Chapter 124 The Café Theme Thief
The moment Dorian saw Amelia's message, she froze mid-breath. Her phone felt heavier in her hand, her pulse thudding in her ears. Her eyes widened until they felt like they might burst.
Was she really seeing this? The sheer amount of information hit her like a brick.
So… the man in the photo Amelia had just sent—was that Michael, the CEO of the Johnson Group?
He was… impossibly handsome.
Where had those online rumors come from? The ones claiming Michael was hideously ugly, even crippled? People had repeated them with such conviction that she had believed them herself. And yet here was a face that could outshine half the leading men in Hollywood. Well… except for Ryan. Dorian had always had a soft spot for Ryan's looks—she was his unabashed fangirl.
If Amelia's words were true and the rumors were lies, then Michael wasn't disabled at all. And if Amelia was saying he had literally climbed into her room through the window… that meant they were secretly dating.
Which meant, right now, they were in the same bed.
Her stomach flipped. This was insane.
She was holding a bombshell of a story in her hands.
When she read Amelia's last line—"Remember to keep this between us"—Dorian made a silent vow. She wouldn't breathe a word to anyone. Dating a man of such high status had to be overwhelming for Amelia. Michael probably didn't want his position to cause her trouble, which explained why they were keeping it quiet.
What Dorian didn't know was that the one feeling the real pressure wasn't Amelia—it was Michael. The secrecy wasn't about corporate image or public gossip. It was about Amelia's five brothers.
Even the most powerful man in the world would feel a cold knot in his gut at the thought of facing all five of his wife's brothers at once.
That afternoon after school, Dorian gathered the entire team. They headed to Amelia's apartment to lock down the details for the upcoming school fair.
It was Tobias and Leroy's first time there, and their first time meeting Belle. Amelia introduced Belle as an old friend, explaining that the apartment belonged to her. Dorian, ever the social connector, invited Belle to join them next Wednesday at Prestige High School for the fair.
The plan was simple—three girls would work behind the bar brewing coffee, while the four boys served customers, using charm and good looks to draw people in.
When Dorian told everyone that the Johnson Group had agreed to sponsor their project with ten million dollars, and that Michael's assistant had personally written an incredibly detailed proposal for them, Tobias's brow tightened.
"Generous or not, it's just a way to please Amelia," he said, his voice edged.
He leaned back, arms crossed. "Hmph. This Michael knows exactly when to swoop in—just to win Amelia's favor."
"Men with money and power are the least trustworthy. Amelia, don't let him sway you. Do you understand?"
"I understand," she replied softly.
Satisfied with her obedient nod, Tobias finally relaxed.
Dorian couldn't help shooting Tobias a sympathetic glance. If he knew his precious little sister was already secretly dating Michael, he wouldn't just be upset—he'd blow the roof off.
Eric's proposal was intimidatingly thorough. He hadn't just written it—he had arranged for specialized staff to handle every detail. By Thursday and Friday, the team was already in place, purchasing and setting up equipment according to Amelia's specifications. All that remained was the weekend, when they would begin decorating the Prestige High School field.
But on Friday night, Dorian's casual scroll through Instagram stopped her cold.
Trending: #PrestigeHighSchoolFair.
Her first thought—Prestige High School must have some serious pull if their fair was already trending. But when she tapped the tag, the top post made her jaw drop.
It was from Rachel, posted just hours earlier.
[Charlie Little Bun: Next Wednesday's school fair—we're setting up a Doraemon-themed café on the field with friends.]
[We've invited two gorgeous guest servers @YvetteYAMI @Anna to join us. Such an honor.]
[Thanks to The Williams Group for sponsoring us with one million dollars in cash. All proceeds will be donated to children in remote mountain areas.]
[Friends in River City, come visit our café during the fair—we can't wait to see you!]
The post was accompanied by nine photos.
The first six were individual glamour shots—Yvette and Anna, both high-profile beauties, alongside Rachel, Kelly Grace, and Fallon. Each wore a Doraemon-themed server uniform, striking playful poses. The images were so heavily retouched that their skin looked flawless, poreless, almost unreal.
The last three showed the café's interior décor and promotional materials, along with teasers for small activities planned for the day.
Dorian stared at the screen, stunned.
Rachel's team had completely copied their concept. Her team's hook was handsome male servers; Rachel's was beautiful female servers. Even the theme was identical—Doraemon café.
When Dorian had submitted their project form, she'd chosen Doraemon because the boys would carry little gifts in their pockets to give to female customers, much like Doraemon pulling treasures from his magic pouch. Rachel's group had taken it further—tableware, décor, everything was covered in Doraemon imagery.
Several of the small activities were ones Dorian's team had brainstormed that very morning. Even the idea of donating all proceeds to charity had come from Amelia.
Coincidence? No way. From concept to theme, from activities to the charity angle, everything matched perfectly.
Dorian didn't need to think twice—Rachel had seen her submission and stolen it.
Her blood boiled. She hadn't expected Rachel to be so shameless.
Their team had already bought all the supplies for the café. Now, with every major element duplicated, how could they proceed? Worse, Rachel had announced it first. If Dorian's team went ahead unchanged, they'd be accused of copying.
There was no patent, no formal protection. Even if Dorian claimed Rachel had stolen their idea, she couldn't prove it. The only evidence was the project form she'd submitted—but who knew if Rachel, as class president, had quietly destroyed it?
Furious, Dorian forwarded Rachel's post to their team's group chat.
"[Damn it, Rachel stole our idea! How can someone be this shameless?]"
"[Her post is almost identical to the application form I submitted—and she posted it first. I'm beyond pissed.]"
Dorian was new to River City. She didn't know Rachel's history of pulling stunts like this. She had forgotten Rachel's tangled connections to Amelia, Zander, and Tobias.
After venting in the chat, she went back to Rachel's post. The comments made her want to hurl her phone—every single one was praise.