Chapter 1

The third floor of this mall was a ghost town when it first opened.

No one wanted to lease here.

I was the first to sign a contract. I powered through two brutal years, single-handedly turning this dead zone into a bustling hotspot.

On weekends, the queue for my bakery stretched all the way to the escalators.

When it was time to renew the lease, the property manager, Craig Miller, slid the contract over with a smug grin.

The rent had gone up by forty percent.

"This is way too high," I said, keeping my voice calm. "Can we negotiate?"

He kicked his legs up on the desk, spinning a flashy gold pinky ring. "Too expensive? The trendy boba brand next door offered to pay double your rent."

"If you weren’t squatting in this prime spot, they would’ve signed already."

"My current lease still has three months left," I reminded him.

Craig flicked his cigarette ash right onto my contract.

"When those three months are up, you pack your bags and get out. If you leave early, I might even waive your early termination fee. Consider it a favor to an old tenant."

I stared at the pile of ash on the paper for five seconds.

Then, I stood up and smiled.

"Deal. I’ll move out tomorrow."

He froze.

I grabbed my purse, walked to the door, and paused to look back.

"Oh, by the way. My mom’s jewelry store on the first floor, my husband’s gym on the fourth, and my brother’s esports lounge on the fifth—we’re all moving out together."

"Moving out tomorrow? Who do you think you're bluffing?"

Craig leaned back in his swivel chair, his chubby face shaking with laughter.

"Natalie, honey, we're adults here. Cut the dramatic crap."

"You spent what, fifty grand renovating that crappy bakery of yours?"

"Moving tomorrow? You don’t even have another location lined up. What are you going to do, live under a bridge and eat dirt?"

I didn't answer. I simply pushed open the glass door to his office.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway had been broken for two months, and no one had bothered to fix them.

I walked toward the elevator in the dim light.

My phone buzzed.

It was Chloe, my store manager. Her voice on the Snapchat voice note was trembling, on the verge of tears.

"Natalie! The power to the shop just got cut! The cream in the freezers is melting, and the customers are furious and demanding refunds!"

My hand hovered over the elevator button.

"Why is the power off?"

"Management says they're doing 'routine line maintenance.' But I checked—we’re the only shop on the third floor without power! The empty storefronts next to us have their lights on!"

I turned around and looked back at Craig’s office at the end of the hall.

He was watching me through the glass door. He raised his stainless-steel tumbler toward me in a mock toast.

His smile was pure malice, gloating over his leverage.

"Calm the customers down. Give them double refunds for the trouble," I instructed Chloe.

"But Natalie, the loss is going to be huge..."

"Just do it. I’m on my way down."

I hung up, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the first floor.

When the doors opened, the bright, luxurious lights of the lobby flooded my vision.

Right in the center of the main atrium stood the largest luxury jewelry store in the city: Eleanor's Fine Jewelry.

My mom, Eleanor, was sitting behind the glass counter with her reading glasses on, reviewing the ledger.

Hearing my footsteps, she looked up.

"Weren't you renewing the lease today? Why the long face?"

"I didn't sign."

I pulled up a chair, sat down, and poured myself a glass of warm water.

"Craig raised the rent by forty percent."

My mom closed the ledger and took off her glasses.

"Is he out of his mind? Who does he think brought all the foot traffic to that godforsaken third floor for the past two years?"

"He said a boba tea brand offered to pay double."

My mom let out a cold laugh.

"Burning the bridge after crossing it. Typical. So, what’s your plan?"

"I told him I’m moving out tomorrow."

My mom stared at me for a few seconds.

The tension in her face melted into a proud smirk. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Arthur? That double-front premium space on the first floor of the new Monarch Plaza across the street—is it still available?"

"Great. I’ll take it."

"No need to view it. I’ll sign the papers tonight."

She hung up and turned to me.

"Have you notified your meathead husband on the fourth floor and your slacker brother on the fifth?"

"Not yet."

"Go. Leave the first floor to me."

I stood up, putting down the glass.

"Mom, your early termination fee might be pretty steep."

"Please."

My mom reached into her drawer, pulled out a black Amex card, and slapped it on the glass counter.

"I was selling diamonds before Craig Miller was even out of diapers."

I smiled, turned back to the elevator, and pressed four.

The moment the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, deafening bass music hit me.

Summit Fitness, a massive twenty-thousand-square-foot facility, was packed.

My husband, Liam, was shirtless, spotting a client on a heavy deadlift, the sweat on his broad back gleaming under the lights.

Seeing me, he lowered the barbell, wiped his face with a towel, and walked over.

"Hey. What brings you to my turf?"

"Craig cut the power to my shop."

Liam stopped wiping his face.

He gripped the towel so hard his knuckles turned white.

"I’m going to go break his neck."

"No, don't."

I grabbed his arm.

"I decided not to renew. We're moving out tomorrow."

Liam looked down at me.

There was no shock in his eyes, only a terrifyingly calm intensity.

"Do we have a place to go?"

"The Monarch Plaza across the street. Mom already booked the first floor."

Liam tossed the towel onto a nearby bench.

"I’ll call the leasing office at the Monarch right now. I’m taking the entire fourth floor."

"What about your members?"

"They'll follow us. The Monarch is literally across the street. A five-minute walk."

Liam turned to grab his phone.

"I’ll have my guys start dismantling the rigs tonight."

I nodded and headed to the top floor.

The fifth floor.

The entire floor was Zach’s gaming lounge and private cinema.

My younger brother, Zach, was sitting at the front desk, chomping on a lollipop while playing a chaotic game of League of Legends.

His mechanical keyboard sounded like a machine gun.

"Zach."

His hand slipped, and his character died on the screen.

"Natalie! Jesus, do you have bells on your shoes or what? Scared the crap out of me."

"Pack your bags. We're moving tomorrow."

Zach bit down hard, crushing the lollipop.

"Moving? Where?"

"The Monarch."

His eyes lit up instantly.

"Hell yes! I’ve been wanting to move there forever! This dump has internet speed slower than dial-up, and that asshole Craig keeps charging me bullshit 'equipment maintenance fees' every single month!"

"I’ll handle your lease termination penalty."

"No need!"

Zach dragged a cardboard box out from under the desk.

"I’ve pulled in nearly a hundred grand in membership pre-sales this month. Paying off his stupid penalty is pocket change."

"I'll pull an all-nighter to pack up the PCs. Do you need help at the bakery? I can get some of my gaming crew to help you move."

"No, just focus on your own shop."

I went back down to the third floor.

My shop was pitch black.

Chloe and a few employees were using their phone flashlights to clean up the melted cream.

Seeing me, Chloe’s eyes welled with tears.

"Natalie... Craig just came by with some security guards."

"What did he say?"

"He said the main power line fried and it will take three days to fix. He told us we can't open for business until then."

I looked at the mess in the kitchen.

"Lock the doors."

Chloe gasped. "Lock up?"

"Yes. Grab your personal belongings. Everyone gets off early today."

"But the equipment..."

"A professional moving company will handle it tomorrow."

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to our staff group on WhatsApp:

*Paid leave for the next three days. I’ll see you all at our brand-new location next week.*

Chloe looked at her phone, tears spilling over.

"Natalie, are we really leaving? We built this place from scratch..."

"If we stay here, we'll just keep getting stepped on."

I patted her shoulder.

"Let’s go. Lock it up."

At 8:00 PM.

I stood on the street corner outside the mall.

On the first floor, the metal shutters of my mom's jewelry store were already locked down.

From the fourth floor, the metallic clangs of heavy gym equipment being dismantled echoed through the night.

On the fifth floor, dozens of high-end gaming monitors were being loaded into moving trucks.

My phone rang.

It was Craig.

"Natalie, why is your shop locked up?"

"Didn't you tell me not to open?"

"Don't get sassy with me. I'm telling you, the owner of StarTea is bringing her designers tomorrow morning to measure the space."

His voice on the phone was dripping with smug satisfaction.

"Clean up your garbage quickly. Don't get in the way of a real luxury brand."

"Of course," I said, looking across the street at the dazzling, ultra-modern neon lights of the Monarch Plaza.

"I’ll make sure it's completely empty for you."