Chapter 0249
Abby
As Karl speaks, my fingers worry the hem of my white chef’s coat, now no longer pristine but sttered
with sauce and tiny stains and the remains of haphazardly cooked meals. It feels like a perfect
representation of my inner world right now: once untarnished and lily-white, but now stained and
weathered from the trials I’ve been through today.
We’re still standing in the supply closet, and the air feels thick. Karl is standing over me still, his hand
pressed into the door next to my head, sandwiching me there with his body.
My wolf stirs ever so slightly, but now is not the time; I just found out that Karl tried to talk to the judges
for me, and I’m not sure how to feel about it.
“Abby…” he begins, his voice trailing off for a moment as his eyes search mine. Finally, he pushes
away from the door and crosses the small room, running his hand through his hair for what feels like
the millionth time in the past few minutes.
“Just tell me, Karl,” I murmur, blinking away the tears that are threatening to spill.
He pauses, then draws in a deep breath, and turns to face me again. “Abby, yes, I did talk to Logan;
but I never tried to bribe anybody. I hope you can believe me in that regard.”
I nod, because despite the whirlwind that thispetition has be, I do know that. Karl has no
reason to lie to me right now. His integrity is still intact, just as he promised all those weeks ago.
“I know, Karl. But why talk to him? What did you say?”
He takes a deep breath, and I can tell he’s choosing his words with the utmost care. “I told him you’re
an incredible chef, Abby. The best here, without a doubt. And you don’t deserve the way he treats you
—”
“But?” The word hangs between us.
Karl’s jaw tightens, and he looks away for a brief moment, gathering his thoughts. When he faces me
again, it’s as though there’s a newfound resolve in his eyes, like there’s something that he wants to tell
me but he can’t get it all out.
“But… he’s got this idea about you, Abby. He doesn’t see things clearly. I just... I tried to make him see
that you are putting in your heart and soul into thispetition. That’s it.”
My heart races, and I don’t know what to say. There’s a profound mixture of gratitude and dread
knotting itself around my stomach: gratitude for Karl’s attempt to talk to Logan, but also dread because
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I know that, whatever Logan’s ‘misconceptions’ about me are, nothing Karl can say would ever change
the oue of this doomedpetition.
“And what happened with the sous chef?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper. “What
happened, really?”
A shadow crosses Karl’s face. “He was tampering with the ingredients in the pantry. The truffles. I
caught him in the act, tried to stop him. I grabbed the mushrooms out of his hand, but I swear, Abby, I
neverid a finger on him.”
I know he’s telling the truth; Karl, despite all of his overpowering Alpha demeanor, would never hurt
anyone in this sort of context. Not in a million years, and especially not on live television.
“And the guards didn’t believe you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “The guards think I’m lying. The sous chef might press charges if the footage
looks... Anyway, it doesn’t matter. They’re sending me home, Abby. I won’t be here when you get
offstage.”
I stare down at the floor unblinking, staring at my feet. Outside, I can hear the PA system crackle to life
again: “Contestants, this is your two minute warning. Return to the stage in two minutes. I repeat, two
minutes.”
Before I can say anything, Karl’s hand reaches out and seems to hover beside my cheek for a moment
before it settles on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Abby. I didn’t mean to ruin all of this for you today. It’s all my
fault.”
I’m still trying to process it all, but there’s one thing that I know for sure: none of this is Karl’s fault. The
game was rigged from the beginning, and I was never meant to win.
“No, Karl, it’s not your fault,” I murmur, reaching up to ce my hand over his. “Don’t feel bad.”
He sighs. “I just want you to know… I believe in you, Abby. I always have. And I believe you can still
win this. As long as you used the right truffles for yourst dish—”
I don’t let him finish. Maybe it’s the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, or maybe it’s the
desperate need to convey everything I can’t seem to articte, but I lunge forward.
My hands find the sides of his face, his skin rough with a five o’clock shadow, and I press my lips to his
in a kiss that’s as much an apology as it is a thank you.
He’s stiff for a moment, stunned, before his warmth seeps into me, steadying me. As we pull away, I’m
met with the soft confusion in his eyes.
“What was that for?” he murmurs, and I can feel the blush spreading across my cheeks, hot and prickly.
“It was just... a kiss of friendship,” I stammer, feeling the sting of hot tears pricking at the backs of my
eyes. “For everything you did today, Karl. Even though it all... it all went wrong.”
His brows knit together in confusion. “Went wrong?” he asks. “Went wrong how? Abby, your dish—”
The tears brim and spill over before I can stop them, and I quickly look away, trying to blink them back
before they ruin my stage makeup.
Karl reaches out, his hand hovering next to my face as if he wants to wipe the tears away but isn’t sure
if he should. “Abby, talk to me. Please.”
I open my mouth to try again, but the assistant’s voice cuts through the PA system, sharp and urgent.
“Contestants, back to the stage, please!”
Karl’s face falls, and there''s a desperation there that mirrors my own. “Abby, your dish, did they like it?”
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I just shake my head again, a silent gesture that speaks volumes. I can’t tell him, not now. The words
won’te, and it’s toote; I’ve lost. We’ve lost.
Without another word, I swing the supply closet door open and begin rushing down the hallway toward
the stage, toward a nearly frantic assistant waving her clipboard up ahead.
And then, I’m ushered back to the stage.