with it. Flynn has the means that she doesn't have. But Molen will do everything she can to get them back from the fall brought on by her stubbornness.
But where does Molen start? She has to come up with a decision. It's now or never!
Molen prepared the chicken wing recipe that her mom made back then. It was included in the book that Nana Rosa had given her. In front of her are Nana Rosa, Vina, and Abbey. All three of them are waiting for her re-created dish. Molen used the spices she bought online and massaged them thoroughly on the chicken wings. She rubbed it well until the flesh of the chicken wings absorbed the flavor.
“Are we going to change our menu, Molen? From pastries to chicken wings?” Vina asked her.
“Uhm, no. We'll stick to the pastries and add these for choices. People tend to find something new to break their usual. I'm going to squeeze these chicken wings and burgers into the menu.”
Molen knows how to persuade people to come back to them. Most people are just looking for something new, and to avoid boredom, we need to offer another food variant.
"Here, try this Oreo milkshake that I made." She offered the milkshake to her cousins and Nana Rosa. They simultaneously tasted her cooking, and all of them positively reacted to her milkshakes.
"So, we'll slightly break the traditional donut combinations this time, right?" Abbey asked.
“Yes. From the classic honey-glazed donuts and hot coffee combinations to these cute panda donuts and milkshakes. I also made some pasta dishes from Mom's cookbook.”
She waited for an answer from her cousins, looking at each other. She needed their support so that they could rise again. She had another thought and intended to say them when they agreed to her plan.
"We're into this, Mol!" The expression on Molen's face lit up upon hearing Vina and Abbey's consent.
“What can I do to help?” Nana Rosa asked.
Molen stopped munching on chicken wings and turned over the donuts he had already made.
"You'll show the world how we prepare these cute donuts, Nana."
"How?" Vina asked.
“By creating short clips on Molecules Café social media account. Social media are widely used everywhere; that's why I came up with this idea. It will be hard since my issue is still circulating, but we can acquire a lot of online engagements through these delectable goodies.”
Molen studied everything carefully as she read her mother’s recipe book. Molen felt like her mom was still around while reading the recipe book. She could feel her mom hugging and comforting her.
"We'll do it and prove to Flynn Sandoval that we can get from the grave he dug with us."
Flynn Sandoval.
She had almost forgotten about the young man and the three-day grace period he had given her. Will she accept his offer and have a business deal with that cruel guy?
Not Molen. That will be your last choice – a business partnership with that man.
"Are you okay, Molen?" Abbey asked.
Her attention diverted to Abbey, and she smiled. “Yeah. We'll prove to Flynn Sandoval that we're something he should be wary of.”
"That's our girl!" Vina and Abbey said at the same time, which made her smile. Her cousins supported her, which Molen should be thankful for.
Molen is about to return to what she was supposed to do but gets frustrated when she receives a text message from the man she was thinking about a while ago. It was Flynn, and she couldn't believe he was outside their house again.
I was about to think he liked me, so he kept coming back and forth. Does he also want to live with me?
"What do you want from me?" Molen asked Flynn.
She didn't wander around anymore because she had just left the job to her cousins. Molen needed to guide her cousins in re-creating their menu. She has to approve their ideas first before putting them on the menu. They are both graduates of a business course, so all three have another common denominator. Vina is in charge of social media presence, while Abbey helps Molen with marketing and creating dishes, just as she did before Flynn arrived.
“I saw another article on your website. I badly want to work with you. I'm behind my schedule now.”
"Is that my fault?"
"Yes, you are, and I'm dying to know you more!" Molen stood up and left Flynn. But even before she could get away, he stopped her. “I mean it. I wanna try those pastries you uploaded online a while ago.”
Did he see it?
Molen cannot remember if she added him to her social media account. She'll never do that. Molen hates Flynn Sandoval and never makes friends with him. Even if the man begs her, she will continue to avoid it.
But how?
“I haven't released those. Go away, Flynn. My cousin is still mad at you. And I hate you.”
“I’ll help you restore your reputation. But you still have three days to decide. I'm not asking you to make friends with me. Just work for me, and everything will fall into its place.”
"Why don't you just look for another researcher?"
To this day, she still can’t believe Flynn Sandoval is following him. Who is Molen to be chased by Flynn Sandoval? She admires the young man for his food blogs, but it stops when he says her desserts are rubbish. In contrast, Flynn’s former researcher said that her work is good. Molen knows that Flynn has many achievements, but there is no reason for him to insult the work of others.
This proved the bad reviews of the young man’s haters. He’s a piece of bad news, showing a wrong attitude in front of the camera. But she is talking about another version of him now. What version should she believe? Should Molen do that?
"Because I see potential in your articles,"
"That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Molen looked at the young man in disbelief. What comes out of his mouth is not sincere. She wants him to give her reasons why they need to be partners apart from the win-win situation in which they will benefit.
“Let's not waste each other's time here, Mr. Sandoval. What’s the catch?”
I know there's a catch behind this entire scheme he's pulling off. Molen said in the back of her mind.
For Molen, it’s impossible that he wants her to be a partner in the business deal, Flynn says. He knew this plan and would never submit to it, no matter what happened.
“There’s no catch, Molen. I hope you can work with me to be a dream team online. If you agree to my deal, I can promote and restore your business name.”
Sounds promising, but I won't get swayed easily. As in never! She said again in her mind.
“My answer is no. Go away now, and my decision is final, Mr. Flynn Sandoval.”
- Writer
