[This is a check-in location. Does the host wish to check in now?]
"Check in," she replied in her mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on a successful check-in! You are hereby rewarded with sixty percent of the shares in The Tipsy Abode!]
"The Tipsy Abode?" she wondered. "This place is no ordinary restaurant."
Although it wasn’t a nationwide chain, there was a branch of The Tipsy Abode in every tier-one city, and its target demographic was strictly the upper-class elite.
What did the elite hold in their hands? Power and money!
Not only was The Tipsy Abode a massive money-maker, but it also commanded an enviable network of connections. And this was just given to her as a check-in reward?
The Tipsy Abode was originally founded by the Shaw family, a prominent clan in Kyoro. Its overall layout featured a traditional, antique aesthetic. Many business tycoons preferred to discuss major deals here because it carried a profound sense of prestige.
With the Shaw family backing it, no one dared to cause trouble. Furthermore, the restaurant’s security team consisted entirely of retired military veterans. There was a saying about The Tipsy Abode: they weren’t afraid of you causing trouble; they were only afraid you wouldn’t cause enough of it.
This alone showed just how influential the Shaw family was behind the scenes. Yet now, she had acquired sixty percent of its shares. That left the Shaw family with only thirty percent. The remaining ten percent had supposedly been given by the Shaw family’s heir to his close friend, the young master of the Winslow family.
Rian Sinclair smiled. Even though The Tipsy Abode had changed owners, both the Shaw and Winslow families still held shares. Therefore, despite Rian taking over the establishment, no one would dare cause her trouble.
Over in Kyoro, inside a private dining room on the third floor of The Tipsy Abode.
"Cedric, which family do you think the person who bought the sixty percent stake in The Tipsy Abode belongs to?" The man speaking had deep, pitch-black eyes, a prominent nose, and perfectly shaped lips—every feature exuding an air of nobility and elegance. He picked up his teacup, swirling it gently as if he were holding a glass of fine red wine, before tilting his head back to finish it in one gulp.
The man addressed as Cedric paused slightly, his hand hovering over his tea. A few seconds later, he picked it up and took a small sip. Sunlight filtered through the window, softly illuminating his face. His long eyelashes cast thick shadows under his eyes. Sharp eyebrows slanted upward, barely visible beneath a messy fringe, and full lips sat beneath a high, straight nose bridge.
"Connor, I’d actually like to know why the Shaw family let go of sixty percent of The Tipsy Abode’s shares in the first place." Cedric Winslow was genuinely puzzled. For so many years, The Tipsy Abode had meant far more than just a source of revenue. He really wanted to know what the Shaw family was thinking.
Connor Shaw fell silent for a moment. He looked straight into Cedric’s eyes and said with utmost sincerity, "They offered too much!"
Cedric was so shocked by Connor’s words that he choked on his tea. "Cough, cough... What do you mean, they offered too much?"
Connor shook his head. "You know exactly what The Tipsy Abode’s market value is. The buyer acquired the shares at five times that price. But more importantly, they have the connections to help out with my grandfather’s situation."
"What?" Cedric was stunned. It wasn’t just the absurd five-fold markup, but the fact that they could help Connor’s grandfather. Connor was the young master of the highest-ranking family; just how much power did this buyer wield?
Connor nodded. Let alone Cedric, even his grandfather had been utterly shocked. The Tipsy Abode had originally been opened by his grandfather. After much deliberation, the old man had finally chosen to sell.
Connor was now quite intrigued by the person who had bought The Tipsy Abode. Just what kind of person were they? From the looks of it, their authority was immense. If they hadn’t verified that the buyer was Veridian with a clean background, they would never have sold the shares, no matter the price.
"But Connor, why didn’t they just buy one hundred percent of the shares outright? That’s what I can’t figure out."
Hearing this, Connor was equally perplexed. If the buyer could afford a premium five times the market rate and possessed such formidable backing, why not take complete control of The Tipsy Abode? There seemed to be absolutely no need to keep the Shaw and Winslow families around just to keep up appearances.
No matter how you looked at it, this mysterious buyer acted like The Fortune Boy.
Meanwhile, over in Argent.
Rian Sinclair, unwittingly dubbed The Fortune Boy, was happily spinning grand tales of future wealth to her best friends. Her friends kindly urged her to stop, joking that their fridge couldn’t hold any more of the metaphorical pies she was baking in the sky.
Back at The Tipsy Abode.
Connor irritably ruffled his hair. He was too lazy to keep guessing the motives behind all this.
"Connor, who exactly is this Rian Sinclair? There aren’t any major families in Kyoro with the surname Sinclair! There are a few minor ones, but none of them have anyone named Rian!"
Connor remained silent. This person didn’t belong to his circle, nor did she belong to Cedric’s.
"Also, the background check we ran turned up completely ordinary results. She spent the first half of her life scraping by on part-time jobs. How could she suddenly pull tens of billions out of thin air to buy The Tipsy Abode?"
That was right. As soon as he heard about the buyer, Cedric had immediately sent someone to investigate. But he found out that her parents were dead and she lived a hardscrabble life relying on her younger brother, so poor that they rented a dilapidated, condemned apartment. Who would believe that she could just casually produce tens of billions? And that she supposedly had immense power overseas?
Come on! Even a novel wouldn’t dare write a plot like that! (Ian: My bad, my bad—I definitely dare!)
Connor had naturally investigated as well. But aside from her birth records, the rest of her life was documented in just a few hasty strokes—so vague that she in no way resembled someone capable of shelling out tens of billions.
Connor pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed he would have to pay his grandfather a visit soon.
"What’s more, there was absolutely no issue with the wire transfer. The funds were routed through a Helvetian Bank, and the money was crystal clear and completely clean. As for the source of the funds in the primary account, we were told we didn’t have the clearance to view it." Cedric had thumbed through the documents in his hand until they were practically worn out, yet he couldn’t find a single flaw.
Although The Tipsy Abode wasn’t a major concern for Connor—judging by his indifferent expression—Cedric was genuinely fascinated by this mysterious buyer, Rian Sinclair! But unfortunately, he couldn’t dig up anything useful. All the evidence just clearly indicated one thing: this money was perfectly legit!
So legit that it made Cedric suspicious! When things were this abnormal, there had to be a catch!
This incident only deepened the impression Rian Sinclair left on the two men.
However, far away in Argent, Rian was completely oblivious to all this.
During this time, she had actually received a call from The Tipsy Abode asking when she would come to inspect the property, but she had vaguely brushed it off. After all, conducting an inspection was simply too exhausting! Rian might never have been a boss, but she had certainly seen them on TV!
However, she had heard that the food at The Tipsy Abode was absolutely phenomenal. Driven by her inner foodie, Rian made a call and ordered lunch to be delivered from their Argent branch. After all, lying on the couch playing on her phone burned a lot of energy too.
Lounging on the sofa, Rian chatted with Donovan Sinclair for a bit. She ultimately couldn’t escape the fate of having to go inspect the properties; after all, she had to look over her own businesses eventually.
Sure enough! The overbearing CEOs in web novels who had all the free time in the world to spend with their wives year-round were nothing but a lie!
Her phone buzzed.
Rian felt a wave of sorrow as she read the message. She had almost forgotten that she still had matters to deal with at the foundation.
"So tiring!" she thought. "I just want to slack off!"
After all, sitting on a fortune of over two billion and still not being able to slack off was a truly agonizing feeling. It was just as painful as watching a famous billionaire claim on live television that he "had never cared about money," leaving the interviewer utterly speechless!
Not long after, Donovan showed up at her door with some documents. The two discussed things for an hour before finalizing the details.
Auntie Alden brought out the food and set it on the dining table. Rian rushed over the moment the aroma hit her. While Auntie Alden went back to cleaning, Rian—feeling as though she had burned through all her brain cells—heartily dug into the freshly delivered meal from The Tipsy Abode.