LOGINShare
Chapter 5
Latest chapter
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 8
Julia took her copy of the agreement and put it away. She didn't leave, though. Instead, she sat by the window and watched the open kitchen for a while.I was cooking shrimp on the stove. I tossed the shrimp in the pan, letting them slide through the oil before flipping them.She watched my hands. They moved with the same steady precision every time I flipped the pan.I'd spent five years cooking in the kitchen, but she had never watched me once."Snow-Capped Shrimp isn't on the menu," she said."It is. It's on the wall."The handwritten menu hung above the open kitchen."Number 32: Snow-Capped Shrimp. Created by Holden Lockhart in 1963. Limited to ten orders a day. Chef: Sean Lockhart."She stared at it for a long time.Then, she stood up, walked to the door, and then turned around. "Where did you get the oak sapling?""I took cuttings from the tree in the courtyard back home."The wind blew through the doorway, gently swaying the wooden sign above it."Sean, if your grand
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 7
My fingers glided over the touchscreen. "It looks like betrayal to you, but all I did was leave."Julia didn't reply.…Three days later, the culinary association published a notice on its official account. They had William's vocational school diploma, the police mediation record from Port Sterling, and Alan's labor arbitration ruling.The comments exploded.Someone put all three documents together with clips from William's two disastrous appearances and posted the image with the caption, "Ms. Foster, how's your legal action going now?"There was no turning public opinion around after that.Lockhart's Kitchen was falling apart. It was coming down piece by piece.After the food festival, its rating dropped from four and a half stars to three stars. Bad reviews also kept piling up."The meatballs fall apart.""The sirloin steak is impossible to chew.""Everything tastes completely different from before."One food blogger went to the restaurant and ordered the Snow-Capped Shri
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 6
"Sean, don't try to steal William's spotlight in front of the whole kitchen next time," I repeated Julia's words. "With more than 40 media outlets at the food festival today, if I'd gone there, I wouldn't just be stealing his spotlight. I would've ruined the whole event, too."Julia fell silent."You don't actually want me there. You just ran out of options.""Sean, don't do this—""I'm busy."Julia paused. "Busy with what? I thought you were taking time off.""I'm in a new restaurant's kitchen. Sullivan's Kitchen."There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end.Then, her voice changed. She wasn't pleading anymore. She was ice-cold."You're with Madelyn.""I am.""You did this on purpose.""No," I said. "She gave me something you never have.""What?""A place with my name on it."I hung up.Madelyn was watching me from nearby. She didn't ask a thing and simply handed me a key."Here's the key to the walk-in. The seafood and meat deliveries arrive next week.
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 5
Madelyn chuckled. "She's been taking jabs at me for three years. One more won't make a difference."I picked up a pen and signed the letter of intent.The next day, the court papers arrived.Julia had filed a lawsuit through Lockhart's Kitchen Management, claiming that the Lockhart's Kitchen trademark belonged to the company because it had been registered as part of my employment.She was using the law to take my grandfather's legacy from me.After seven years of marriage, all that was left between us were two names on a lawsuit.I called a number I had saved on my phone. It belonged to Jim Harper, one of Julia's original business partners. She'd kicked him out three years ago.I hadn't contacted him in five years.…Jim was waiting for me at a cafe. He was in his 50s and had graying hair. He set down his cup and handed me a file.It was William's real résumé. He was a vocational school graduate. He spent two years working prep at a restaurant in Port Sterling, but he was fir
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 4
The next morning, there was a knock at the door.It was Sophia Gibson, Julia's mother.She wore a dark green cashmere coat and an Hermès scarf. She made no effort to enter the house."Julia sent me," she said.She pulled an envelope from her purse and placed it on the doorstep. "Julia's offering you 300,000 dollars and the house in Eastbank. There's just one condition. You have to sign over the rights to your recipes so William can use them.""Julia told you to offer me this?""Yes."I picked up the envelope. It seemed like severance pay for seven years of marriage.I set it aside."Sophia, tell Julia something for me," I began. "Tell her to send the court papers to Sullivan's Kitchen. That's where I work now."Sophia's expression faltered. "Sullivan's Kitchen? The restaurant owned by Madelyn? That's the Foster family's biggest rival. Have you lost your mind?""I didn't. You guys never thought I'd actually leave."She was stunned but soon turned and hurried away.Less than
Cast Aside Chef: I Swap to the Competition Chapter 3
Three days later, the results came out. We didn't get awarded a star. In fact, we didn't even get a recommendation.That afternoon, three media outlets came to the restaurant.Julia stood in the dining area for interviews. William was with her.From the pass, I could see the cameras as the reporters asked why we hadn't received a star. Julia sighed. Her voice was heavy with disappointment. "The inspector wasn't impressed with the egg whites in the Snow-Capped Shrimp. We happened to have one of our backup chefs handle that part of the dish that day. William was overseeing another signature dish at the time."The camera turned to William. He nodded solemnly.A backup chef. The first time my name appeared in the media was so that I could take the blame for William.I clenched my fists so tightly that the edge of the pass dug into my palms.Another reporter asked if Lockhart's Kitchen would participate in the food festival that weekend.Julia smiled. She glanced at William and re
You May Also Like
My Dad Locked Me in the Storage Closet to Starve
Against the Flow25.8K viewsMy Last Breath on the Operating Table, Their Last Goodbye at the Crematorium
Faye Fisher19.5K viewsWhose Party Is This?
Maroon Cypress24.9K viewsThe Live Verdict
Against the Flow42.0K viewsThe Mountain's Promise
Bright Lights13 viewsRaised to Never Be Enough
Little Dango13 viewsThe Chauffeur Who Could Hear Thoughts
Full Luck Mode11 viewsI Learned My Lesson, Now They Regret It
Depressed Pear13 views
