As the Maybach vanished into the traffic stream, Evelyn stood frozen behind the glass door of Essence Coffee, her mind replaying the cold lip movement of the man in the car.
Two words. She couldn't hear them, but reading his lips was far too easy:
"Just wait."
"Boss..." Her cafe manager walked up behind her with a worried expression, holding an iPad displaying the live sales dashboard. "DOMINION across the street is offering 50% off all specialty drinks and free pastries with every order. More than half of our regulars were enticed over there today."
Evelyn let out a faint, bitter laugh, turning away from the window. So this was Michael Thorn's play.
He was using his unlimited capital to wage a petty price war against a small, independent coffee shop, all to corner her, bleed her finances dry, and force her to surrender.
