Chapter 108. The Owner

***108. The owner***

**Travis's POV:**

I was preparing to meet the current owner. Despite my efforts to learn more about him or her, I found no information on who currently owned it.

All I knew was that it had originally belonged to someone named Jayden, and now his heir was in control.

Yes, I was upset with Sabrina for not believing me, but I hadn’t seen her since that morning, and it bothered me.

In order to present myself well, I quickly finished getting ready and put on my suit.

"Where’s Mama Iris, Princess?" I asked Wynter as I checked my watch.

"I don’t know, Daddy. Mama Iris said she’ll be back in the evening," Wynter replied.

"Oh, right," I nodded. "Okay, Love, if she comes looking for me, tell her I left to meet the people who invited me over."

"Okay, Daddy," she said, though I could tell there was something else on her mind.

"Do you want to tell me something, Princess?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

"Can I have some ice cream, Daddy?" Wynter asked, her big puppy dog eyes looking up at me.

"I don’t think Sab will stop you," I grimaced.

Sabrina was spoiling her rotten, letting her have all the unhealthy things I’d avoided giving Wynter.

"No, Daddy, Mama Iris said I’m not allowed to have any," she pouted, pressing her lips together.

"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Because I had a cold last time," she explained earnestly.

"How long ago was that?" I grew concerned, as I couldn’t remember her being sick recently.

"When we came back from the island, Mama Iris took me to the doctor. I’m fine now," Wynter reassured me.

"Oh, I see." I smiled softly. "But Mama Iris is right. You shouldn’t have too much ice cream."

Wynter frowned and said, "Okay... I’ll see Sabrina when you get back. Maybe we can throw a party at the end of the night."

"Really, Daddy?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yes, Princess, but be a good girl and stay with Mrs. Ann. What happened to Ellies?" I asked, looking around for the little animal.

At the sound of his name, Ellies rushed over to me, rubbing against my black pants.

"Move along, buddy. We’ll play later, after I get back from work." I gently nudged him aside.

"Can we take Ellies out for dinner tonight, Daddy?" Wynter asked, her hopeful expression tugging at my heart.

This was exactly why I hesitated to tell Wynter anything too soon. I’d planned to take my family out to dinner if the job I was going for went well, but now my daughter was asking, and how could I say no?

"Alright, we’ll grab something for him too. Sabrina will be thrilled, I’m sure." I grinned.

"Yay!" Wynter jumped up and down in excitement.

"Now, please wish me luck. I’ve got a big surprise coming." I beamed as I kissed her on the forehead.

"I know you’ll do your best, Daddy." She kissed me back on the cheek, her face full of love.

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I arrived at the restaurant, the same one I had visited just a few days ago. Little did I know, my life would become so intricately connected with this place so soon after my last visit.

I noticed a man in his mid-fifties approaching me. “Mr. King?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied, nodding.

“Great. Ma’am is waiting for you,” he said, gesturing for me to follow.

So it’s a woman. I hope this isn’t another Helen.

I shook my head and began to follow the man.

Trying to gather some information, I started a conversation as we rode the elevator. “Can you tell me your name?” I asked.

“My name is Thomas, and I’ve been working here as the manager for a few months,” he explained.

“Is your boss as strict as the last one?” I asked cautiously.

“No, she’s the loveliest person anyone could hope to meet. From the way you’re asking, I believe you’ve come to do some business with her. Am I correct?” he inquired.

“Yes, I was just worried about the deal I have with her,” I admitted with a sigh.

“You shouldn’t be concerned, Sir. I’m sure she’ll treat you with respect,” he reassured me.

That eased some of my anxiety. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with another arrogant person.

The elevator dinged, and we arrived at our destination. I stepped out, following Thomas down the hall.

He led me to the largest room and knocked.

A soft “Come in” echoed from within. I thought I heard Sabrina’s voice, but I brushed it off, assuming it was just my mind playing tricks.

I entered and saw a woman sitting in a chair with her back to us. The shape of her back seemed familiar, though I couldn’t place why.

“Madam, Mr. King has arrived,” Thomas announced.

She nodded, and Thomas turned to leave, locking the door behind him.

“Good morning, Ms.,” I started, unsure of what else to say.

“It’s Mrs. King, not Ms.,” she said, swiveling in her chair to face me.

It was Sabrina.

My eyes widened in shock. What is she doing here?

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Sabrina stood up and started walking toward me.

"Sab, what brings you here? Did you come to meet the owner too?" I asked, still puzzled.

"Nio, aren’t you here to meet the heiress of the restaurant chain?" She furrowed her brow, a bit confused by my question.

I nodded despite my confusion. "I am."

"Well, then meet the heiress," she said, smiling knowingly.

"What do you mean?" I frowned, trying to understand.

"Duh," she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Wait, do you own JK, Sabrina?" I asked, stunned.

She simply flicked her lashes, and that answered my question.

"How?" I shook my head, still in disbelief.

"What do you mean, how? I’ve owned it from the start," she said matter-of-factly.

"Sab, tell me you’re not joking," I asked, still trying to process it.

"No, I’m serious. Want to see the legal documentation?" she offered.

I felt like tearing my hair out as the realization hit me. Everything had been in order. She brought Chris and Mark to JK to plan things. Her demeanor, her way of speaking, her sense of style, and the way she understood everything—everything screamed elegance and power.

I had assumed she didn’t have much money.

I had completely misjudged her, thinking she was just another ordinary journalist, but she kept surprising me with her capabilities.

Anyone else in her position would be snobby and pompous, but not Sab.

"Wow, ‘My Sab,’" I thought to myself, the thought bringing a smile to my face. But saying it out loud now would make her think I was only saying it for her money.

I was conflicted—thrilled, shocked, and maybe a little angry that Sab had kept all of this from me.

"Nio," she said, shaking my shoulder gently.

"Huh?" I blinked a few times.

"Would you say something?" she asked, her voice tinged with amusement.

"What else can I say? You’ve got me speechless," I admitted.

She blushed slightly.

I pulled her into my lap, surprising her for a moment, but she didn’t object.

"But how? Aren’t you a journalist?" I asked.

"I am, but my father founded these restaurants," she explained, her voice soft but firm.

"Then why work as a journalist day and night?" I asked, curious.

She glanced at me sideways. "You sound like a journalist now, not me. To answer your question, I work as a journalist because it’s my passion," she laughed lightly.

"Wow, so you do both?" I asked, impressed.

"No, I mostly analyze things here and there. Uncle Adam handles the rest. He’s been with my father since he first opened the restaurants," she clarified.

"Sab!" I exclaimed, shocked by her response.

"Hmm?" she hummed, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"How did you get Helen's and her minions' shares?" I asked, finally getting to the question I’d been dying to ask.

"I enlisted Uncle Adam's help," Sabrina began. "He tried to convince Helen by saying he was interested in buying her share. He didn’t mention that I was behind the purchase. Helen initially rejected it, but just after, she reached out to Uncle Adam with an offer to sell... at triple the price. That didn’t faze me at all. I just wanted it over with. I'm still not sure what's going on in her head."

"Sab, you paid triple? But where did you get that kind of money?" I asked, still in disbelief. I didn’t want her to drain her entire savings just to secure this for me.

"In Chicago, I sold one of my branches," she said nonchalantly. "One of Papa’s friends was interested in investing in JK. So when I pitched the idea, he gladly took it."

"Wait, how many restaurants did your father own?" I asked, surprised by her nonchalant attitude about selling a branch. I felt like she was downplaying something huge.

"I had twenty-five," she said, "but after selling one, I now have twenty-four."

I was stunned. Twenty-five restaurants? And now she was down to twenty-four, just like that? She had so much going on behind the scenes that I couldn’t keep up.

Sabrina untangled herself from me, and I immediately felt the absence. She walked over to the drawer in her desk and pulled out a set of papers.

"Here," she said, handing them over to me.

I took the papers, still not fully understanding. "What are these?" I asked.

"See for yourself," she said with a small smile.

I opened the papers and started reading. As I processed the contents, my hands began to shake. She had transferred ownership of all of her shares to my name.

"Sab... you’ve done all of this for me?" I whispered, feeling overwhelmed.

"Nio, all of your hard work has paid off. You deserve it," she said, not taking the papers back.

"I can’t, Sabrina," I murmured, tears starting to form. I thought about everything we’d been through, everything she’d done.

"Nio," she said softly, "there is no 'yours' or 'mine.' Everything I have is 'ours.' And honestly, this is a pretty good investment for me too. It will all go to our girl in the end."

How could she be so selfless? She was thinking about Wynter, even when it came to her own success.

"Sab..." I couldn’t find the words. I moved closer, pulling her into a hug and resting my chin on her shoulder.

She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly.

I grinned, feeling everything fall into place.

"Everything was worth it, Nio," Sabrina murmured, her hand resting over my heart.

"Yes, it was," I replied, smiling.

At that moment, I exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling like everything was finally right.

Then the door burst open unexpectedly. I turned to see who it was.

"Surprise!" Wynter yelled, running into the room.

"How did she get in here?" I asked, confused.

"I asked Dan to bring her," Sabrina explained joyfully. "This calls for a celebration."

"You little mischief, you knew everything from the start?" I scooped Wynter up, tickling her.

She giggled and nodded.

"I’ve made all the arrangements," Sabrina added, a sparkle in her eye. "Everything’s ready. Ellies, come on. Follow me!"

I glanced at the door as Ellies trotted in, wagging his tail. He happily followed Sabrina's lead.

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