All Chapters of THE HEAT BETWEEN US: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

I WANT YOU

CHAPTER 1 "Take off your apron, Miss Beaumont, your contract has been terminated." The kitchen went silent. Aria froze, her chest tightening, but she forced her expression to stay calm. She expected this, the moment she reported the head chef for sexually assaulting one of the assistants.She looked back at the chef, standing with a smug smile like he'd won something. Aria could not just leave. She knew for sure that he was making sexual advances towards the kitchen assistant."Why am I getting fired when that man is the one going against company rules, huh? I swear, I saw him!" Aria demanded.The chef stepped closer to her, not even hiding his smirk."Where is the woman I 'assaulted'? She denied it, so what's your problem? You must think you're a real chef because of your family, but you don't even come close. You were just hired for PR. The daughter of the Great Critic; Edmund Beaumont is working in our kitchen. That story increased our sales so much. It's time for you to leave n

STARTING OVER

Chapter 2Aria woke up feeling numb all over. Last night was the wildest night of her life. Her head hurt because of all the drinks she had last night. For a few seconds after opening her eyes, she didn’t know where she was. The room was quiet, dark, and nothing like her own. The air smelled like cedarwood and something faintly spicy, masculine, and expensive.Then her heart dropped.She wasn’t home. She wasn’t even close to home. And the body heat beside her last night… wasn’t Evan’s.Aria sat up fast, clutching the blanket to her naked chest.“What did I do? God, what did I do?” Aria mumbled to herself, looking around like a theif caught stealing.Unlike what she thought, her dress was arranged neatly on the couch and her shoes by the door side. The man, whoever he was, was an organized man and he wasn’t in the bed anymore. She heard faint running water from the bathroom. The reality hit her harder than the hangover.She needed to leave.Immediately.She slipped into her clothes, w

Étoile Culinary Academy

Chapter 3 The gates of Etoile Culinary Academy towered above Aria like something out of a dream. She had visited the academy with her mother when she was much younger and it has been her dream to attend the school. The academy looked better than it did years ago with many beautiful structures there. She didn’t apply as a freshman that wanted to start newly because she already knew all the basics. She applied for an extensive program where only six people gets accepted and gets paired with a very skilled chef as their mentor. Aria inhaled sharply. Her new life was finally starting, all the past behind her. She could only hope that she’s not recognized as Beaumont’s daughter and that everyone treats her like a normal person. She stepped into the academy, her suitcase rattling behind her as she walked through the entrance. She had chosen to live on campus because her apartment only reminded her of Evan. The campus smelled like fresh bread, herbs and polished wood. Students in w

CHEF LEON CORDON

Chapter 4Aria couldn’t sleep throughout the night, thinking about how to approach her mentor and convince him to actually mentor her. She had asked Celeste why the academy kept assigning students to Leon Cordon if he had no interest, and Celeste explained that Leon’s family were founding members of the academy and assigning him a mentee every year was academy’s tradition. Early in the morning, Aria was already dressed with no clear plan in mind. She sat on a chair,staring into space.“Just how many times have you sighed since yesterday?” Maureen asked, placing her hands on Aria’s shoulders, giving her a small massage. That surprisingly lowered her tension.“I’m just worried.” Aria said, “After all the hardwork I put in… I get a mentor that doesn’t want to mentor anyone. And since he’s a founding member, they can’t remove him. Why me?” Maureen bent down in front of her with a warm smile. “Hey, I’m in no position to comfort you because I literally got the mentor I wanted, I just wa

The Challenge

Aria didn’t know what possessed her to come back to Leon Cordon’s house the very next morning.Maybe stubbornness.Maybe desperation.Maybe the fact that he was the only obstacle standing between her and the one opportunity she had worked her whole life for.Whatever the reason, she found herself outside his gate again… staring at it like it had offended her.“This is crazy, Aria” she muttered. “Absolutely crazy. You could get sued for this”But she still climbed it. Since she was sure he wasn't going to let her in through the gate.She slipped halfway over and landed on her feet with an ungraceful thud that echoed through the quiet neighborhood.“Ouch... That hurt.” Aria groaned in pain, dusting the dirt off her body.The door swung open almost immediately, startling her Leon stepped outside, wearing a dark T-shirt and sweatpants, holding a mug of steaming coffee. His hair was still damp, like he had just showered.He stared at her.“You... you're really asking for trouble, aren't y

EMPTY SEAT

Leon pulled back from Aria, slowly. Still looking deep into her eyes,he asked."Can you still be my mentee?" Aria was overwhelmed. She remembered everything now. It was him. She heard his question and didn't answer. No, she couldn't.All the memories from that night, replayed in her head. She couldn't grasp the reality that she had slept with the man meant to mentor her. That the mistake of that night might cost her the dream she has spent her life trying to achieve. How could a man who she had had sex with be her mentor? It doesn't make sense and goes against the rules of the academy. Aria knew she couldn't give a response immediately. She couldn't bring herself to say yes or even no. She couldn't tell him that what happened between them didn't matter and wouldn't affect them when he had just kissed her again. The only response her brain was giving her was to leave. To escape from his piercing gaze. She gently pushed him away from herself, avoiding eye contact with him. "I... I

The Return

CHAPTER SEVENAria blinked once.Twice.She wanted this to happen. She had prayed and wished for it with all her might, but now that it was happening, she couldn’t believe her eyes.She couldn’t believe Leon Cordon was standing in the boardroom, staring straight at her with a kind of hidden intent after refusing vehemently to be her mentor. The first question that rose in her mind was simple.Why did he come?And she wasn’t the only one.Everyone in the boardroom was equally surprised as murmurs filled the room.Unbelievable.Leon Cordon is back?Is that really him?Even Celeste was caught off guard, but she concealed it well. Clearing her throat, she tapped her hand lightly on the table, calling the room to order.“Welcome, Chef Cordon. You’re late. We were just about to start the meeting,” Celeste said, a slight smile on her face.“Nice to see you too, Principal Celeste,” Leon replied smoothly as he moved further into the room.“You can sit beside your mentee,” she said before turni

LIES

CHAPTER 8Only one question stayed with Aria as she stepped out of the boardroom.Why did he choose to come back?After what happened in his house—after the kiss, the memories, the question she ran away from—she had already convinced herself that Leon Cordon would never show up. That he would walk away like he always did. But he came back. For her. And that scared her more than his absence ever did.“What if he has an ulterior motive?” she murmured. “What if he’s doing this because of what happened between us?”The thought made her uneasy. She had worked too hard to get here. She couldn’t afford mistakes. She couldn’t afford emotions. And she definitely couldn’t afford going back to her father.“Aria! Come here!”Maureen’s voice cut through her thoughts.She looked up and saw her waving excitedly. Other students from the mentorship program were there too. Aria forced a smile and walked over.Maureen hugged her tightly the moment she reached her.“My girl! I knew it,” she said, bouncin

COOKBOOK

CHAPTER 9Aria woke up right before her alarm went off. The room was still dark and quiet. She could only hear the sound her own breathing and Maureen sighing heavily in her sleep. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, letting the weight of everything settle slowly on her chest.Her mother was gone.Her father had never really supported her.The man she trusted enough to love had cheated on her.And she had slept with the one person she was never supposed to cross that line with.A short, humorless laugh escaped her lips.If someone had told her a year ago that this would be her life, she would have called it cruel fiction.But here she was. Everything happening to her at once.She had gotten into the academy. The same academy her mother was enrolled too. She had secured a place in the mentorship program. And no matter how messy things had become, she couldn’t afford to let anyone know about her and Leon Cordon. That mistake had to stay buried. Permanently. Forever.Aria tur

Evan Leclerc

CHAPTER 10 Aria stepped out of the dorm with Maureen, the morning air cool against her skin. Maureen adjusted the strap of her bag. “I still can't believe today is the official first day. I feel like both of us have come a long way.” Aria smiled. “I know, right? It feels like I've known you for years.” “We meet our mentors first, right?” Maureen continued. “Then straight to the conference room with Principal Celeste. I wonder what else she wants to discuss. She has literally said everything we need to know.” Aria laughed. “We can't know too much. Who knows if a new rule has come out.” “Something like dating your mentorship mates is prohibited.!”Maureen said, mimicking Celeste's way of speaking. Aria laughed. “ I don’t think the rule about the relationship with your mentors is wrong. It’ll prevent a lot of things.” Maureen bumped her shoulder playfully. “Girl, you’re no fun. I wouldn’t say this if my mentor was a man and was as hot as Leon Cordon. I mean, have you seen h

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