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Karl
The second round had left a bitter taste in my mouth. Seeing the way that the
judge, Logan, tore into Abby on live television left me feeling maybe a little too
overprotective, but I couldn’t just stand idly by while Abby had her integrity
ripped apart on stage.
I told Abby I needed to take a call, but it was a complete lie. I needed to talk to
this Logan, understand why he was being so harsh on Abby compared to the
other contestants. And most of all, I needed to make him see the truth: that Abby
was an excellent chef, undeserving of this treatment, and that her spices had
been sabotaged.
Enter title…
The security guard outside the judges’ private room was a mountain of a man,
his face impassive as I approached.
“Hello,” I said, adjusting my blue surgical mask slightly. “I’d like to speak with—”
“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go in there,” the security guard replied, his voice a
low rumble. “Policy.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“But I just need a moment with Judge Logan. It’s important,” I pleaded, trying to
keep the urgency out of my voice.
Before the guard could refuse me again, the door cracked open and Logan’s
piercing gaze found mine. His eyes searched me up and down for a moment, as
though he were considering, before he finally nodded.
“It’s alright, let him in,” he said, and the guard stepped aside, albeit with a
reluctant look on his face.
Logan’s presence was as commanding off stage as it was onstage, and the
judges’ room felt small and thick with tension. Logan was the only judge inside,
the other two likely off doing their own thing. I was relieved, because I wanted
this to just be the two of us: man to man.
I closed the door behind me, turning to face Logan, who was regarding me with
a mixture of curiosity and impatience.
“Ken, is it?” he asked.
I nodded, although that wasn’t my real name. It was the pseudonym that I had
chosen for the day, and it was what I would stick with until this competition was
over.
“What can I do for you, Ken?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“I’ll be straight with you,” I began, my hands clasped behind my back to steady
myself. “I’ve noticed something… a tension between you and Abby. On stage,
your critiques seem more personal than with the other contestants. I want to
understand, man to man, why it seems like you’ve got it out for her.”
Logan’s eyebrows lifted. “Did Abby send you?” he asked.
I shook my head vehemently. “No. She has no idea I’m even here. I wanted to
talk to you in private.”
Logan looked at me for a moment, then leaned back against the table. “Ken,
you’re assuming I dislike Abby, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said
with a disarming calmness.
“That’s not the impression you give out there,” I countered, my voice tense. “The
way you’ve been with her, it’s like she’s being singled out.”
He paused for a moment, considering. “Look, I know Abby has talent,” Logan
continued. “Her flavors, when she actually gets them right, are some of the best
I’ve tasted in this competition. And her techniques are pretty much spot on.”
“So what’s with the attitude, then?” I pressed. “Why are you so harsh with her,
on live television, no less? You’re not nearly as strict with the other contestants.”
Logan’s eyes met mine, and there was a flicker of something unexpected within
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthem. “Ken, in this business, we push those we see potential in. Sometimes
harder than the rest. It’s not dislike, it’s quite the opposite.”
The room seemed to tilt slightly as his words sank in. “What are you saying?” I
managed.
Logan let out a slow breath, his demeanor shifting ever so slightly from
defensiveness to unexpected candor. “Abby is actually my favorite in this
competition.”
My eyes widened. Abby? Logan’s favorite? It made no sense.
“But I saw the way you treated her,” I insisted. “The way you looked at her. It’s
hurting her.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Oh?
So you’re her knight in shining armor now?”
“No, I just…” I trailed off for a moment, frustrated. “You’re nitpicking, Logan. You
made her lose her spirit up there.”
“Karl, I’m nitpicking because Abby can do better. I expect more from her.
Enough said.”
“But you made it sound like she’s the worst of the lot,” I pressed further. “That’s
not fair and you know it.”
“Fair?” Logan scoffed. “This is a competition, Ken. I’m not here to coddle
anyone. Abby is not putting in the effort, she’s riding on praise and it’s made her
lazy
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