Abby

I feel frozen to my spot as the judges make their way toward Daniel’s station.

The grin stretched across his face almost makes me feel sick, and it’s all I can

do not to run off the stage right now.

“Wow,” Vanessa says as she takes the first bite of Daniel’s dish, which looks

leaps and bounds ahead of mine just by presentation alone. “Really, Daniel;

wow. Despite everything, you created a phenomenal dish.”

“Thank you so much,” Daniel says, his eyes flickering toward me. “You know,

with my sous chef’s wrist in so much pain, it was difficult. But we made it.”

Enter title…

Next, the judges begin making their way toward me, and I feel like I’m going to

be sick. They stop in front of my station, and I can feel the cold weight of

Logan’s gaze on me already.

“Hello, Abby,” Vanessa says, her gaze sweet as ever despite the circumstances.

“Your performance in the second round was lacking, but you’re here now. How

do you feel?”

I swallow. “I feel…” I pause, my throat cracked and dry. “I feel… Hopeful,” I

mutter. Vanessa nods in response along with the third judge, but Logan—his

face is as inscrutable as ever.

test, times feels

eyes are on me, Abby, the chef with the

have his presence by my

vast and

voice low. “This… This isn’t what

expected from you.”

begins to set in. “I…

to—” I start to explain, but my words falter under her

it’s not one of understanding. “I see what you tried to do, but

coming together on the plate.

Xavier, a chef of

it there before he even speaks—a profound

unbalanced,” he adds simply,

defend my dish, to say that the circumstances were

the words. They know the chaos that unfolded. They

and yet they seem to expect the

and authoritative, that

have here is a fundamental problem,” he states, his

meeting mine.

of my station, my knuckles whitening. “Please, enlighten me,”

that the quiver in my voice isn’t too

raises an eyebrow. “Well, to put it

follow the instructions,

asked for.”

myself gasping for

is

mushrooms. It’s exactly what was asked of

wrong,” Logan says with a disappointed

not farro mafaldine with black truffle butter and

is already digging through the

in horror as he stabs a piece of black truffle and holds

this way

look like

all of

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