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chapter 87
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2025-05-15 08:54:34
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The chef and The charmer chapter 89
Evelyn povParis was a strange kind of beautiful.Cold but golden. Busy but hushed. It moved like it knew secrets I hadn’t earned yet.I stood at the open balcony of the hotel on Rue Saint-Honoré, the Eiffel Tower winking at me from a respectful distance. The scent of espresso and rain crept through the iron railing. Below, the city pulsed like it had its own heart.For the first time in months, I could hear myself breathe.Not in whispers. Not between tears. But fully — like my lungs finally belonged to me again.The culinary summit was everything I’d imagined. Elegant chaos. Precision masked as artistry. The best chefs in the world — some warm, some cutthroat. I stood behind the pass like I belonged, and for the first time in a long time, I believed I did.The room gasped when I flambéed duck à l’orange with spiced cognac and fennel glaze. I’d never heard applause in a kitchen before. It felt unnatural.But addictive.Chef Genevieve kissed both my cheeks. “La magie est revenue,” she
The chef and The charmer chapter 88
Evelyn POVThe universe has a twisted sense of humor.Just when I started finding my footing again — carving out a place for myself in Marcellus’s kitchen, rebuilding confidence with every sear and slice — life dropped another choice at my feet.A crossroads disguised as an opportunity.It started with an email. Subject line: “International Culinary Summit – Featured Chef Invitation.”At first, I thought it was spam. One of those clickbait scams to get desperate cooks to buy overpriced tickets to irrelevant conferences.But it wasn’t.It was real. Verified. And the sender was Genevieve Calmet, the head curator of the summit — a legend in her own right.The email said I’d been recommended by Chef Marcellus himself.He didn’t tell me. Of course he didn’t. He let the opportunity speak for itself.One of the feature spots had opened. They wanted me.A masterclass. Live demonstration. Global exposure.All expenses paid. Two weeks in Paris.It should’ve felt like a dream.But all I could th
The chef and The charmer chapter 87
Evelyn povThe silence after Eric’s arrest should have brought peace. Closure. But it didn’t.If anything, it triggered a new storm — quieter, crueler.He was gone, but the mess he left behind? Still here. Still choking me.Three days after his mugshot splashed across every news site, I got the first call. Then the second. Then five more. By the end of the week, my inbox was a graveyard of terminated contracts and cold apologies.Clients I had bent over backwards for — people whose weddings I had rescued, whose events I had saved with a flick of my knife and a whisper of cayenne — dropped me like I was toxic.“I hope you understand, Evelyn. With all the press…”“We’re just trying to protect our brand.”“I’m sure you’ll bounce back. You always do.”They said it like I was a damn trampoline. Like my life’s work could be bounced off of and discarded when it was no longer shiny enough for them.And then came the articles. The thinly veiled think-pieces on “reputation management” and “trus
The chef and The charmer chapter 86
Evelyn povThe days following the press conference were a blur. Even after stepping off the podium and exiting the ballroom, I felt the lingering weight of eyes, questions, and speculation pressing in from all sides. I thought the storm would pass now that the truth was out in the open, but I had underestimated the staying power of public curiosity—and the depth of some people’s obsession.For a while, I thought the worst was over. I had survived the humiliation, the whispers, and the side-eyes. I had survived Eric’s threats and the suffocating feeling that the world was laughing at me. But just as the dust began to settle, something darker took its place.and it started again,the messages began arriving two days after the conference. Anonymous notes, always typed, and always signed with a single letter: “E.” Sometimes they came tucked beneath the wipers of my car. Other times, slipped under my apartment door. They were cryptic—half-memories twisted into riddles, laced with venom and
The chef and The charmer chapter 85
Evelyn povThe next few days were a blur of preparation. I had no idea what I was walking into. The media interview was a necessary evil, a chance to take back control of my own story, but the weight of what I was about to do made my shoulders ache. My palms felt clammy just thinking about it.I’d spent so long keeping my personal life under wraps, maintaining the illusion that I could control my narrative without anyone truly knowing me. But now, everything had spiraled beyond my control. The lies, the manipulation, the private moments I thought I’d kept safe.I couldn’t hide anymore. Not from the world. And definitely not from myself.The morning of the interview, I stood in front of the mirror, trying to calm the storm inside me. The woman staring back at me felt unfamiliar—strong, determined, but scarred. There were dark circles under my eyes, a result of sleepless nights where I replayed every moment of betrayal. Every smile that had been a mask. Every “friend” that had taken a p
The chef and The charmer chapter 84
Evelyn POVThe flicker of candlelight danced across Damian’s cheekbones, softening the sharp edges of his otherwise guarded face. A low jazz tune hummed in the background, mixing with the sound of rain tapping gently against the windows. We sat across from each other at the dinner table, the meal between us mostly untouched—not out of disinterest, but comfort. There was no rush. No tension. Just a quiet understanding: we had made it through the latest wave.I held my glass of wine between two fingers, feeling the warmth of it spread through my chest. His hand reached for mine, fingers brushing in that familiar, grounding way he did when he needed to say something deeper than words would allow.“To new beginnings,” he said, voice low, tender.My lips curled into a smile, a real one—no cameras, no pretending. Just us. “To us.”As our glasses clinked, I allowed myself to believe it: maybe we had survived the worst. Maybe the rumors, the headlines, Morgan’s icy disdain, the whispers in bo
The chef and The charmer chapter 83
Damien POVThe morning after Evelyn’s press conference was unnervingly quiet. The kind of silence that comes after a bomb goes off — not peace, but pause. I sat in the study, surrounded by mahogany shelves and the scent of old paper and tobacco, sifting through the chaos left behind. Headlines changed overnight.“Evelyn Hayes Reclaims Her Voice”“From Pawn to Powerhouse: Socialite Turned Advocate”“Fake Fiancée or Feminist Icon?”I leaned back in the leather chair, rubbing the fatigue from my eyes. She had done it — stood in front of the world and told her truth. No script. No PR team. Just raw, vulnerable truth. And the world, for once, had listened.The irony wasn’t lost on me. This engagement had started as smoke and mirrors, a carefully arranged illusion to shield my family’s unraveling legacy. But now, Evelyn was the only thing in my life that felt real. Authentic.My phone buzzed, slicing through the stillness. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. The ringtone was sharp, cl
The chef and The charmer chapter 82
damien POVThe press conference was only hours away, and the weight of the situation was beginning to settle in. The weight of Evelyn’s decision was sinking deep into my chest, pulling at my insides. She had made up her mind; the world would know the truth. She would no longer hide behind their lies.Sitting in the car with her on the way to the venue, I couldn’t help but watch her. The way her fingers gripped the edge of her seat, the way her jaw clenched. I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms, to protect her from everything that was coming, but I knew that wasn’t what she needed. She needed to stand on her own, to reclaim her voice.She turned her face toward me, her lips curving into a small, tight smile. “You know, I used to be terrified of these moments—being in front of people, having my life dissected for the world to see.”I glanced at her, taking in the steadiness in her voice, the calm in her eyes. “I know.”Her gaze softened as she let out a deep breath. “But now,
The chef and The charmer chapter 81
Damien POVThe days following the media explosion blurred into each other. Evelyn was back at the penthouse, but there was an invisible weight between us. The headlines didn’t let up. They called her a liar. A climber. Opportunistic. Some even dragged up her past , twisting facts into venomous clickbait.Watching her suffer in silence set something inside me on fire.I tried to fix what I could—called in favors, leveraged contacts—but damage like this was designed to be cruel, not logical. Her business was bleeding clients by the hour, her name poisoned by a rumor that wasn’t just malicious… it was tactical.I met Chris at a low-key bar we used when we needed to talk without cameras in our faces.“Who knew the truth about the engagement?” he asked after I filled him in.“Just me, Evelyn, you… and Eric.”Chris frowned. “Eric. Her ex?”“Yeah,” I said, jaw tight. “At the charity Gala a month ago, he said something weird. Something like, ‘I always knew this wasn’t real.’ I didn’t think mu
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