“Here we are,” I announce, gesturing at the controlled chaos around me.

Mr. Thompson steps in, his eyes moving critically from the prep stations to the line cooks and finally to

Anton, who is still engrossed in his soup. His gaze lingers on the French chef for a few moments,

hesitating, before landing on me. “Busy today, huh?”

“Yes, very,” I respond. “Business has been good, and we aim to keep it that way.”

“I see cleanliness is a priority as always,” he observes, his gaze lingering on Anton once more.

I can’t shake the feeling that I—or rather, Anton—am being tested, but I plaster a smile on my face and

nod. “Of course, Mr. Thompson. We always get top ratings on our health reports.”

After a few more moments of looking around, Mr. Thompson nods in a satisfied manner and follows me to

the door. But once we’re in the hallway, alone, his facade seems to drop ever so slightly.

Enter title…

sure you know that I’m not just here

swallow, deciding to

I disregard tabloid journalism just as

Well, it’s stirring the pot, to say the least. Is it true? Your new chef is

at his words. This was exactly what I feared, but I’m not about to lie.

homeless, but he’s an excellent chef. We’re happy to have

his life back in order. And I’m glad to serve as

stone for him in

moved by my little speech. But

his eyes, something

“But also

“How so?”

the competition, which puts you under our brand. An incident like

on you, but on the competition

make my stomach lurch, but all I can do is keep holding

I won’t be disqualified, not just over Anton, but also over

thankfully hasn’t

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