Chapter 1

After the SATs were over, I had just put on my promotional banner when I received texts from my suppliers saying that they were increasing the price for ingredients.

The manager from the shop next door, Ben Scott, forwarded their text to me.

[Gabe came out with a new menu item again. Whenever he comes out with a new menu item, it sells like hotcakes! He’ll earn thousands!]

[Now that we have increased the ingredients prices by 30%, we’ll earn some profit too!]

[That’s right! John, you’re so smart! We’ll earn big money because of you!]

[Nancy, make sure you increase the rent too. Otherwise, you won’t get much!]

When I read those texts, I was furious.

My father passed on Anderson’s Tacos to me. We had been operating in this remote alley for 40 years. Because of our unique flavors, we also brought in a lot of business for the other shops on this street.

Every time I came out with new menu items, my suppliers would immediately increase the price of the raw materials, as would my rent.

I clenched my fists. I turned around and looked at my taco station. Smoke wafted up from the food, and the minced meat was glistening. It looked delicious.

I had a lot of regulars, so whenever I needed to increase the price, I hesitated. This time, I really did not want to increase the price. The price for tacos could not be so high.

I made up my mind. Just as I was about to call John Reid, Nancy Duncan showed up.

“Hey, Gabe, is your new menu out yet? You’re a much better businessman than your father!

“What’s the new flavor? Is it good?”

In the past, I would give her a few tacos. This time, I only nodded. “Yes, it’s good. Do you want to buy some? I can give you a 5% discount.”

Upon hearing that, she froze. Then, she scoffed and said, “I can’t afford it because of inflation. Prices for everything are so high these days! I’m going to increase the rent by $1,000 starting this month!”

I took out my phone and showed her our previous conversation. “Nancy, you’ve already increased the rent once this year, and you increased the utility bills as well.

“I didn’t say anything about it then, but it’s only been two months! Are you going to increase it again?

“This shop’s only about 100 square feet, and you’re charging me $13,000 a month. It’s the most expensive place on this street!”

Nancy said indifferently, “Gabe, you need to know your place. If it weren’t for my shop, no one would know about Anderson’s Tacos!

“This is the best spot in this area. You get so many customers because of the crowd. $13,000 is considered cheap!”

Her voice was very loud. People from the nearby shops came out and started to voice their support for Nancy.

“That’s right! If it weren’t for this shop, would you be able to even sell tacos?”

“You have to be grateful. Nancy’s been promoting your shop for you!”

“You should know your place!”

When I heard them, I tried to hold back my rage.

The restaurant on my left did not have much business in the beginning. The owner used to whine about how they could not even fork out money for their daughter’s medical bill.

I helped promote his shop, and I gave free guacamole for every taco purchased if my customers bought something from his restaurant.

As for the cafe on my right, it did not have many customers when they first started. I promoted their cafe on my social media, and I did a bundle deal promotion with their drinks. It helped them find their footing.

After their business got better, they no longer cared about me!

I found Nancy’s words the most baffling. She really thought that her little shop was the reason why my taco business was bustling!

Nancy gave me an ultimatum. “Gabe, I need to survive too. I have already informed you that I’m increasing the rent.

“Worst case, you can increase the price of your tacos. You just have to balance it out, and the money will follow.”

I looked at her glittering eyes as she swept her gaze over my taco counter. I said coldly, “Please give me some time to think about it.”

After that, I turned around and went back into my shop. I shut the door but left the small window at my taco counter open.

Nancy sighed. She pasted the rental price notice on my door. “I’ll give you a day to consider. I won’t entertain anything past that deadline!”