Chapter 0274
Abby
The sun is barely up when I begin to stir, but I can’t sleep any longer. Today is the day. My second
chance. My redemption.
I stretch, feeling a blend of excitement and nerves course through my body. My second chance with the
judges, a redemption—or another fail, depending on how things go. I’m hoping for the former.
But despite everything, my heart dips as I roll over and check my phone. No new messages; I guess, in
my own naive sort of way, I thought that Karl would have answered my voicemail with at least a “good
luck” text, but he hasn’t. Maybe my fears weren’t unfounded. Maybe he really doesn’t want to hear from
me.
Either way, there’s no time to wallow over it, no matter how much it pains me. I’ve got a restaurant to
run, meals to cook, and judges to impress.
Leah waits for me downstairs. We fall into step alongside each other on our way to our respective
workces, coffees in hand.
“Someone looks like she’s ready to conquer the world,” she says, a smile ying on her lips.
“I think I might be,” I admit, trying to let the excitement of the day overshadow the pang in my chest.
“But it also stings a little bit. Karl never answered my voicemail.”
She heaves a sigh, a lock of hair falling across her face as she shakes her head. “If Karl doesn’t want
to talk, that’s on him, Abby. Don’t let him crawl under your skin. He’s just being a sore loser because he
couldn’t win you back.”
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
I mull over her words, watching as a little bird hops along the pavement. “You’re right,” I say, taking a
sip of my coffee. “I won’t let it rattle me.”
Leah nods. “That’s the spirit. Remember, today is about you: your talent, your hard work. Nothing else.”
Her words make me smile. We walk inpanionable silence for a little while longer before another
confession bubbles up, this time more excited than thest.
“I bought a dress.”
“A dress?” Leah’s eyebrow quirks.
“Yeah, for the Alpha party,” I continue, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “Just in case I get a chance
to leave the kitchen and... you know, mill around a bit. It’s a really sexy one, too.”
Her response is an instant brightness. “Abby! That’s fantastic! You’re going to kill it.”
Augh escapes my lips. “Yeah, I hope so.”
But then Leah’s smile softens, a knowing look in her eyes. “Are you doing this for yourself, or to show
Karl what he’s missing?”
I freeze mid-step, the question striking a chord. Did I? The thought has crossed my mind, more than
once, the image of his reaction. I look away, fixing my gaze on a blooming flower disy in a shop
window.
“I just... wanted to buy myself a pretty dress,” I say finally, although the words sound hollow even to me.
Leah reaches out, her hand gently squeezing my arm. “Good,” she says simply. “Because you deserve
it, Abby. For you.”
As we approach the restaurant, Leah veers off toward her own job. “Knock ‘em dead, Chef,” she says
with a wink.
We wave goodbye and I head inside. The kitchen doesn’t feel so much like a battleground anymore as
I grab my chef’s jacket and get to work.
But Leah’s question lingers in my mind as the morning stretches on. The dress, hanging in my closet, is
stunning—it makes me feel like a princess.
But did I really buy the dress just for me?
…
“We’re ahead of schedule, Abby. Themb’s marinating, the herbs are chopped, and everything’s
prepped for the day.”
John’s words make me grin. It’s already two PM, and today couldn’t be going any better. I nod,
stepping away from the line.
“Good. I’m just gonna be practicing my dishes for tonight onest time before the judgese. Let me
know if you need anything.”
John nods, and we go our separate ways. But it’s not long that I’m working at my station when I hear it
—the sound that no business owner ever wants to hear.
A bang, a pop, and then… rushing water.
I whirl around and the sight makes my heart sink. Water is spewing from a burst pipe beneath the sink
with so much force that the floor is already beginning to flood. No, it’s not justing from beneath the
sink; it’sing through the wall, too, all around the sink. It must be at least two burst pipes.
But how?
“What the—?!” My words dissolve into the chaos as the kitchen staff springs into action.
“Shut off the water!” I yell over the din.
Anton dashes for the main valve as I wade through the water, which is already soaking into my shoes.
The cold seeps in, but it’s the panic that’s really chilling. Today of all days, this can’t be happening.
But maybe, just maybe, I can salvage this. It’s just a couple of burst pipes, right? I’ve dealt with worse.
Way worse.
And then, it gets even worse. The power goes out.
“Abby?” John’s voice calls out through the darkness. “What on earth…?”
Finally, the water stops. I can hear Anton’s voice as he lets out a deep sigh. “Well, the water is off, but
Abby, I am afraid we’re standing in the Antic Ocean as we speak.”
“Yeah, I know.”
As my eyes still adjust, I fumble my way over to the supply cab, my shoes soaking through all the
way to my socks. The confused murmurs of the customers in the dining area are now carrying through
to the kitchen, and by the time I manage to find the spare shlight and flick it on, my staff are standing
around me like deer in headlights. New chapter avаble o? Drаmаnovels
“What should we do?” Ethan asks, his eyes wide.
“Comp everyone’s food,” I tell Ethan as I sweep over the kitchen with the shlight. “And send
everyone home. It’s not safe to have guests in here right now.”
Ethan nods and limps away, his shoes sshing through the water, but Anton and John remain.
“Abby, what about the judges?” John asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.
That’s when it hits me finally, and my blood runs cold as the realization washes over me. The judges.
How the hell am I supposed to prepare the meal now?!