The Returning EX (John and Sophia) novel Chapter 196

As soon as the landlord began making compromises, Zack also softened his attitude. They were told that the duration of the rent would depend on the rates of the rent, as it wouldn’t do to sign a few years’ contract, only to have the rent go up during the consequent years. It would result in a predicament wherein the renter couldn’t afford the rent, yet they weren’t allowed to sublet it as well; nobody in their right mind would agree to that.

The landlord somehow took on a more easygoing attitude as he promised to not increase the rent as long as they agreed to settle into the place long term, as well as check on the market rates if he had to increase the rent.

John held his gaze on the landlord for a long while—so long that the rest of them were beginning to feel awkward about it—before sitting down once again. “We can look into it if that’s what you intend to propose.”

Relief washed over Sophia upon hearing that, and she was feeling fortunate to have Zack and John’s aid, or else she would’ve been swindled by the landlord. As she cast a glance at John, she felt more reassured all of a sudden.

Her presence wasn’t required throughout the rest of the negotiation, as she had a hard time understanding anything at all despite having been sitting there since the beginning. She thus walked over to the counter, only to find Robin sulking behind it. There was a pout on her face as she said in a low voice, “I must’ve been swindled.”

Sophia lowered her voice as well as she replied, “I was nearly swindled too. I never knew there are so many complications involved.”

Robin cast a glance at John’s direction before asking, “How are you related to that guy? He seems to have a dominating aura, and he is rather intimidating when I just saw him.”

After a moment’s silence during which Sophia looked at John, she said, “He’s a friend of mine who owns his own company.”

Robin narrowed her eyes while taking a closer look at him. “He seems familiar. I might’ve seen him somewhere.”

Sophia’s heart sank as she figured Robin might be telling the truth, as John’s photo was frequently showcased in financial news articles. The recent scandals would also serve to boost his fame, and whoever that read the tabloids would’ve seen his photo.

While Sophia was chatting with Robin, John and Zack were nailing down the details of the contract in her stead. They made quick work of it, while the landlord seemed pleased by the end of the negotiation as he was all smiles. As he had some other matters to tend to, the landlord drove away in his car after having chatted for a little longer with Zack and John.

After he left, Sophia walked toward the entrance as she looked at Zack. “Is everything settled?”

Zack gave a grunt, all the while delighted in himself. “Yeah, it’s done. Simply speaking, the landlord is an opportunistic person. Within the year, he already went through a few tenants who never managed to stay for long, so he was getting a little impatient.”

A scoff escaped John before he commented, “Yet he would still think of toying with the contract despite his desperation. I really don’t understand him.”

Sophia turned around to look around the shop. “Is everything settled now?”

“Yeah, no worries. It’s all settled.” Zack maintained a cheerful disposition while looking at Sophia.

Meanwhile, John’s gaze dropped to land on her finger, thinking that the ring was elegant and pretty. He then said, “He will be drafting a new contract before meeting up again to sign it. We will be leaving since everything’s settled for the time being.”

Sophia quickly nodded as she replied, “Alright, go work on your stuff. Go on!”

The two men got into the car before Zack pulled away with a turn of the steering wheel. Sophia let out a huge sigh of relief as she stood by the entrance, as she thought her plan was about to be thwarted at the last minute. If the negotiation had gone awry, she would be a little disappointed as she had been dreaming of owning her own shop for a long time. Fortunately, things were more or less settled now.

After bidding goodbye with Robin, she left the shop with a light heart as she managed to reach a huge milestone. She had a change of clothes upon arriving at home before reading through more questions for the driver’s theory test.

She had been reading through the materials during the past few days, and came to realize that there were things which she could learn on her own by fumbling through it, as well as things she could do even without John.

However, she did owe him one for helping out with the negotiation with Mr. Reyes. Although she would be proud if she could settle it on her own, he came anyway, so she would impose on him.