Three days had passed, and each one felt like walking a tightrope. Thankfully, there had been no attacks—no sudden moves from Anton or the Great Families.


    Yet each morning, as Ethan woke, a quiet dread settled in. Mr. Halen''s silence about the Ascendants only made him more restless.


    He couldn''t shake the sense that something wasing, just out of sight.


    Ethan stood by his office window, staring at the city without seeing it. Jessica''s voice interrupted his thoughts as she finished her daily report.


    "Ethan," she said, watching him closely. She had noticed the tension he carried, how distracted he''d been thest few days. "You''re not really here, are you? What''s going on?"


    Ethan turned from the window, offering a small, tired smile. "Just waiting," he said, his voicecking energy. "Still no word from Mr. Halen. I keep expecting something to happen."


    Jessica studied him for a moment. "The Ascendants," she said, understanding. "You''re worried about them."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I feel like I''m just waiting for the first hit tond. It''s like a calm before a storm, and I hate it."


    Jessica stepped closer, her voice steady and calm. "Look, I know it''s hard not knowing what''s next, but we''ve prepared for this. You''ve done everything you can for now."


    Ethan looked at her, the doubt still visible in his eyes. "I know. It''s just... I keep expecting the worst. I can''t help it."


    "You don''t have to pretend it''s easy," Jessica said simply. "But don''t let it get in the way. We''re in this together, remember?"


    Ethan''s gaze softened, the weight of his worry lifting just a little. "You''re right," he said. "Thanks for keeping me in check."


    "Anytime," Jessica replied with a faint smile. "Now, let''s get back to what we can control."


    Ethan nodded, the hint of a genuine smile tugging at his lips.


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    Jessica took a deep breath and decided to shift the topic. "So, what''s the n with those twenty restaurants? I mean, are we just helping them out of goodwill, or is there something more to it?" she asked, curiositycing her tone.


    Ethan''s expression softened, a small smile forming. "It''s not just charity, Jessica. It''s more about giving before we gain. Those twenty restaurants are going to be the pioneers for BiteWave. They''ll set the standard for what we aim to achieve with the app."


    Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Pioneers? What do you mean?"


    Ethan leaned forward, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. "We''re giving them the best deal possible. Each dish they serve will disy a full list of ingredients so users can see if there''s something they don''t like or are allergic to. And get this—they can even remove ingredients they don''t want."


    Jessica looked skeptical. "Won''t that backfire? If people have too much freedom to customize, it might ruin the dish''s integrity."


    Ethan chuckled, clearly expecting her reaction. "I thought about that. So I added a built-in feature—a ''Taste Meter.''"


    "Taste Meter? Did we discuss this?"


    Ethan shook his head and said, "Nope. But it is necessary. It shows how the vor profile changes when an ingredient is removed. If users choose to remove something, they''ll get feedback on how it affects the taste before they confirm the order. So, users will know exactly what they''re getting, and they can''t leave a negative review if they''ve been warned."


    Jessica''s eyes widened as she processed his exnation. "That''s... actually brilliant. It shifts the responsibility back to the customer. If they don''t like the taste, it''s because they adjusted it themselves."


    "Exactly," Ethan said, pleased to see her understanding. "This way, we maintain the integrity of the dishes while giving users a sense of control. And it''s a level of transparency no other food delivery app offers."


    Jessica nodded, clearly impressed. "That''s a game-changer. People will feel more connected to the food they order—like they''re part of the cooking process."


    Ethan leaned back, a satisfied look on his face. "That''s not all, though. I want you to assign a team to handle the nutritional value assessment for each dish," he said, his tone serious. "We''ve already integrated the feature into the app but need precise and reliable data."


    Jessica''s brows furrowed in surprise. "Wait, when did you manage to add all of these features? I don''t remember them being presented by the team."


    Ethan gave a rxed smile, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I haven''t been sleeping welltely, so I made a few adjustments. I spent somete nights tweaking the app, fixing things, and adding features I thought would make it stand out."


    Jessica shook her head in disbelief. "You just... did it yourself? In the middle of the night?"


    He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I couldn''t sleep, so I figured I might as well improve. Besides, the development team was already doing great—I just polished a few rough edges."


    Jessica was stunned. "A few rough edges?" she echoed incredulously. "Ethan, you''ve practically done the job of a few people! I can''t imagine what the team thought when they saw the changes."


    Ethan smiled yfully. "Most of them were pretty shocked," he admitted. "I think it humbled them a bit. They''ve been doing great work, but I wanted them to see that there''s always room for improvement. I wanted to set the bar higher."


    Jessica''s eyes softened, impressed by his approach. "You''re giving them a challenge," she said thoughtfully. "Showing them what''s possible."


    "Exactly," Ethan said, nodding. "Now they know what I expect, and they''re already stepping up their game. But back to the nutritional value feature—it will be a big deal. We''ll be able to cater to people with dietary needs, health-conscious users, and anyone who wants to make informed choices about what they eat."


    Jessica''s face lit up with understanding. "That''s brilliant," she said, her voice filled with admiration. "People on specific diets, or even just someone watching their calorie intake, can filter out dishes that don''t fit their needs."


    Ethan''s smile deepened. "That''s the goal. I want BiteWave to be a tform that genuinely helps people by delivering food and giving them a deeper connection to what they eat. We''re not just offering convenience—a better way to enjoy food."


    Jessica leaned back, clearly impressed. "I think you''re onto something big, Ethan. This is the kind of detail that''s going to set BiteWave apart from thepetition."


    Ethan leaned forward, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "But BiteWave isn''t just about disying nutritional info or letting people customize dishes. There''s a whole marketing aspect that''ll make us stand out."


    Jessica looked intrigued. "Marketing tools? What else are you nning to do?"


    "David and the marketing team are handling that," Ethan exined. "We''re getting food influencers, reviewers, and other culinary professionals to create content for each restaurant featured on the app. They''ll make honest review videos of the dishes, highlighting what makes them special and why they stand out.


    Plus, we''ll have videos showing the preparation of the dishes—not the full recipes, but enough to give users a sense of the food''s quality."


    Jessica''s brows furrowed slightly. "That''s great for exposure, but won''t it drive more people to the actual restaurants instead of ordering through BiteWave? Wouldn''t that hurt the app''s traffic?"


    Ethan''s smile grew wider, clearly enjoying the conversation. "I thought of that. We discussed it with the teams involved and devised incentives to keep people ordering through the app. We''re offering rewards and loyalty programs—discounts, free delivery after a certain number of orders, and exclusive deals for BiteWave users. It''s all about making BiteWave the preferred choice."


    Jessica''s expression rxed, but she still had one more concern. "But wouldn''t that eat into our profits? If we give away discounts and rewards, won''t it reduce our bottom line?"


    Ethan shook his head. "We ran the numbers, and even with the incentives, we''re still in a good position. Volume is the key. People will return if they enjoy the service and feel connected to the food. Repeat orders are where the real profit lies. We''re not aiming to gouge anyone—we''re aiming for loyalty and engagement."


    Jessica nodded, clearly impressed. "I see your point. But what about those twenty struggling restaurants? We''re investing so much into them, and I''m curious—how do we ensure a return on that investment?"


    Ethan leaned back, his gaze confident. "It''s a win-win—they get exposure, better operations, and a chance to turn things around. Meanwhile, we build our brand and refine our approach with them as the pioneers."


    He added, "At least these restaurants are okay with our arrangements and don''t make unreasonable demands like many other established ces do."


    "And what about the other restaurants that want to join the tformter?" Jessica asked.


    "Any new restaurants that want to board will have to pay an entrance fee," Ethan said. "That''ll cover the cost of creating the video content, the reviews, and everything else we offer. By the time we''re well-established, they''ll see the value of being on BiteWave, and the fees won''t be an issue."


    Jessica smiled, clearly impressed. "You''ve thought of everything. But there''s still one concern—what if those struggling restaurants we''re helping now decide to leave once they gain poprity? If they withdraw after using BiteWave to get back on their feet, we''ll have invested all that time and effort for nothing."


    Ethan''s smile turned yful, though his words had a serious edge. "If that happens," he said with a chuckle, "I''ll just open my own restaurant, using the same concept and theme they''re famous for—only with my ''heavenly'' dishes."


    Jessica shivered, a mix of admiration and genuine concern shing across her face. She knew Ethan wasn''t making an empty threat; his cooking skills were beyond anything she had seen, and if he decided to create his own restaurant, it would likely be a sensation that overshadowed anypetition.


    "Alright, I get it," she said,ughing nervously. "Let''s hope it doesn''te to that because I don''t think anyone couldpete with you if you ever decided to enter the culinary world."


    Ethan''s eyes twinkled with amusement. "Let''s hope not," he said lightly. "But it''s always good to have a backup n, just in case."


    Jessica shook her head with a smile, knowing Ethan''s ambitions were always two steps ahead. "Alright, boss," she said. "Let''s make BiteWave the next big thing."


    Ethan nodded, the determination clear in his gaze. "We will."