Alabang Boys Series #1
Jaesie Rosenthal knows what she brings to the table, and love is just another luxury she doesn't have any plan to buy. But a multi-million-peso agreement is something she will consider when it comes to business.
When Rico Dard...
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RICO AND I hadn't had a clear agreement on our setup. I mean, okay, he was planning not only to invest in my café but to buy a whole franchise of it—and I wasn't planning to do a franchise of my café, actually, aside from the fact that I didn't see it as something that I would give someone the right to manage. Gusto ko kasing maging personal na hawak ko dapat lahat. It's my business. I should be the one handling everything na ultimo kahit pagma-mop o pagba-bus ng tables, gagawin ko, para lang ma-manage ko nang buo ang business ko.
But money-wise, franchising is a good investment as well. And Rico had the resources to do that. His father is a billionaire. He is a millionaire, as well. I didn't know the correlation ng pagiging mga Dardenne nila sa money flow ng family nila, kung generational wealth lang ba ang meron si Rico dahil mayaman na ang parents niya o personal na pinaghirapan niya 'yon. But Rico looked like he was a hard worker, so ia-assume ko nang kumikita siya using his skills.
I could see that he was good at his job. He definitely looked like he was serious about his plan for franchising.
I gave him a complete tour around my café na hindi niya nagawa last time. Ipinaliwanag ko sa kanya ang iba ko pang schedule na dapat niyang malaman, just in case lang na hindi mag-meet ang time naming pareho—na inaasahan ko na.
"11 a.m. sharp, lunch break, and kailangang makabalik sa work before 12. 6 p.m. I always talk to my people about their jobs and customers they encounter, collect data, and then think of another idea for my café. Minsan, inaabot kami hanggang 8 p.m. bago matapos ang brainstorming. But we're doing that once a week. After 8, depende sa appointment na meron ako, but I always make sure na before 10 p.m. nasa condo na ako para magpahinga."
Since tapos na ang rush hour, mas mabilis na ang biyahe from Tomas Morato pabalik sa Roxas Boulevard. And I'm glad that we came to Purple Plate before lunch time.
"House, work, then house again." Sumunod siya sa akin paakyat sa second floor ng café para mai-check niya ang view mula sa itaas na kita ang overlooking ng Manila Bay sa bahaging may mga yate. "Mukha ka lang walang ginagawa at ang boring ng schedule mo, pero dito pa lang sa café tour, imposibleng hindi ka mapapagod."
"Yeah, I know."
"Kung ako rin, talagang matutulog na lang ako pag-uwi."
At least he could relate. Mukhang may mapagkakasunduan kami.
Tumingala pa siya para tingnan ang mga round ceiling lamps ko na gawa sa capiz at Japanese paper. Then he shifted his observant gaze toward the synthetic vines na hinalo ko na lang sa vines and ferns na kusa na lang tumubo sa katabi naming punong aratiles na hindi ko na pinaputol kasi sayang.
Vintage and nature ang motif sa second floor. I wanted to feel that provincial mood within the city. Lalo pa, overlooking kami ng dagat. Sobrang rare makatabi ang isang puno na tanaw ang Manila Bay unless palm tree o kaya dilaw na niyog ang katabi namin.
