Hello Father!

Madeline's POV

I walked back to my table, and I was not surprised to see my brother and father standing there waiting for me. It has been a long time since I have seen Sean and my father. I know they are going to have a lot to say to me, but I do not care what they say to me. I am so tired of them. They never treated me like family in any way. They always laughed at me and made fun of me, and they always told me that I was a murderer. I was a little girl. I was craving the love of a father. Or anyone. The only one who ever gave me love was my grandfather. I always looked forward to going to him during the holidays. I would cook for him, and he would eat all my food. He loved my food. He always told me to become a chef. My grandfather never blamed me for my mother's death. He blamed my father, he said. My father was a ruthless man, and he did not give a damn about his wife. If he had, my mother would not have been dead. I didn't understand what my grandfather meant by that. I was too young.

"Madeline, explain yourself. Where did you get the money to start this business? Don't tell me that you earned it because you did not work. I know Heavenly was started a few weeks after you left. I hope you did not steal from Roman or us. I cannot think of any other explanation for where you found the money to start this business," My father says. 

"Oh, so I'm not only a murderer anymore, I am also a thief. Hello, Father. It's good to see you, too. You don't have to worry. I didn't steal anything: not from you, not from Roman. I inherited the money from my grandfather, who couldn't stand you. You have been looking for his will for a long time. What did you think? Did you think he was going to leave everything to your son? Sean is nothing but a brat. My grandfather didn't like him because he was always too good to visit my grandfather. You knew my grandfather didn't have any time for you. You didn't want him to influence your son, did you? Why don't you tell me what happened to my mother? Because my grandfather was sure that you had something to do with her death. If you want to throw around accusations, so can I. Now that you know I haven't stolen anything from anybody, would you please leave me alone? Besides, you and the Whitfield family did not have enough money to steal from. Ever. Your restaurants were making money, but they are not making any money anymore. Besides, they'd never made enough money for anyone to steal from because you didn't want to change anything. You didn't even want to listen to good advice because it came from the wrong person. Celeste, I want you to meet somebody. Chef Michaels flew from Europe to be here at my new restaurant. I am sure he wants to see his best student," I say. 

"Madeline, don't joke around. You know that you were my best student ever. Who is this woman? She looks vaguely familiar. Oh, now I remember her. She is my worst student ever. You should stop lying with my name, young lady. I never recommended you. I never sponsored you, and I surely never complimented you. Only my best student got all those things from me. Madeline is the only one I will ever recommend," Chef Micheals says. 

"Celeste, do you care to explain yourself?" Roman says as he pulls her away from everyone. Chef Michaels walks away to taste some of my desserts. He has praised me all night about the desert and how good it looks. 

"Madeline, we never wanted Roman to divorce you. When we found out he had divorced you, he was married to Celeste. We were so angry with him. I think you and Roman should talk," Rosa Whitfield asks. I hate this woman and her fakeness. She never liked me. She always told me that I was not good enough for Roman, and the only reason that he married me was so that the two restaurants could merge. One day, he will get back with the woman that he truly loves and who is worthy of being by his side. She always wanted Celest to be her daughter-in-law because Celest was from a wealthy family, and everyone believed she was the best chef ever. 

"I thought you always wanted him and Celeste to be together. Didn't you tell me that I wasn't good enough for your son, and the only reason he married me was to merge the two restaurants? You also told me I had no shame in keeping him in the marriage,"  I say. 

"You little bitch! I am sure you did not inherit any money! I saw you talking to Logan Rossi. Did you have an affair with him? Is he the one who gave you the money to begin this restaurant? You must have slept with some wealthy old man to get the money for the restaurant. I do not believe for one moment that your grandfather would leave his fortune to you and not his grandson. I am going to find out, and if it is true that you stole your grandfather's inheritance from your brother, I am going to take you to court. I will have everything that you have," My father says.  

"You can try to take her to court, but let me tell you one thing. I will not allow you to hurt her. You and your son do not deserve a penny of Madeline's money. And if you think that you can force her into giving your useless son anything, you are making a mistake. I knew her grandfather very well, and he left everything to her. Maddie does not have to sleep with anyone for money! You are nothing but a bunch of snakes. If you think you're going to get anything from Madeline, you will have to fight me. I can promise you one thing: you don't have the money or the power to fight me or Madeline," Logan says. I roll my eyes. I wish he had kept out of this. It has nothing to do with him. This is my fight. Why is he interfering? We have not seen each other in years, and I do not understand what this man wants from me. If he thinks he's going to get close to me, he is making a mistake. Besides, I am hiding a big secret from him. Well, two secrets, and I do not want him to find out about them.