All Chapters of I Had My Life Work's Stolen And Was Chased Out: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Harvey appeared innocent and guileless. “Mr. Lane, this shop lot belongs to my uncle. He can rent it to whomever he wants. You’re not going to get mad over this, are you? Besides, you’re such a skilled chef. You can just open up somewhere else.”He made it sound so easy.Somewhere else? My customers were familiar with this alley. They were used to finding me here.If I moved my restaurant away, it would be like starting from scratch.Meanwhile, he would be sitting in the restaurant I had just renovated, cooking with the recipes I taught him, and taking in the customers I had brought in.This was a stab in the back.I slowly stood up, and Jasper watched me warily. “What are you up to? I’m telling you, if you dare cause any trouble, I’ll call the police right now—”“Mr. Smith.” I interrupted him with a smile.“You’re right. The shop is yours, and it’s none of my business. Before the lease expires, I’ll clear everything out. Not a single item will be left behind.”Then, I turned

Chapter 2

“So, are lifesavers only worth two thousand dollars now?”Ms. Zena’s face became flushed.Flora looked down at her fingernails. “Bernard, that’s not very nice of you to say. A worker is just a worker. Bosses treat you well so that you’ll work harder, right? It’s a mutual arrangement; don’t make it sound like he’s done us some huge favor.” Bernard glared at her, like he was shooting daggers out of them. “Shut up! You’re just as ungrateful as the rest of them!“When you first started here and a guest was yelling right in your face, it was Mr. Lane who stepped in front of you and took the cup of tea that was thrown at you. Ask yourself and tell me, was that a ‘mutual arrangement’?“When your boyfriend beat you up, you called Mr. Lane in the middle of the night in tears. Without a word, he drove over to pick you up and covered your stay at a hotel for a whole week! How dare you say things like that now?”Flora fell silent.Bernard turned to Wade. “And you. When you got into a fight

Chapter 3

That afternoon, Harvey pulled up in a white luxury car. Leaning against the hood while sipping coffee, he smiled and said, “Mr. Lane, I had someone appraise your equipment. Twenty thousand, and I’ll take the whole lot. It’ll save you the trouble of moving them around and wasting money.”I had spent nearly two hundred thousand on that entire set of equipment three years ago.Even if it was three years old, to value it at twenty thousand? Were they giving change to a beggar?I glared at him. “I’m not selling!”The delight in Harvey’s eyes faltered. “Mr. Lane, it’s fine if you don’t want to sell, but will you be able to find a moving company? If you can’t find anyone to move everything, won’t you end up having to sell it all to me anyway?”Harvey slammed his coffee cup hard against my store sign and knocked it to the ground.He dusted his hands. Then, he stepped on the gas and drove off.Just to get my equipment for cheaper, Jasper and Harvey had actually resorted to such underhand

Chapter 4

I smiled. “Because I’m waiting for someone to help us promote this place for free.”My phone vibrated. Harvey had sent me a message.[Mr. Lane, how’s the new restaurant going? Want to check out my place? I was worried it might be too quiet for you on your own, so I set up a live stream just for you to get a feel of the lively atmosphere here.]A link followed the message, and I tapped on it.The live stream loaded and showed Harvey’s store packed with people.The comments rolled by one after another. “Isn’t this where Lane’s Kitchen used to be?”“The food tastes great, just like it used to!”The camera panned, and Harvey made a heart shape with his hands toward the lens.“Thanks for everyone’s support! It’s our grand opening today. There’s 20% off all food and free beer! If you’re not here yet, hurry on over. There are already more than twenty tables waiting in line!”The chat box exploded with messages.Suddenly, a line of text popped up in the bottom right corner of the s

Chapter 5

The man with the tattoo shouted, “This lousy food tastes worse the more I eat it! Turns out it’s a knockoff. Let’s go. I want to eat at the authentic Lane’s Kitchen.”The live chat went completely wild.[I knew something was off. Turns out it’s a knockoff after all.][I’m going to the other alley to find Lane’s Kitchen too!]The customers in the restaurant began to get up one after another. In his panic, Harvey cut off the live stream.I put down my phone and said to Bernard, “Turn on the flames and heat up the grills. The customers are coming!”The moment I finished speaking, the thudding of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley.I walked to the shop entrance and pulled open the glass door.The tattooed man came into view around the corner of the alley first.Behind him were the three burly men, followed by a scattered group of customers who had come from Harvey’s restaurant.The tattooed man, Torben, walked up to the entrance and stopped. He looked up at the [Lane

Chapter 6

I decided to triple Bernard’s salary next month.After closing, I went over the books.Our daily sales over the past few days matched the busiest times at our old restaurant.Considering the new restaurant’s remote location and the fact that not many people knew about it yet, the profit had exceeded my expectations.I closed the ledger and suddenly smiled.“Mr. Lane, what are you smiling about?” Bernard asked.“I was just wondering. If Harvey knew he’d given us such a huge free advertisement, would he be furious?”The next day at noon, I received a message from Flora.Flora’s profile picture was still the one I had taken for her. She was standing at the entrance of the old restaurant and holding a bouquet of flowers. Her eyes were crinkled with a smile.That was my birthday gift to her. That day, she had said, “Mr. Lane, this is the first time I’ve ever received flowers.”This time, she wrote, [Mr. Lane, Harvey can’t pay his employees right now. He says he’ll have to delay it

Chapter 7

I stepped aside to let them in. Simultaneously, I gave Bernard a look to signal him to open all the ingredient containers in the back kitchen.Bernard got the hint immediately and headed into the back kitchen.The inspection lasted forty minutes.They turned the back kitchen upside down. I took the secret spice blend out of the cabinet and handed it to them myself.“This is my secret spice blend. The ingredients are all edible herbs based on a medicinal formula. If needed, I can provide raw material samples for testing.”The leader handed the jar to a young team member standing next to him. “Take a sample, seal it, and send it for testing.”I nodded in cooperation and asked, “May I ask what specific issue the whistleblower raised? Did they specify what additive? That way, I can assist your investigation more effectively.”The team leader glanced at me. “The whistleblower letter claims you added industrial dyes and anti-diarrheal medication to the grill marinades, which can cause

Chapter 8

It was Flora.I closed my eyes and took three deep breaths.Then, I opened my phone’s contacts and found a number I had saved a long time ago.It belonged to Liam, a reporter for the lifestyle channel at the local TV station.He had interviewed me two years ago. We had added each other’s contacts back then, and he had said, “Mr. Lane, if anything newsworthy comes up, be sure to let me know.”I dialed the number.“Liam, this is the owner of Lane’s Kitchen. Someone’s spreading rumors that I use recycled oil, but I have evidence to prove my innocence. Would you be interested in coming to film a segment?”That evening, five people showed up at the restaurant.The leader was a young guy with bleach blonde hair. He was decked in designer labels, and a big gold chain hung around his neck.He kicked open the glass door, stood in the middle of the dining area, and shouted so loudly the whole alley could hear him.“Where’s the owner of Lane’s Kitchen?! Get out here! You’re cheating us

Chapter 9

Torben nodded and did not ask any further questions.He walked to a window seat and opened the menu. “I’ll have one signature platter and two pounds of tripe.”That afternoon, an edited video of the blonde guy causing a scene during his live stream was posted in the local community group chat.Although no one was specifically named as the instigator, people in the comments section were already speculating. [Is it Jordan’s Diner?] [Didn’t someone compare them before? Their food isn’t that great.] [It’s like an actual thief crying for people to catch the thief.]Reputation was a tricky thing. The more you tried to ruin someone else’s, the harder it was to keep your own spotless.With things having escalated to this point, I thought Harvey would back down.However, I underestimated just how shameless he was.A month later, after closing time, I was alone in the shop doing the books.The door opened, and Harvey entered.He looked at me and forced a smile.“Mr. Lane, you’re st

Chapter 10

Organophosphates? That was a pesticide, right?Someone had put pesticide in my food.My fingers were shaking.That night, I opened the local forum and saw a shocking headline. [Suspected food poisoning at Lane’s Kitchen in Bliss Alley. Multiple people rushed to the hospital!]There were already over three hundred replies to the post. Most of them were berating me.Some said, [A heartless boss like that should be arrested and sentenced.] Others said, [I always thought the food there tasted off. Turns out there really was a problem.]There were even some who said, [I’ll never eat in that alley again. How terrible.]I did not reply to a single comment.At this point, whatever I said would be wrong. I would only have the right to speak after the truth came out.Bernard called, and his voice was very low.“Mr. Lane, there’s something I need to tell you.“Around 9 a.m. today, Zack took out the trash once. He was gone for a long time, about fifteen minutes, before he came back. I

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