Ramsey stared at it.
He was a grown man, and he was still getting holiday cash from his elders?
It was honestly a little touching!
He reflexively looked at his mother, silently asking if it was okay to accept it.
Chrystal hesitated before trying to decline on his behalf. "Pandora, he's already a working professional. He shouldn't be taking your money."
She felt it was completely unnecessary, but Pandora waved off the concern.
"He's not married yet, right? If he's single, he's still a kid in my eyes."
Defeated, Chrystal signaled for her son to take it.
Satisfied, Pandora strolled into the dining room to catch up with her old friend.
The rest of the group followed her inside.
Once seated, Claire was handed a generous envelope of cash from Daniel.
The old man hadn't forgotten about the James siblings, either; they both received one as well.
"Dane, you're Claire's fiancé, which makes you family. Take this too," Daniel offered.
Daniel knew Dane was a ruthless force in the business world, but he was still Claire's fiancé.
No matter how much power he wielded as the CEO of Vertex International, he still had to show respect to the older generation!
"Thank you, Daniel."
Dane didn't hesitate for a second before pocketing the gift.
This was a clear sign of approval from her family's inner circle. He'd have to be an idiot to turn it down.
Once the rest of the food arrived, everyone dug in with enthusiasm.
It was a completely different culinary experience compared to Edison's wedding banquet. That had been hearty, rustic comfort food, whereas today's menu featured refined, five-star culinary art.
If Daniel's health had allowed it, he probably would have cooked for Pandora himself.
Thankfully, his daughter's skills had improved drastically over the years.
Surely Pandora would be pleased, right?
Pandora was indeed impressed. Three of the dishes incorporated the fresh local produce she had brought, elevating the flavors even further.
Toward the end of the meal, Jennifer stepped into the room.
As everyone finished eating, she turned her attention to the matriarch. "Pandora,
there's a business proposal I'd like to discuss with you."
Pandora raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to buy Hearth & Kettle?"
"I've already gifted it to Claire."
"No, no," Jennifer quickly clarified. "I'm not trying to buy the restaurant."
"As much as I'd love to own it, I know it was part of your assets, and it'll likely become part of Claire's future estate."
"I wouldn't cross that line."
"But the organic produce and wild
ingredients from your village are. absolutely incredible, was
wondering if you'd be open to a
direct supply partnership."
Jennifer had heard rumors that Pandora essentially had absolute authority over The James Village.
If she gave the green light, nobody else in the community would dare object.
"If you want to set up a partnership, you'll need to speak with the community manager."
"He handles all the agricultural distribution for the area."
Huh?
The response completely caught Jennifer off guard.
"Could I make a trip down there, then?"
The truth was, she desperately needed access to those ingredients. Everything grown in that area was miles ahead of standard commercial crops in terms of quality.
The White Family actually owned their own private organic farm.
But honestly?
Even Chrystal admitted their personal harvests couldn't hold a candle to the village's yield.
Pandora had no objections. "Sure, go ahead."
She glanced at Claire, who quickly passed Pearce's contact information to Jennifer.
"Jennifer, this is Pearce's number. He's the one in charge."
"Reach out to him first and see if a deal is possible."
"The community is actually pretty democratic about this kind of thing, so theyll probably need to take a vote before giving you a final answer."