Morning mist blanketed Mistveil Coffee Farm until the rows of coffee trees were barely visible.
Pantawan stood in front of the small wooden pavilion, Grandma's journal still in her hands. The open page held only a short message:
“The last seed stock... Don’t let it fall into the hands of people who value nothing but money.”
She drew a deep breath before walking to the coffee seed storage shed behind the house.
The old wooden door creaked open slowly.
The faint scent of roasted coffee drifted out, mingling with the smell of aged wood.
In one corner of the room sat a small wooden chest she had never seen before.
The lid bore a coffee blossom seal—and the same name that appeared in the journal...
“Mistveil 2544”
Pantawan slowly opened the chest.
Inside were only three brown cloth envelopes and one letter.
She unfolded the letter and began to read.
“If you’re reading this, it means Grandma must be gone. These three envelopes contain the original variety—the last seed stock remaining. Don’t sell them to anyone yet, no matter how much money they offer. Because what they want...isn’t just the coffee beans.”
Her heart began to pound.
Then...
A car engine roared outside the house.
She hurriedly closed the chest before going outside.
A middle-aged man in a suit stepped out of the car and held out a business card.
“I’m a Phutawan Group representative.”
“Our executives are interested in buying this farm. We’re prepared to offer a price you won’t be able to refuse.”
Pantawan stared silently at the business card.
Then she raised her head and met his eyes.
“What if I don’t sell?”
The man gave her a faint smile.
“I hope you’ll change your mind...before it’s too late.”
He turned, got back into the car, and drove away, leaving behind only silence and a threat that continued to echo in her mind.
Pantawan clenched the envelopes of coffee beans tightly.
She was beginning to understand that what Grandma had tried to protect for decades might be a secret worth more than the entire farm itself.
And her journey down from the mountain...
was truly about to begin.