Beneath a Transparent Dream novel · Chapter 18 of 24
Chapter 18: Judith's Offer
The line at Pell Street Bakery was out the door when Matilda walked in through the front.
Judith Caldecott stood at the head of it, in a camel coat, with a man in a grey suit behind her carrying a leather folder.
Nobody in the line was talking.
Dot was behind the counter with a bread knife in her hand and a face like a closed oven.
"She asked for a coffee," Dot said. "I gave her a coffee. I didn't say it was good."
"Good morning, Matilda," Judith said.
"Judith."
"I've come to be reasonable."
"You came to my shop at the busiest hour of the day."
"I thought you'd want witnesses." Judith smiled, small and cool. "You seem to prefer them."
The man in the grey suit opened his folder and laid a paper on the counter beside the register.
On top of it lay a cheque with Caldecott Holdings printed along the top.
Matilda read the figure. It had six digits, and the first one was a six.
"Six hundred thousand dollars," Judith said. "The building is worth less than half that, as you know. Caldecott Holdings will take it as it stands, and your debt is cancelled."
"And the terms?"
"They're in the paper."
"Read them to me."
"They're private."
"It's a bakery," Matilda said. "Nothing here is private except the recipe for the rye."
She picked up the paper, and she read it aloud in the same level voice she used to read out orders.
"Matilda Caldecott agrees to sell the building at Pell Street to Caldecott Holdings."
Somebody in the line shifted.
Keep reading free with an account. Start Beneath a Transparent Dream from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 17 · All chapters · Chapter 19 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend