Chapter 148 The Half-Share Offer
The afternoon rush inside Didi Cafe had completely died down, leaving the space cozy and quiet. A few remaining customers sat scattered across the wooden tables, sipping their lukewarm drinks and typing away on laptops. Soft jazz hummed overhead, and the air still carried that comforting mix of fresh espresso and warm pizza dough.
Mia sat across from Veyra, her eyes still a little puffy and red from her sudden burst of tears, but a wide, disbelieving smile was plastered across her face.
"So," Veyra said, leaning her elbows on the table. "Let’s discuss ownership and how we split the shares."
Mia blinked, looking startled. "Shares?"
"Yes, of the company. How much of the business you actually own."
Mia immediately shook her head, holding up her hands. "Oh, no. I don’t need shares, Veyra. Just pay me a fair monthly salary and I will be more than happy. Honestly."
Veyra raised an eyebrow. "You want to work purely for a salary?"
"Of course. You are putting up all the cash, you brought the core recipe, and you are taking all the financial risk," Mia explained, shrugging her shoulders. "At the end of the day, I’m just the operational labor."
Veyra studied her earnest face for a long second. "Good labor is valuable."
"Labor is easily replaced."
A soft smile touched Veyra’s lips. "Not this kind of labor. I’ve been looking for someone with your specific experience and drive for months now."
Mia’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she ducked her head, staring down at her napkin. "Look, just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it. You don’t have to give me a piece of the pie."
Veyra leaned back against the vinyl seat, folding her arms. "Originally, my plan was to start you off at thirty percent."
Mia’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. "Thirty percent?"
"Thirty percent of the ownership, thirty percent of the profits, plain and simple."
Mia’s mouth opened, closed, and then opened again as she struggled to find her words. "That is... way too much," she stammered.
"It really isn’t."
"It is! I haven’t even done anything yet!"
"You’ve already done plenty by knowing this industry inside and out," Veyra said, her voice dropping into a firm, grounding tone. "You have the practical skill, the management experience, and the drive. You are going to be running the ground floor every single day. You are the one who will make this shop function."
Mia kept shaking her head. "Even so—"
"However," Veyra interrupted gently, "I changed my mind."
Mia blinked, her heart sinking a bit. "You changed your mind?"
Veyra smiled warmly. "I think I want to give you fifty percent."
Mia completely froze. The silence between them stretched for several seconds. Her mouth stayed open, but zero sound came out. Her hands began to tremble on the tabletop, and her dark eyes welled up with fresh tears all over again.
"Fifty percent?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"Fifty percent," Veyra repeated clearly.
A rapid storm of shock, utter disbelief, and overwhelming joy washed over Mia’s face. She looked like she was two seconds away from another full breakdown. "That is literally half the entire business, Veyra."
"I am aware."
"Half of every bit of profit we make."
"I know how math works, Mia."
"Veyra, I can’t—"
"You deserve a real stake in what you build."
Mia took a deep, shaky breath, pressing her flat palms firmly against the wooden table to ground herself. "Give me just one minute to think," she muttered, closing her eyes tightly.
She sat there in silence for a moment, her chest rising and falling as she forced her breathing to slow down. When she finally opened her eyes, the emotional overwhelm had settled into a clear, steady calm.
"Thank you," Mia said softly, looking Veyra straight in the eye. "Truly. But I cannot accept fifty percent."
Veyra raised her brows, genuinely surprised. "Why not?"
"Because I haven’t earned a half-share yet," Mia said, her voice completely firm. "If we do this, I want to earn my keep fair and square. Twenty percent is more than generous for an operational partner coming in with zero financial capital. I will happily take twenty."
Veyra studied her face closely. There was no fake modesty in Mia’s eyes, no hidden game, and no passive-aggressive negotiation. She was just being entirely honest about what felt fair to her.
"You are completely serious about taking less?" Veyra asked.
"I am one hundred percent serious."
Veyra stayed quiet for a moment, letting the response sit, before a genuine grin broke across her face. "Alright then. Twenty percent it is."
Mia let out a long, relieved breath, her shoulders relaxing.
"On one condition," Veyra added, pointing a finger at her playfully. "I want you to handle drafting our official agreement structure. You are much better with the day-to-day administrative details than I am."
"Deal. I can write up a rough outline tonight," Mia agreed, reaching into her bag to pull out a clean notepad and a black pen. She flipped to a fresh page and jotted down today’s date at the top. "Before I put down any numbers, what is our total target for startup capital?"
Veyra tilted her head. "What do you realistically think we need to get the doors open?"
Mia clicked her pen, setting it down as she began tapping her fingers on the table, running through mental math.
"Well, there’s the initial location deposit, lease payments, structural renovations, heavy-duty commercial equipment, raw ingredients, health permits, city licensing, and grand opening marketing," Mia listed off, mentally adding up the figures. She paused, looking up. "I would roughly estimate around three hundred thousand dollars to do it properly."
She looked at Veyra nervously. "Is that number too steep?"
Veyra stayed silent, her face completely unreadable.
Panicking slightly, Mia added quickly, "We could probably stretch two hundred thousand if we are super strict! We can hunt for a smaller footprint, buy refurbished counters, cut down on—"
"You shouldn’t have to cut corners," Veyra cut in softly. "Let’s make it four hundred thousand."
Mia blinked, completely thrown off. "What?"
"You estimated three hundred thousand dollars," Veyra said calmly. "I am adding an extra hundred thousand right off the bat."
"Veyra, that’s way too much extra money—"
"It isn’t too much at all," Veyra insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Every new business needs a safety cushion. Supplies will get delayed, contractors will overcharge, and unexpected fees will pop up out of nowhere. It is always better to have a buffer so you aren’t stressing over every single cent during launch month."
Mia shook her head, overwhelmed by the sheer generosity. "I just don’t know if I can accept you putting up that much cash—"
"The money isn’t a gift for you, Mia. It is an investment in our business," Veyra clarified with a light laugh. "Besides, I have the funds available. In fact, let’s just round it off smoothly. I will set our total startup capital at five hundred thousand dollars."