Chapter 231
The Lennox family possessed a profound culinary heritage. Rumor had it their ancestors were royal chefs for generations.
What incredible talent.
Bringing them on board meant she could eventually launch a premium royal tasting
menu.
The mere thought made Mira’s mouth water. She couldn’t wait to find time to sample their craftsmanship.
She toyed with the idea of having Mason apprentice under them. If Rachel picked up a few tricks too, it would make managing her own kitchen that much smoother.
Snapping back to the present, Mira asked, “Did you ever consider relocating and reopening in another city p>
“We tried,” Quinton Lennox admitted heavily. “But someone kept sabotaging our operations. We had no choice but to shut down p>
Porter Entertainment was truly ruthless.
Master Ellis’s informants had previously mentioned that the Lennox family was forced to work in someone else’s kitchen.
At Quinton’s words, Owen glanced at Mira. “If you open a steakhouse now, you’ll be going head-to-head with Porter Entertainment p>
“Master Ellis warned me too,” Mira replied. “But our EcoRide rollout in Melvion City is nearing saturation. We’ve already drawn their attention. Even if we don’t open a restaurant, we’ll still end up crossing paths.
“Besides, we can’t launch overnight. Scouting a location, renovations, hiring, training —that takes at least a month. If we manage to open by the holidays, we’ll probably be colliding with them anyway p>
Mira shifted her gaze back to Quinton. “Do you want to reopen your own place p>
“More than anything. And I’m confident we can crush Azure Skillet’s quality,” Quinton said with a spark of defiance. “To be honest, when they forced us to hand over our recipes, we held back. What we gave them was deeply flawed. Over the years, we’ve kept refining our craft. We have several entirely new spice blends ready to go p>
It was a golden rule: never cross a master craftsman. If they wanted to sabotage your product from the inside, you’d never even see it coming.
“Perfect,” Mira said with a sharp smile. “From now on, we’re on the same team p>
“As long as you can guarantee my family’s safety, you’ll have our absolute dedication in the kitchen,” Quinton promised. “Just give us a ten percent stake in the profits p>
“I’ll give you twenty,” Mira countered without missing a beat.
Generosity bought loyalty, and she needed them fully invested.
Mira turned to Master Ellis. “Send over a few more of your top disciples. I’m putting their safety in your hands p>
Jordan Ellis shot her a withering glare. “You brat. Do you think my elite disciples grow on trees p>
Send a few more over? The audacity.
“Of course not,” Mira coaxed sweetly. “Your men are the best of the best. Money can’t buy that kind of talent. But I’m not just anyone, am I p>
Master Ellis seemed somewhat mollified by the flattery. He gave a reluctant nod.
“If you weren’t my favorite student, I’d leave you to fend for yourself p>
“Thanks, Master. You’re the best p>
Owen was long used to their dynamic, but Quinton watched with wide-eyed disbelief. The infamous, terrifying Shade of the martial arts. underworld actually had such a doting, fatherly side!
Without missing a beat, Mira fired off her next directive to Owen.
“You handle the management hiring, Owen. As for the equity split, you and Master Ellis figure it out. I’m not fussy p>
Mira didn’t care about micromanaging a restaurant. Profit was secondary; her main goal was utterly dismantling Azure Skillet.
Her true passion lay in disruptive tech and modern internet economics. That was where her foresight gave her absolute dominance, and where she demanded majority control.
Master Ellis finalized the terms. “Mira remains the Chairman with sixty percent of the shares. Owen ander will take twenty percent each The Lennox family handles the culinary side, and as Mira promised, they get a twenty-percent profit cut p>
The three of them would front the capital proportionally.
On the ride home, Mira couldn’t suppress her curiosity and dialed her master’s number.
“Can you talk p>
“Spit it out. Why so secretive p>
“I couldn’t help but notice Quinton Lennox trusted us implicitly right from the start. Why p>
Quinton had dropped all his defenses the moment they met. It was unnatural for someone who had been severely burned in business.
“When Porter Entertainment was harassing them back then, I didn’t like what I saw. I gave them a hand, that’s all p>
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner p>
“Nothing to tell. We haven’t spoken since p>
That evening, Mira told Rachel about the upcoming Solflare Hearth & Grill project.
“I want Mason to shadow the
Lennox family and learn their techniques. He’s already a chef, so he understands the fundamentals.
Hell pick it up much faster than beginner p>