Chapter 149 Veyra’s Hidden Backing
The cafe had grown quiet as the late afternoon sun began to dip. The lively jazz track playing earlier had shifted to a slow, mellow tune. Across the room, only a couple of customers remained, silently sipping their cold drinks over glowing laptops.
Mia was still staring across the table at Veyra, completely stunned.
Five hundred thousand. The massive number practically hovered in the air between them.
"I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you are giving me five hundred thousand dollars to work with," Mia whispered, her voice full of awe.
"It is not a gift for you to spend freely, Mia. It is the foundation for our business," Veyra clarified, leaning forward to rest her forearms on the table. "Now, let’s nail down our market positioning."
Mia blinked, trying to pull herself back into business mode. "Positioning?"
"Yes. What kind of vibe we are going for, what our brand stands for, and who we are selling to," Veyra said smoothly. "You brought up the area around Etland Medical University earlier. Tell me more about what that neighborhood is actually like."
Mia sat up a little straighter, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. This was an area she knew like the back of her hand, having spent countless hours thinking about it.
"The crowd around the university is really unique," Mia explained, her tone becoming sharp and analytical. "You have regular students who are grinding every day to change their lives, but you also have kids from really wealthy backgrounds who come there to network, build connections, and step into high society."
Veyra listened quietly, nodding along.
"Because of that mix, our shop cannot look low-end," Mia pointed out. "It can’t just be another cheap, pop-up bubble tea counter with plastic stools. It needs to feel elevated, polished, and premium. It has to be a place where people are proud to hang out and carry our cups around campus."
A genuine smile touched Veyra’s lips. "That is the exact same vision I had in mind."
Mia hesitated for a second, her smile fading slightly as she looked down at her folded hands.
"Is something wrong?" Veyra asked gently.
"There is something I need to be totally honest about," Mia said quietly, looking back up. "Five hundred thousand is a huge amount of money. Neither of us has ever built a business from scratch like this before, and if I am being completely truthful, the financial risk terrifies me."
Veyra didn’t interrupt, giving her the space to voice her doubts.
"What if we start a little smaller?" Mia suggested, her tone cautious. "We could secure a smaller footprint, pay lower rent, and keep our monthly overhead low. That way, we can learn how to run things together before we try to scale up to something massive."
She looked at Veyra nervously, waiting for her reaction. "What do you think?"
Veyra reached across the small table and gently placed her hand over Mia’s.
Mia’s fingers were cold and trembling slightly from the sheer weight of the decision.
"I completely understand your fear," Veyra said softly, her voice full of warmth. "Honestly, I feel that same fear all the time. Every single time I make a major move or take a risk, my stomach flips."
Mia’s dark eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"But I also have real confidence," Veyra continued, giving her hand a firm squeeze. "I have complete confidence in your ability to manage the shop, I have confidence in my recipes, and I have confidence that you and I make a great team."
Mia swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly. "But what if we end up failing?"
"Then we fail," Veyra replied without hesitation. "We take the loss, pick ourselves up, and figure out our next move. But we cannot let fear trap us before we even take our very first step."
Mia stayed silent for a long moment, processing the steady reassurance in Veyra’s words. Slowly, the tension left her shoulders, and she let out a long breath.
"Okay," Mia said, a soft smile returning to her face. "Okay. Let’s do it your way."
Veyra released her hand, unzipped her side bag, and pulled out a small, leather-bound notebook. Its dark cover was worn around the edges, the corners frayed, and the paper inside was slightly yellowed with age.
She set it neatly on the table right beside their juice glasses.
"This is my recipe book," Veyra said, resting her hand on the cover. "It contains fifteen distinct milk tea formulations. Every single one has been refined, tested, and adjusted over years."
Mia stared at the notebook as if it were a rare artifact.
"I have been tinkering with these blends since I was fifteen years old," Veyra added softly. "Testing compound balances, adjusting sweetness levels, and finding the perfect harmony between the tea leaves and the dairy."
Mia reached out slowly, her fingers hovering an inch above the worn leather cover, not wanting to smudge it. "May I take a look?"
"Of course. It’s ours now."
Mia opened the cover carefully, turning the first few pages. Her eyes scanned the small, incredibly neat handwriting that detailed precise measurements, steep times, and flavor profiles.
"Veyra... these notes are incredible," Mia whispered, genuinely stunned by the level of detail.
"I know," Veyra said with a faint laugh.
Mia looked up, her eyes wide with excitement. "When can we start trial batches?"
"Whenever you are ready. We can rent a test kitchen space, brew every single drink on this list, and select the best ones for our launch menu."
Mia pulled the notebook closer, closing it gently and holding it against her chest. "I will test every single one of them until they are absolute perfection."
Veyra leaned back against the vinyl booth, a playful glint in her eyes. "There is actually one more thing."
Mia looked up from the notebook. "What is it?"
"On top of the five hundred thousand for the shop setup and design, I have set aside an extra two hundred thousand dollars strictly for ongoing operating capital."
Mia’s jaw practically dropped. "You have another two hundred thousand dollars?"
"Yes."
"Where on earth did you manage to get seven hundred thousand yuan in total?" Mia asked, her mind completely boggled by the sheer amount of money.
Veyra gave a small, subtle smile. "I borrowed it."
Mia stared at her, trying to figure out if she was serious. "You borrowed seven hundred thousand dollars? From who? What kind of lender just hands over that much cash?"
"From someone who believed in what I’m trying to do."
Mia narrowed her eyes slightly, studying Veyra’s calm, unbothered expression. "Are you secretly some super wealthy heiress hiding her real identity?" she asked, half-joking. "Is this whole thing some elaborate rich person side project?"
Veyra couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "No, I am definitely not a wealthy heiress."
Mia didn’t push any further. She had already gathered that Veyra’s personal life had plenty of hidden layers, and she respected her privacy enough to leave it alone.
Veyra tapped the leather notebook resting in Mia’s arms. "Go through those fifteen drink profiles carefully," she instructed warmly. "Read over the ingredients and let me know what you think. Whenever you have free time over the next few days, you can start sourcing raw samples and trying out the brews."
Mia nodded firmly, clutching the notebook tight. "I’m on it. I won’t rest until every single recipe tastes amazing."
Veyra smiled, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment as she looked at her new business partner.
"Good," Veyra said, reaching for her bag. "I know you will."