4 Fate Gives Second Chances

"That's so prejudiced!" Wen Yazhu fumed, slamming her fist on the counter, causing some customers to look at her.

"I know, right," Lai sighed, making an Iced Americano for a customer.

Wen Yazhu was her colleague at the Ebony Chocolate Café, the other female employee, and her best friend.

"Just when you asked the boss to give you time off to go attend that darn, evil, prejudiced interview," Wen continued, ringing the customers' order.

Lai nodded and handed the customer their Iced Americano.

"It's frustrating," she bit her lip, "But what's done is done. I should have listened to my mother's advice and thought twice about going for that interview."

"Could I please have two Vanillabean Latte's," a female customer asked, grabbing her phone to scan the QR code.

Wen Yazhu smiled at the customer.

"Two Vanillabean Latte's coming right up," she said, ringing the customer's order.

Another female customer asked for two big slices of carrot cake with two Tropical Monsoon drinks.

"Coming right up. Please wait in the queue as my colleague prepares your order," Wen smiled.

Ebony Chocolate Café was always busy in the mornings. Many workers came to get their morning drinks, breakfast sandwiches, lunches, or snacks.

The café was famous for having many female customers because of the handsome male employees of the café.

Lai prepared the orders and handed them to the customers, a bright, friendly smile on her face.

"Please come again!" she exclaimed, waving at the leaving customers.

With the morning rush hour, the café door's bells rang continuously as customers entered and left. Currently, there are only six employees that work in the café, consisting of four men.

Lai and Wen being the only two female employees. The male employees took the orders of customers who did not join the queue and instead proceeded to take a seat.

"Thank you," a female customer said as her Cosmic Blaze drink with a bran muffin was placed in front of her from one of the male employees.

Lai watched as that same female customer pulled out her phone while she was preparing a Lemony Twister for another customer.

The female customer tugged some hair behind her ears and cleared her throat, holding out her phone to the male employee.

"Please may I have your number," the female customer begged.

Some customers watched her bravery while others just minded their own business.

This was almost a daily occurrence as many women confessed their feelings to the cafe's male employees.

"Here's your Lemony Twister," Lai said, handing the customer in front of her their drink.

The male employee smiled at the female customer and gave her a closed-eyes smile.

"My apologies, miss," the male employee said, "But it is against the café's policy to give our phone numbers to customers."

Of course, that was a lie, but customers did not need to know that. The female customer put her phone away and pouted as the male employee bowed and left her.

The employee that turned that customer down was Zhou Feng, a red, sleek-haired young man with small sapphire eyes.

The only reason he turned that customer down was because he was gay.

'Another woman fell prey to his good looks,' Lai thought, cutting a slice of chocolate cake and placing it carefully on a white plate.

"Poor customer," she heard Teng Heng, her other male colleague, whisper to her as he grabbed the white plate and placed it on the silver tray he was carrying, "She never stood a chance."

He placed a spoon on the plate and walked to the customer who had ordered the cake. Yu Tai, the male employee who was in charge of the rest of the employees, was busy wiping a hot chocolate spill made by a ten year old boy.

The little boy looked down at the spill in despair.

"Sorry, mister," the little boy apologised, slumping his shoulders.

"Yes," his mother said, bowing her head, "Sorry about the mess."

Yu Tai stood up, pushed his glasses back, and placed his hand on the little boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're not hurt, little kid. Be careful next time, okay?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically, his sad face now beaming. Yu smiled, bowed, and walked away.

The last male employee, Ren Tai, was packing empty plates and glasses, which customers had finished using onto a large tray.

Ren Tai was Yu's twin brother and worked part-time at the café.

"Don't think too much about that evil interview or let it bring you down," Ren told her as he passed by and entered the kitchen.

Wen nodded in agreement.

"He's right. Who knows, maybe there is someone destined to hire you and change your life around. Trust fate, my best friend."

Lai smiled and nodded.

'Trust fate, huh?' she pressed her lips together as she prepared the customers' drinks.

She turned to smile at the customer in front of her, his drinks in her hands.

"Here's your Iced Americano and Mango Joy," she handed the customer his drinks.

The customer thanked her, and she attended to the others. One of the reasons she worked here for the past four years was the pay.

Although this simple café sold hot and cold beverages, baked goods, and snacks, it had many customers.

Why, you ask? The owner was brilliant when he decided to rent the space for his cafe in the central business district (CBD), where it was bustling with workers.

Sure, the rent was very high, but the overall revenue the café received at the end of the month always exceeded the expenses.

Lai enjoyed working in this café as her colleagues were friendly and like her second family.

The café owner, Mr. Yuan Yahui, had saved her life when she had run away from the loan sharks who had barged into her home when her parents were not around.

They were demanding her father pay off his debt.

Scared for her life and safety, the nineteen year old Lai at that time had run out of the house and bumped into the café owner who hid her in his café.

He asked his employee, Yu Tai, to make her hot chocolate which she later drank after calming her racing heart.

She explained the situation to the café owner, and he offered her a job. Since then, she's been working for him.

And he was a lovely, understanding boss who loved his employees and customers equally.

"Here's your dark cof-" her words got stuck in her throat, and she froze in place, holding the hot drink in her hand.

'It's him,' she breathed out, her hazelnut eyes widening in surprise.