Page 3 of The Oath Operation

The once cozy and inviting space now looked like a war zone. The cheerful yellow walls, which used to be adorned with whimsical paintings of cupcakes and pastries, were now blackened and peeling. The quaint wooden tables, each with a different pastel-colored tablecloth, were reduced to piles of ash and splintered wood. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke, mixed with the faint, lingering scent of vanilla from her last batch of cookies.

She walked slowly through the wreckage. Her fingers trailed over the ruined display cases where her confections used to gleam enticingly. The glass had shattered. The elegant tiered stands were nothing but twisted metal. The corner with plush chairs and a small bookshelf, where customers used to sit and chat over coffee and pastries, was now a scorched memory.

That hurt Jules the most: the burned books. She'd collected the majority of them from Little Libraries from various neighborhoods in the small town. There had been children's books, military nonfiction, and romance novels. A few of her regulars came in and purposefully sat in that nook to read, since Jules' bakery had opened before the local library in the mornings and didn't require a card, nor did it have a return policy. But the books always made their way back. Now they were permanently gone.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she remembered the soft hum of the oven, the chatter of happy customers, and the sense of pride she felt every time someone took a bite of her creations. This bakery had been her dream, her sanctuary. Now it was all gone.

A cough interrupted her thoughts. Jules turned to see one of the contractors she was getting a bid from approaching her. His face was sympathetic but business-like. He held a clipboard in one hand and looked at her with a mixture of pity and professionalism.

"Ms. Chou, I have the estimate for you. The total cost for repairs and rebuilding is going to be quite high."

Jules braced herself. She hadn't had to work with the contractors when they built out her bakery. Her father had started the construction when her mother was still alive. After his wife had passed away, Jun Chou hadn't had the motivation to do much of anything, and that included looking after his daughters. It had been Jacqui who'd built out the bakery. Initially, she'd been looking to expand the restaurant, but Jules had talked her older sister into turning the space into a bakery. Because who didn't have a sweet tooth after eating Chinese food?

Jules' profit margins had been climbing, too. So it had been a good investment for both of them. Good enough that Jacqui had begun updating the wiring of the restaurant, and once it was complete, they would update the bakery. But they'd been too late, and the faulty wiring from decades of neglect had taken out Jules' dream.

"How much?" she asked the contractor, her voice trembling despite her efforts to keep it steady.

The contractor hesitated before answering. "It's going to be around $150,000. I know it's a lot, but considering the extent of the damage?—"

Jules didn't hear the rest. Her mind was spinning. That was more than she could manage, far more than she had ever imagined. She felt a lump in her throat, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

Just then, Jacqui walked up. Her sister's usual confident stride faltered when she saw the look on Jules's face. Jacqui had always been the strong one, the one who took charge, but after a heart-to-heart the night of the fire, she was trying hard to let Jules be in control of her own destiny.

"Hey, Jule-bug." Jacqui placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder.

Jules took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "It's...it's not good, Jacks. The estimate is more than I can handle."

Jacqui's brow furrowed, and Jules could see the wheels turning in her head, ready to take over and fix everything. There was a part of Jules that wanted her big sister to do just that. To kiss away her booboo. To run off the bullies. To tuck Jules in and chase away the monsters under her bed.

But that was the old Jules. The diabetic little girl who everyone had to tiptoe around at birthday parties. The one the PE teachers would insist sit out of the strenuous activities even though she could handle the same amount of exertion as a normal kid—so long as her levels were balanced. The one who didn't always get invited out to a new restaurant with her college friends because they weren't sure if the menu would be friendly to her dietary needs.

Jules wasn't that little girl anymore. She'd been a business owner, a successful one at that. She didn't need anyone making excuses or alternative plans for her.

Her big sister peered down at her. Jacqui pressed her lips together, as though she saw the determination in Jules’s eyes. She stepped back, seeming to remember her pledge to respect her sister's need to handle this on her own.

"Okay," Jacqui said, nodding slowly. "I know you want to do this yourself. But I’m here if you need anything, Jule-bug."

"What I’m going to need is money. A lot of it."

Jules looked around at the ruined bakery, her heart aching but her resolve hardening. She wasn’t going to let this setback stop her. She was going to rebuild, better and stronger than before. And she was going to do it on her own terms.

"I think we both know what I have to do."

Jacqui winced, her brows knitting together. She knew exactly what Jules meant. After a moment of tense silence, she nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I know."

Jules knew where she could get the money: her inheritance. Her grandfather had left each of his six granddaughters a large lump sum. But there was a catch—they could only access it after they married.

So far, only two of the Chou women had taken the plunge. One of her cousins had married young, but that marriage was on the rocks. Jacqui was the other, having married for convenience but quickly falling in love with Noah, who had redone the wiring for the restaurant and was about to start work on the bakery when disaster struck.

Jules's mind was made up. She would marry her long-time boyfriend, Amari. It was the only way to secure the funds she needed to rebuild.

"Amari is the one, Jacqui," Jules said, her voice firm. "He wanted to wait because of his job. He's working long hours as a resident, and he's not financially where he wants to be to take on a wife. But he's perfect for me."

Jacqui crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. "Are you sure, Jules? I mean, he's always so busy. When do you even see each other?"

Jules felt a surge of defensiveness. "He's a doctor. He's dedicated to his work. I would've thought you'd approve, especially since he can help manage my diabetes."

"I’m just worried that you’re rushing into this because of the money," Jacqui replied softly.

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