Raise the Rent, Lose the Mall

Synopsis

The third floor of this mall was a ghost town when it first opened. I was the first to sign a lease. I toughed it out for two years and built up the entire floor's traffic. On weekends, the lines stretched all the way to the elevator. When it came time to renew, the property manager handed me the contract with a smile. The rent had gone up forty percent. I said it was too high. Could we negotiate? He leaned back in his chair. "Think it's expensive? The bubble tea chain next door is offering double what you pay." "If you weren't sitting on this spot, they would've signed already." I said my contract still had three months left. He flicked cigarette ash onto my contract. "When those three months are up, you're out. Move early and I'll waive the penalty fee. Consider it a favor to an old tenant." I stared at that ash for five seconds, then stood up and smiled. "Fine. I'll move tomorrow." He froze. I grabbed my bag, walked to the door, and turned back. "By the way, my mom's jewelry store on the first floor, my husband，Richard's gym on the fourth floor, my brother，Brennan's cinema on the fifth floor—we're all moving together."