A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

restaurant. Her gaze Up to Chlow, and upon recognizing her, she burst into laughter.

Well, look who we have here! If it isn’t our very own Chloe! Her tone shifted to one of mocking superiority. Oh wait, that’s right, Chloe’s been booted out by the company. A stray dog now, aren’t we?”

Chloe’s face drained of color, a sickly pale giving way to a deep flush of embarrassment.

Matilda, standing at her side, asked who the woman was.

“That’s Reese, Chloe said, her voice low. “An influencer. She’s the one who smashed Declan Yeager’s coffee machine last time”

Reese clearly hadn’t expected to run into Chloe here, and with the backup of Declan, her confidence was soaring. Snide and merciless, she taunted, “Oh, what’s this? Spot a good–looking chef and can’t help but try to catch his eye, Chloe? Haha, how pathetic. Without Mr. Yeager’s support, you actually think you matter?”

Chloe bit back a response, swallowing the humiliation as she steadied her friend. “Godfrey, are you okay?”

Reese mocked their interaction with an exaggerated smirk. “Oh, listen to that tone. It reeks of desperation from a mile away, Chloe, surely you’re not so starved for attention.*

Godfrey, his voice laced with anger, snapped back, “Miss, you can insult me all you want, and critique my cooking, but I won’t stand for you disrespecting my friend!”

Since when are men and women just friends

from behind Reese. Chloe and Matilda tensed at the

Declan and… Yvan.

a convention of jerks.

Godfrey out of here.

from the confrontation. It was the first time his restaurant

flame, each one of you,” Reese snickered, admiring

first to break the silence, “What’s

with an air of entitlement. “Just the

Declan so eagerly, and you have the nerve

sharp retort froze Reese’s smug expression. As she lunged at Matilda, the latter deftly avoided her

feel as though

do? Everyone’s watching, you want to start a

I won’t hesitate to shut that mouth of yours

stand by Chloe, who was