CHAPTER 58: CONNECTIONS 3

On the other side of town, Tapiwa wasn't showing any signs of distress. Just because they refused to let her enter the gate today didn't mean that it would remain like that forever.

As long as they don't throw away the bottle without seeing the contents. She was confident that it would be them groveling to her and not the other way around.

She didn't like supplying to a monopoly at the same time, though she would love to become a giant monopoly herself, so after leaving Madam Matombo's house, she proceeded onto the second step, visiting another famous restaurant in town.

This famous restaurant was well known for its meat dishes. From the rumors that she heard, it was said that the owner owned a farm and reared livestock that was used in the restaurant.

The meat was always fresh and they always try their best to bring only the best to the customers in a variety of ways.

Of course, personally, she had never dined in that restaurant. It was too expensive, and back then she didn't have money to spend in fancy places like that.

Until her dream was achieved, she wasn't planning on recklessly spending money on food, especially when she was a walking treasure with all sorts of exotic food ingredients that would make even royal chefs salivate and wish to kidnap her.

"How may I help you today, Madam?" a male server politely asked as soon as she walked into the restaurant.

As hurtful as it may sound even a stranger would call her Madam instead of another title, as married women, there was this culture from the old age that all married women whether divorced or widowed, were to tie their hair in a certain way.

If a woman didn't want to wear a headscarf, which was now acceptable; their hair should be tied in a way that would tell the world of their marital status. That was done to stop lecherous men who loved going after every woman that they saw and also women who loved going around their husband's backs and cheating.

And that hairstyle thankfully was just a bun as for how you style it, that was for the woman's concern and also her wallet will determine how fancy her bun would look like.

So, although she was divorced. Tapiwa still had to follow the norm and culture. Which was why she tidied up herself in such a manner.

She smiled at the male server politely and answered him, "I would like a table of one, please."

Instead of going straight to do business with the restaurant owner, Tapiwa decided to try another trick. And maybe using it would be more effective than sitting down and trying to convince others.

"Sure, please come this way," the waiter enthusiastically said.

Since the madam was a customer, the male server was even happy to lead the way.

Tapiwa was taken to a small table that caters exactly to one person. Another good quality of the restaurant. A single customer wouldn't be forced to eat with a stranger just because there aren't any empty tables available.

After getting her seat, she ordered a simple meal, some bread, and a cup of tea.

Luckily, the meal was available and since it was morning, it was normal for some customers to ask for something like that. However, it wasn't every time that a customer would ask for that.

They just didn't want to waste their money on certain foods they could make themselves at home.

When hearing Tapiwa ordering that kind of food, customers who were in the restaurant looked at her oddly.

Another man with a curled mustache looked at her with disdain before complaining to his friends who were sitting with him saying, "This type of woman will be a waste to marry home. She is very wasteful, lazy, and the kind that would be driven out of her marital home the very next day!"

Of course, where there was some drama, people tended to love the place more. And if it wasn't because the management of the restaurant disallowed any disorder, some of these egoistic customers would have taken that moment to voice out their thoughts.

As for Tapiwa, even though she could hear every single person who was talking inside the restaurant, she didn't bother with them at all.

She knew and understood the reason why she was in that place in the first place and if she were to be affected by other's opinions, there was no way she was going to build the kind of empire she wanted especially in such a patriarchal era like hers.

Tapiwa waited for her breakfast, which was served quickly after five minutes. Looking at the brown bread, still warm and made from wheat, she couldn't help but think of the bread inside her store.

It's been too long since she ate it, and now she was missing it.

Although everyone was eating, they would once in a while steal some peeks at her.

Tapiwa, who wanted to cause some drama and some face-slapping in the process, opened the basket she was carrying and took out a bottle before closing the basket.

With curious eyes, even the servers and the manager, who was on another floor entertaining one of the bosses of the restaurant, looked curiously at Tapiwa, wanting to see just what she was up to exactly.

There weren't a lot of women who would come to the restaurant just to order bread and tea, especially when every woman, or at least most women, could make their bread.

Restaurants were places where most customers would be 90% men while the remaining 10% would go to the females. So, seeing such a brazen woman, everyone couldn't help but be curious.

Was she a fool for doing what she was doing? No, she wasn't, and she wasn't the kind that would do anything for the fun of it.

Tapiwa naturally opened her bottle with ease and confidence. The restaurant didn't object to a customer bringing something from the outside as long as he or she bought something from the restaurant.

And whatever you bring from the outside, if it makes you sick or something, the customer will be liable for that and the restaurant won't be responsible.

The second the lid was opened, something extraordinary happened inside the restaurant. Without looking at their facial expressions, Tapiwa relied on her good ears to hear just how great she was performing and truthfully, the response was quite good.

Sitting on the second floor, obviously amazed by the brazen female customer, Benjamin who loved food so much to the extent that he decided to open restaurants throughout the kingdom to share that wonderful passion with others, was suddenly hit by the fragrance aroma coming from downstairs and with one possible culprit involved.

Looking at the manager, who wore a shocked expression just as much as everyone, he quickly nudged the potbellied man and ordered sternly, "Bring her upstairs and tell her that I have a business to discuss with her!"