Lust System: Harem Of Beautiful Women

Chapter 363: Bar

By dinnertime, the restaurant downstairs was already a cacophony of voices, packed and buzzing.

Daniel had secured a table at a place reputed to be a longstanding, large-scale establishment in the area, the kind so exclusive it didn’t even bother with a visible signboard, which only heightened the sense of anticipation.

”Reservations are essential here. They don’t cater to walk-in guests.”

The restaurant featured only a handful of private rooms, no main dining hall. The moment they were seated, Nancy chuckled, ”Last time, I tried to bring Lily and Mom here, but couldn’t get a booking even after trying for days. You, little brother, have the devil’s own luck.”

As she spoke, Nancy began meticulously rinsing their tableware with hot water.

Daniel watched this with visible surprise. When Luis received his cleaned utensils, he felt a twinge of guilt, unable to meet his brother-in-law’s gaze.

The eldest sister, Nancy, was famously averse to manual chores. Not only was it a frequent point of contention in her marriage, but she wasn’t exactly the epitome of domestic virtue even at home.

She was diligent only about her skincare and figure maintenance; otherwise, she was notoriously lazy. This sudden display of attentiveness struck Daniel as profoundly odd, it was a side of his wife he had certainly never been privy to.

Roasted squab, sea eel braised in chicken oil, abalone stewed with deer tendon, crab stir-fried with scallions and ginger...

The dishes were soon served. The soup of the day was a slow-simmered broth that changed every day—today’s was wild mushroom and chicken. Simple in its ingredients, but when the fire-control was just right, the first sip was unbelievably fragrant, warming straight to the soul.

As they ate, Daniel took out a bottle of sorghum liquor he had brought from home, claiming it was part of his father’s private collection, aged for more than ten years.

It was Nancy who broached the subject first. ”Brother-in-law, selling the car was about raising capital to take over that bar.”

Daniel, who had been wearing a peculiar expression, finally turned serious. ”Luis, I’m only bringing this to you because I’m confident in the venture. I’ve discussed it thoroughly with your older sister, and she agrees it’s a viable business opportunity.”

This bar, named Hans, wasn’t particularly upscale. In fact, its location within the city was somewhat off the beaten path and quiet. Yet, its business was remarkably strong.

Having been open for two years, Daniel had previously served as its business manager there. His performance was outstanding, but he had left abruptly after just three months.

”How come I’ve never heard of this place?” Luis expressed his surprise.

Nancy replied with an amused smile, ”What would have been the point in telling you? You and Lily don’t frequent bars or nightclubs. Counting on your patronage was never part of the plan.”

Daniel’s father, Darlan, and Dominic shared lineage from the same ancestral hall. They were the kind of distant relatives who exchanged polite nods during festive gatherings. As it turned out, this guy also knew David.

The bar was initially opened by the foreign woman, Nina, and a boss from the Taiga family. Nina, as the property owner, was a largely hands-off partner, taking only a 30% share of the profits. The day-to-day operations were primarily handled by the Taiga family boss.

Daniel had helped out during the initial launch. While he might lack drive in other areas, when it came to the world of nightlife, entertainment, and socializing, he was in his element, a natural who thrived in that environment.

At this point, Daniel’s anger resurfaced. ”That son of a bitch talked a big game, but my sales commissions? Vanished into thin air.”

What truly earned everyone’s respect was that Daniel had been the top sales performer there. Generous with money and perfectly in tune with the atmosphere of the place, he seemed born for this line of work, lazy at everything else, but here, he was exactly where fate intended him to be.

With a monthly base salary of only a few thousand, he still regularly dug into his own pocket to buy gifts for clients, winning over a steady stream of loyal repeat customers.

Coupled with his family’s comfortable financial background and his well-kept, attractive appearance, practically made for this industry, he had almost single-handedly carried the bar’s early performance.

The stingy Taiga family scion, however, reneged on the promised sales commissions. Out of nearly 10,000 dollars in commissions accrued over three months, he’d only handed out a measly 800-dollar ”bonus.”

Furious, Daniel had walked out. Young Master Daniel was not accustomed to being treated with such disrespect.

The fallout caused a complete break between Darlan and that relative; they now had no contact whatsoever, as if they were strangers for life.

That relative’s family business was primarily in stone materials. Following an accident at their quarry, they were now scrambling for funds everywhere. Daniel saw an opportunity to swoop in and acquire the bar.

In Luis’s eyes, his perpetually spendthrift eldest sister and brother-in-law were now exhibiting surprising shrewdness. Daniel even produced a sheet of paper for Luis to examine.

”Nina, that foreign woman, has no time for hands-on management. She’s the landlord, contributing only the space for a 30% profit share, so she’s genuinely keen to have reliable people take over operations.”

”The place spans 300 square meters. At standard market rates, the monthly rent alone would easily run into the tens of thousands.”

”I was around during the initial stage. The investment was roughly 400,000 dollars. While some items have depreciated. I’ve checked the equipment; it’s all in excellent condition.”

”Monthly payroll for staff runs about 20,000 dollars. Combined with utilities and other overhead, total monthly operating costs are under 40,000 dollars.”

”As for revenue, that bastard’s management has caused a dip. On the worst days, turnover barely cracks ten thousand.”

Daniel grew more incensed as he spoke, finally pounding the table. ”Goddamn it! Back when I was running things, even on the slowest day, we still pulled in over 22,000. On regular days, we were consistently stable above 30,000.”

After listening to this lengthy exposition, Luis felt a slight headache coming on.

He quickly held up a hand. ”Brother-in-law, all these numbers are making my head spin. Just give me the bottom line. What’s the current situation?”

Nancy narrowed her eyes, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. ”Brother-in-law, this Hans Bar is niche. Specifically, it’s the primary gay gathering spot in our city.”

”What?”

Luis’s eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively glanced at Daniel.

If memory served, his brother-in-law was supposed to be staunchly heterosexual. Hadn’t his younger sister-in-law, Leah, even complained about being sexually harassed by him?

To successfully run a gay bar required a certain... innate talent.

He currently had a Persona tag attached, though it didn’t seem fully awakened yet. Could it be that his brother-in-law had possessed this particular thing all along?

Daniel immediately felt a bit guilty under their gazes and explained, ”It is indeed a gay bar. But it’s not a place poor folks can afford. All the wealthy lesbians and gays in our city like to come here.”

”Those who are poor can’t afford to come. Only the rich come here to spend.”

Nancy smiled suggestively and said, ”That foreign girl is also a standard lesbian. She has introduced many clients over, and quite a few people come here because of her.”

”Ah!!”

Luis felt his cerebellum had atrophied a little.

What was even more dramatic was that back then, brother-in-law Daniel had been trying to hit on that foreign girl, but that foreign girl was actually trying to hit on Nancy. In short, the relationships were as tangled and messy as a ball of knotted yarn.

Fortunately, his sister-in-law’s lesbian genes hadn’t awakened. She was a pure, steel-straight woman who was very averse to this. If she had even the slightest inclination, they would have hooked up long ago.

”If I were the one running it, I guarantee the daily revenue would be at least five thousand dollars!!!”

Daniel said with conviction, ”That guy is just coasting along, waiting to die. His heart isn’t in this at all.”

Luis thought for a moment and asked, ”Is the funding gap large?”

This was the real topic. After listening to them talk for a while, Luis understood. They were short on money now and wanted to pull him into this venture.

Daniel calculated, ”That bastard is the big boss, holding 70% of the shares. Nina contributed the venue as her stake, taking 30%. She didn’t put in any money and doesn’t handle any operational matters.”

”Now he’s planning to sell his share. He’s asking for 120,000 dollars, but Nina has zero interest. He’s looked around, and no one is willing to take it over.”

”The price has now dropped to 80,000 dollars. Some people have started negotiating. But everyone is just trying to take advantage of his situation, so they definitely won’t offer him a good price.”