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He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Frederick. Pleasure.”
“Same to you,” I respond with a smile.
Frederick pauses, then licks his lips and speaks. “It’s making some waves, you
know. Your reputation about your staff. You should consider yourself fortunate if
it doesn’t affect your ratings.”
My fingers curl around the armrests of the chair. “If it comes to that, I’ll deal with
it. But honestly, I’m not worried.”
Daniel arches an eyebrow. “You must be quite brazen, then, to not worry about
such things.”
Enter title…
I grind my teeth, forcing a smile on my face. “And what about you, Daniel?
Where’s your restaurant?”
Suddenly, the older man who has been silent all along speaks up, still not
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtlooking my way. “Daniel owns a two-star restaurant. I’m Bryan, by the way.”
Daniel smirks, and I feel a twinge of envy. In the culinary world, there are three
star ratings: one being a basic restaurant, two being an Alpha hotspot, and
three? Well, those are reserved for the best of the best.
La Belle Vie Bistro’s reputation has been slowly climbing lately, but we’re still
one star. Becoming a two-star restaurant feelings like a distant dream right now,
and it’s something that only one woman chef has ever accomplished in this
country. I have faith that it will come eventually, but not for a while. Star ratings
aren’t handed out like candy.
However, I manage to shake my envy off quickly. After all, stars aren’t
everything. Daniel’s attitude, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired.
I guess I expected rivalry in this competition, but not like this. I feel the intense
need to prove him wrong—to show him that I deserve to be here as much as
anyone else, if not more.
The makeup artist gestures for me to come over, and I willingly oblige, giving
myself a chance to be separated from Daniel and his needling comments. As I
walk away, I feel Daniel’s gaze on me, as if he’s sizing up his competition.
Well, let him look. Let him underestimate me.
I sit in the chair and the makeup artist gets to work, but my mind is racing.
Daniel’s snide comments have lit a fire in me, and I’m more determined than
ever to give this cook-off everything I’ve got. After all, I’ve faced worse
adversaries, and I’ve always come out on top.
Frederick’s words are also ringing in my ears. Waves? What did he mean by
that? Is hiring Anton—someone who deserved a chance—really something that
could backfire on me? The thought makes me grit my teeth.
If doing the right thing is going to bring me criticism, then so be it. I’ll face it
head-on, just like everything else.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI look at my reflection as the artist applies the finishing touches. My eyes meet
my own, and for a moment, I hardly even recognize myself. My hair is curled
into perfect waves rather than its usual bun, my face is perfectly blushed and
contoured, and my eyelashes are longer than ever.
Is this what it’s like to be a female chef in the public eye? A doll to be made up
whenever I need to get people to like me?
The makeup artist leans back, admiring her work. “You’re all set,” she says,
nodding more to herself than to me. “You can head to the greenroom.”
I force a smile and stand, smoothing my shirt down. “Thank you.”
My eyes widen.
Is this…
“Vanessa Greene?” I find myself blurting out, my mouth agape. Coոtent оf
My biggest role model in the entire world.
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