Adam couldn't stop smiling as he saw Ellie turn red from embarrassment.

He never expected that his vague words would get the reaction that he got from her.

"How is it my fault?" Adam asks as he sees Ellie looking at him while pouting.

"Well, it's because you were being so vague with your words. Couldn't you have been clearer with what you were trying to convey?" Ellie says.

"I don't know~ I don't think I used any words that would indicate to me confessing to you. It's not like I ever expressed my interest now, have I? So the only possible conclusion to your words is because of your own thoughts," Adam says, smiling cheekily.

Ellie feels annoyed hearing Adam's words, but she couldn't bring herself to deny it because it is true.

It is her own thought process that made her overthink this situation. The only person she could think of to blame for this is her boyfriend.

"Please, why would I ever think about such things? It's not like I can ever see myself dating someone like you," Ellie said. Adam, of course, didn't think much of it, but he did catch on how it could come off as very rude to say to someone, so he decided to fool around a little with it.

"Whoa, am I that undesirable and repulsive? Is it because you caught me having sex with Leila?" Adam asks.

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that! No! Adam, you are a very attractive young man, and I don't know any woman who wouldn't like to have a chance to date you," Ellie says, trying to course correct, but she has already stepped on the wrong path, and Adam is having too much fun to let her go so easily.

"So you could see yourself dating me if I asked you out?" Adam asks.

"Yes! No! I mean no! Maybe! No! I mean, if I were single, then maybe!" Ellie is all over the place, bumbling like an idiot as Adam has successfully messed with her mind.

But when she sees the amused smile on Adam's face, she realizes that he is messing with her.

"Stop messing with me," she says, annoyed with teary eyes.

Adam chuckles. "Okay, I will stop~ I was just pulling your leg. It's not that serious. I know you have a boyfriend and you love him. I would never do anything to jeopardize your relationship..." Adam says.

"Thank you," Ellie says, trying to calm down by taking a deep breath.

"Well, unless you want me to~" Adam continues teasing her. Ellie glares at him, giving him her annoyed face, but there is something else in her eyes, a thought only she has access to, something she has decided to not reveal to anyone.

"Okay, I will stop, no need to give me that scary glare," Adam says smiling.

Ellie just humps and looks away.

"Let's get back to the reason why we are here then, me wanting to be your business parther," Adam says.

Ellie looks back at Adam, her thoughts no longer occupied by her embarassing act.

She wonders why Adam wants to be her business partner.

"You want to be my business partner? Why?" Ellie asks.

"Look, I have seen you work your ass off. I see how you put everything you have into this business of yours, I can feel your passion and commitment you have to this restaurant, and I believe you are going to be very successful. I just want to be a part of this.

I see great potential, and I want to help it grow bigger and see how far you can take this restaurant," Adam says.

Ellie is taken aback by his words, as Adam is the first person to ever say such nice things to her about her work.

Her parents didn't support her, thinking that she was wasting her time getting into the restaurant business while she could be finishing her master's in biotech, and even her boyfriend thinks that her dream to run a restaurant is ridiculous and thinks that she will give up on the idea once it no longer works for her.

Adam is the only person who has said that he believes in her, and this makes her feel a little emotional.

"You are not lying, right?" Ellie asks.

"I would never. Why would I want to invest in something I have no confidence in?" Adam asks.

"But why my restaurant? My restaurant is not that special; many have a similar vision as I do." Ellie asks.

"Because I am not investing in your restaurant, I am investing in you. The person behind the restaurant. I think, no scratch that. I know that you will succeed, and I want to be standing by you as you do," Adam says.

"And you have the money to invest?" Ellie asks.

"Of course I do, did you forget I come from a rich family?" Adam says, smiling.

Ellie is overwhelmed by what she is feeling right now. Adam's words stuck in her heart. She felt see for the first time, she felt her vision for the first time.

Now this man is sitting before her, telling her he wants to invest in her dream, so how can she not be overwhelmed?

"How much... do you want to invest?" She asks.

"Let's do a 51/49 split. How much do you want for 49 percent of your restaurant?" Adam asks.

Ellie's eyes widen with shock. She thought Adam would only buy a little of her restaurant's ownership, but Adam is asking for 49 percent, that's a lot.

She doesn't have an answer to Adam's question right now.

"Think it through, I know that you put a lot into this restaurant. You have probably taken a huge loan to make this thing work. Becoming my partner will ease that burden for you. Maybe you can even pay off your loan in one go and use the rest of the money to invest, or you can invest it all into the restaurant, expand, hire more staff, do what you need to make this place a success.

I don't think you are running this restaurant at a profit yet. I can help you with that," Adam says.

Ellie gets lost in thought as she thinks this through.

"I need some time. Can I get back to you on this later? I need to run it through my fiancé's advisors and lawyers," Ellie says.

"Take your time, there is no rush," Adam says, giving her a gentle smile.

Ellie smiles back and nods her head.

"Also, one more thing, I can't do evening shifts from now on," Adam says.

"Oh... is there a problem? Are you not satisfied with your pay?" Ellie asks, concerned.

Adam chuckles. Why would he need a raise in pay? He already has enough money. Some of which are invested in crypto, his online escort business, and soon, he will expand his portfolio even further.

"No, it's nothing like that. I am making time for myself to do other things," Adam says.

"Oh, what is it?" Ellie asks curiously.

"Well, I am trying to become a pro fighter, so I need more time to rest, and I have other hobbies I want to pursue," Adam says.

"Pro fighter? I didn't know you trained to be a pro fighter?" Ellie asks, surprised.

"Well, now you know," Adam says.

"I will take my leave now, I have to train. Get me back on the investment after you are done figuring it all out," Adam says, gets up and leaves her office.

Ellie sits in her chair, staring until Adam is finally out of her office.

She then slumps down onto her desk and starts wondering what she should do about this.

Adam's offer is really good, but does she want to give up almost half of her ownership?

'I need to make some calls,' She thinks and calls her friend. Her financial advisor.

_________________________

Adam walks out of Ellie's office with a smile. He believes he did a good job convincing Ellie to sell 49 percent of her restaurant to him, but it doesn't matter if she rejects him because he knows the future.

He has multiple companies in mind that he can invest in. Ellie's restaurant is just one of them.

Adam then exits the restaurant from the back door, heads to the parking lot, gets in his car, and drives away.

His destination, his gym. His martial arts progress is coming great, and within a month, he will be in fighting condition to have his very first amateur fight.

Adam is excited to see how much he has improved.

He wonders how he will fare against someone who is just starting their fighting career and where he stands on the talent ladder.

Adam thinks there is no one who can compare to him, as he has still not seen the limits of his own body, but he is not going to believe that he is the very best and no one can be his match.

Half an hour later, Adam arrives at his gym, parks his car in his usual spot, and goes in.

Inside, he sees Rangsan and Lamai, standing next to a familiar face. A face Adam saw on his very first day he stepped foot inside this gym.

Darrel Briccs, the big ass tall black man that Adam got to know, the same man who is going to be a world champion in the future.

Darrel Briccs and Rangsan seem to be talking, and it sounds very important.

Adam approaches them.

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