CHAPTER 24: Cookathon Prize

Roseline’s POV…

Three men entered, Gabriel standing close beside them. The moment Gabriel spotted me, his eyes widened and he darted a questioning glance at Florian. 

Florian walked straight to me, leaned down, and whispered in my ear, telling me to sit in the corner until he was finished.

I nodded slowly, I didn't really have a choice so I sat on a chair at a corner and played with my phone.

I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but their voices drifted over anyway. The three men sitting across from Florian were chefs, directors of the upcoming cookathon, by the sound of it, and they were huddled together, discussing the competition only a few weeks away.

“We would just need a few chefs from your restaurant, the best chefs,”one of the men said.

“Yeah I already have the list of the top chefs in this establishment, I assure you these ones are talented”Florian said.

I remember a few days ago he told me I was part of the top chefs but I still don't believe him, I think he was just trying to make me feel good about myself.

“Don't forget the prize is two hundred million dollars and a trip to Paris to meet some of the greatest cooks, chefs, producers, to work with them and to enjoy life there for a while.

The cup in my hand fell to the ground and broke, I gasped.

The prize was a lot and I felt really bad that I wouldn't get to participate in the competition. 

The men at the table turned to look at me.

“Hi,”one of the men waved at me.

Gabriel just rolled his eyes.

“Oh where are my manners, this is Roseline, my…uhmm…girlfriend”Florian said with a warm smile on his face.

“Wow, Nice to meet you Mrs Hollis”the man that said hi earlier waved at me.

I nearly choked on my spit.

Mrs Hollis???

I stood frozen for a moment, the shattered pieces of the cup still scattered around my feet, completely forgotten. 

Mrs. Hollis. The words rang in my ears.

Florian didn't even flinch. He just kept smiling that easy, practiced smile of his, like he hadn't just introduced me as his girlfriend to three strangers.

I wanted to sink into the tiles. Instead, I forced a stiff smile and gave an awkward little wave before quickly crouching down to pick up the broken cup, using the excuse to hide my burning face.

The meeting resumed shortly after, the three men diving back into the conversation. I tried to focus on cleaning up quietly in the corner, but my mind kept drifting back to the number they'd mentioned. Two hundred million dollars. A trip to Paris. It felt like something out of a dream, one I wasn't allowed to be part of.

I had seen more money than that so the money wasn't really what fascinated me, it was the trip to Paris.

After what felt like forever, the men finally stood, shaking hands with Florian and gathering their briefcases.

"We'll be in touch about the final details," one of them said before they made their way out, their footsteps fading down the hallway.

The door clicked shut, and for a moment, the office was quiet.

Gabriel, who had stayed silent through most of the meeting, turned to Florian with a look I couldn't quite place. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," Florian said easily, leaning back against his desk.

Gabriel's eyes flicked toward me. "Alone."

The word landed heavier than it should have. I immediately stood, brushing invisible dust off my clothes. "Sorry, I'll just—"

"No," Florian said quickly, cutting me off. "You can stay."

Gabriel's jaw tightened, his gaze not leaving Florian's face. "I need to talk to you alone, please."

Florian hesitated, glancing between the two of us like he was weighing something in his head. I could tell he didn't like it, whatever it was, but after a long pause, he finally exhaled.

"Alright," he said, turning to me with an apologetic look. "Give us a minute?"

I nodded quickly, grateful for the excuse to leave because the tension in the room was much. "Sure, no problem."

I slipped out of the office without another word, the door closing softly behind me. My mind was still spinning from everything.

With nowhere else to go, I made my way toward the kitchen, hoping the familiar clatter of pots and the busy rhythm of prep work would help clear my head.

But the moment I stepped through the doors, I regretted it instantly.

Conversations halted mid-sentence. Heads turned. A couple of chefs near the prep station exchanged glances before leaning in to whisper to each other, their eyes flicking toward me every few seconds like I was some kind of exhibit.

I felt my stomach drop.

Another chef nudged their friend, nodding subtly in my direction like I couldn't see them doing it.

I wanted to disappear. To just sink into the tiles and vanish from existence, because clearly, world had already spread faster than I could have imagined. It was one careless comment from Florian, and now I was the topic of the day.

I reached my station and busied myself with the first thing I could find, pulling out mixing bowls and ingredients I didn't even need yet, just to give my hands something to do and my eyes somewhere else to look besides the judgy stares of the other chefs.

But the whispers didn't stop. If anything, they seemed to grow louder, weaving through the clattering of pans.

Then a group of girls walked up to me, I recognised one as Clara, a very famous chef in the state. They giggled among themselves then turned to face with warm smiles.

“Hii Rose,”they called out.

I looked at them for a while before waving back.

“Can you help us submit a proposal to the head chef?”one of them asked.

“Look I think there has to be a misunderstanding, I'm not really his–”

I couldn't even finish my sentence when Florian walked into the kitchen and spotted me then began walking towards me.

“Hey babe,”he said.

A my tummy rumbled, in that moment I wanted to disappear more than anything else.