Chapter 6

Julian Thorne woke up with a pounding headache and a foul taste in his mouth.

He rolled over in his king-sized bed, wincing as the morning sunlight pierced through the sheer curtains of his penthouse apartment. Beside him, Serena Croft was still asleep, her blonde hair splayed perfectly

Chapter 7

"The problem with Julian's duck breast wasn't the duck," Clara said, pacing in front of a massive glass whiteboard. "It was the cherry reduction. He insisted on using a port wine base because it sounded expensive on the menu. But it overpowered the meat. If we swap the port for a tart bla

Chapter 8

"Read it again," Julian Thorne snapped, his hands gripping the edge of the stainless-steel prep counter so hard his knuckles were white.

Paul, his newly promoted executive sous-chef, swallowed hard. The young man looked terrified, holding an iPad like it was a live grenade. "Chef, I rea