Chapter 0248
Karl
The second round had left a bitter taste in my mouth. Seeing the way that the judge, Logan, tore into
Abby on live television left me feeling maybe a little too overprotective, but I couldn’t just stand idly by
while Abby had her integrity ripped apart on stage.
I told Abby I needed to take a call, but it was aplete lie. I needed to talk to this Logan, understand
why he was being so harsh on Abbypared to the other contestants. And most of all, I needed to
make him see the truth: that Abby was an excellent chef, undeserving of this treatment, and that her
spices had been sabotaged.
The security guard outside the judges’ private room was a mountain of a man, his face impassive as I
approached.
“Hello,” I said, adjusting my blue surgical mask slightly. “I’d like to speak with—”
“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go in there,” the security guard replied, his voice a low rumble. “Policy.”
“But I just need a moment with Judge Logan. It’s important,” I pleaded, trying to keep the urgency out of
my voice.
Before the guard could refuse me again, the door cracked open and Logan’s piercing gaze found mine.
His eyes searched me up and down for a moment, as though he were considering, before he finally
nodded.
“It’s alright, let him in,” he said, and the guard stepped aside, albeit with a reluctant look on his face.
Logan’s presence was asmanding off stage as it was onstage, and the judges’ room felt small and
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thick with tension. Logan was the only judge inside, the other two likely off doing their own thing. I was
relieved, because I wanted this to just be the two of us: man to man.
I closed the door behind me, turning to face Logan, who was regarding me with a mixture of curiosity
and impatience.
“Ken, is it?” he asked.
I nodded, although that wasn’t my real name. It was the pseudonym that I had chosen for the day, and
it was what I would stick with until thispetition was over.
“What can I do for you, Ken?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“I’ll be straight with you,” I began, my hands sped behind my back to steady myself. “I’ve noticed
something... a tension between you and Abby. On stage, your critiques seem more personal than with
the other contestants. I want to understand, man to man, why it seems like you’ve got it out for her.”
Logan’s eyebrows lifted. “Did Abby send you?” he asked.
I shook my head vehemently. “No. She has no idea I’m even here. I wanted to talk to you in private.”
Logan looked at me for a moment, then leaned back against the table. “Ken, you’re assuming I dislike
Abby, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said with a disarming calmness.
“That’s not the impression you give out there,” I countered, my voice tense. “The way you’ve been with
her, it’s like she’s being singled out.”
He paused for a moment, considering. “Look, I know Abby has talent,” Logan continued. “Her vors,
when she actually gets them right, are some of the best I’ve tasted in thispetition. And her
techniques are pretty much spot on.”
“So what’s with the attitude, then?” I pressed. “Why are you so harsh with her, on live television, no
less? You’re not nearly as strict with the other contestants.”
Logan’s eyes met mine, and there was a flicker of something unexpected within them. “Ken, in this
business, we push those we see potential in. Sometimes harder than the rest. It’s not dislike, it’s quite
the opposite.”
The room seemed to tilt slightly as his words sank in. “What are you saying?” I managed.
Logan let out a slow breath, his demeanor shifting ever so slightly from defensiveness to unexpected
candor. “Abby is actually my favorite in thispetition.”
My eyes widened. Abby? Logan’s favorite? It made no sense.
“But I saw the way you treated her,” I insisted. “The way you looked at her. It’s hurting her.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Oh? So you’re her knight in
shining armor now?”
“No, I just…” I trailed off for a moment, frustrated. “You’re nitpicking, Logan. You made her lose her
spirit up there.”
“Karl, I’m nitpicking because Abby can do better. I expect more from her. Enough said.”
“But you made it sound like she’s the worst of the lot,” I pressed further. “That’s not fair and you know
it.”
“Fair?” Logan scoffed. “This is apetition, Ken. I’m not here to coddle anyone. Abby is not putting in
the effort, she’s riding on praise and it’s made herzy.”
I felt a sh of anger at the use of that word:zy. Abby was anything but that. “That’s bull, Logan. She
works her ass off. Ten times harder than any of the other contestants.”
I clenched my fists, feeling a heat rise to my cheeks. “She’s not hiding, she’s running a business. And
she’s good at it. You’ve got no idea the pressure she’s under.”
Heughed. “Pressure? I see two men doing the heavy lifting while she parades around like some sort
of celebrity chef. She’s forgotten the heat, the rush, the essence of being a chef. She’s lost her
passion, in and simple.”
“That’s not true!” My voice echoed around the room, sounding foreign even to my own ears. “She lives
for cooking. She’s put everything into thispetition, into her career. You can’t dismiss her hard
work.”
But Logan’s gaze was unyielding. “Well, I’m simply not seeing it. What I am seeing is potential wasted
on someone who thinks managerial work is more important than the art of cooking.”
My skin prickled at his words. “She’s still a chef at heart, Logan. She belongs in the kitchen, sure, but
she also has a business to run. Can’t you see that that’s passion too?” New chаpter av?ble on
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“You’re wrong about her,” I said through gritted teeth, my conviction roaring. “Abby’s more dedicated
than anyone I know.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, Logan waved his hand dismissively and turned his
back on me.
“See yourself out, Ken,” he said, settling back into his chair. “And next time you show up at the door,
the security guard really will send you away.”