Chapter 0308


    Abby


    I take a deep breath as the Alpha party begins, the buzz of excitement and chatter filling the air. It’s


    finally here, the culmination of months of hard work and preparation. I couldn’t be more excited—and I


    also couldn’t be more terrified.


    “Abby, the first orders areing in,” John calls out, a bead of sweat glistening on his brow as he


    stands over the grill.


    I nod in acknowledgment and grab the first order ticket: frutti di mare. An easy one, because all of the


    ingredients were prepped ahead of time. I just need to throw it together on the stove and then it’s done.


    But it doesn’t stay easy for long. Before I know it, the kitchen is rapidly turning into a warzone. The


    orders are flying in faster than a dinner rush on a Saturday night, and the hors d’oeuvres that we


    prepared earlier need to be restocked.


    I hate to say it, but I didn’t expect the food to be this much of a sess. I feel like if I don’t watch it, I’ll


    drown.


    “Two steaksing up, one medium rare and one medium,” John says. “Abby, how are the potatoes


    I nce at the pan of potatoes cooking in the oven. “Almost done. Another minute.”


    Anton, our resident pastry chef for tonight, is busy at the dessert station, meticulously assembling the


    tiramisu. He’s a perfectionist when ites to his desserts, and it shows in the intricateyers he


    creates.


    In fact, it appears as though his perfection isn’t going unnoticed at the Alpha party.


    “Abby, the tiramisu is a huge hit out there,” Chloe calls out as she bursts through the door, her


    excitement palpable. “People are raving about it!”


    “That’s fantastic! You hear that, Anton? Your tiramisu is a hit!”


    “Merde,” Anton huffs as he wipes his brow with the back of his wrist. “I can hardly keep up. Who knew!”


    I let out a soft sigh and turn to Chloe. “Chloe, try to push a different dessert for a little bit. Rmend


    the peach cobbler instead.”


    Chloe nods, but I can see the worry in her eyes. “I’ll try,” she says, “but people are seeing other people


    eating it and they’re getting FOMO. I can only do so much.”


    “Well, just try your best,” I encourage. “If they want the tiramisu, just tell them that it’s on backorder and


    might take an extra couple of minutes.”


    With another nod, Chloe disappears from the kitchen. I pull the potatoes out of the oven and toss them


    onto the same two tes that John is cing the steaks on, adding a sprinkle of parmesan and some


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    rosemary before they’re ready.


    “Anton,” I call out, “are you sure you’re okay over there? Need a switch?”


    Anton pauses for a moment, then nods. “If you don’t mind.”


    “Not a problem.” Without a second thought, I jog around the line and switch spots with Anton. It’s a bit


    of a relief to get away from the heat of the stove anyway.


    As Anton and John start working on the next wave of dishes, I quickly gather the ingredients we need


    for another batch of tiramisu. Ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese, espresso, cocoa powder. Before I


    know it, I’m lost in a world ofyers and sweetness.


    But just as I’m settling into my new groove and the entree orders seem to be dying down, chaos erupts.


    Daisy rushes into the kitchen, her face flushed with concern.


    I pause mid-step, my heart racing. “What’s wrong?”


    Someone smashed the cakes in. The tiramisu Anton so painstakingly made sits in a mess on each


    te, uneaten but smashes to oblivion. New ch?pter av?ble o? Draмаnоvеls.cоm


    “These are from the dessert table,” Daisy says. “I found them like this. Someone did it and then left


    them there.”


    “Do you have any idea who did it?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intend.