CHAPTER TWO
"Hey everyone! Listen up!" the General Manager called ou as his voice echoed in the kitchen.
All the chefs came out of their stations, lining up one after the other, awaiting his instructions.
"I just got a call from the CEO of Kora's empire," he announced, his eyes scanned the room before landing on Cherry.
"He's coming here in less than an hour, and I want him to have an unforgettable experience."
He paused for a moment before calling out,
"Chef Cherry, step forward!"
She did, her head bowed awaiting what he had to say.
"I trust you, Chef Cherry," he said with confidence.
"I want you to take charge of preparing the dishes tonight."
"Alright, boss got it!" Cherry replied.
"Make sure to bring your A-game to this."
"Noted boss, what's the menu looking like?"
"Appetizers, entrees, desserts, the whole shebang.
And I want it all to be perfect. No mistakes, no mishaps.
We need to show the CEO what we're made of."
"Got it, boss. I'll get started right away."
"Alright, let's move, people!" the General Manager clapped his hands together.
"We've got less than an hour to make this happen. Let's show the CEO what we're made of!" he said and left.
The kitchen erupted into a lot of activity as the chefs scrambled to their stations, pots clanged, pans sizzled.
The whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire through the kitchen, as the other chefs couldn't help but express their discontent.
"I mean, what's so special about Cherry?" one chef asked, with envy in her voice.
"She's not even the most skilled one here. Chef Collins is way better than her."
"I know, right?" another chef chimed in. "I think there's something fishy going on between Cherry and the boss.
He's always praising her, always giving her the spotlight. It's like he's trying to make her the star of the show or something."
"Shh, keep your voices down!" a third chef warned, glancing nervously around the kitchen.
"You don't want to get on the boss's bad side. He's not afraid to fire people who cross him."
Coincidentally, the boss walked in with his ever commanding presence.
"Chef Cherry!" he called out.
"Yes, boss!" Cherry replied, quickly rushing out of the kitchen to meet him.
"He's coming with his wife, double the dishes!"
He scanned the kitchen to make sure everything was in order.
"Noted, boss!"
*
*
Half an hour later, the guests arrived, and the restaurant was a bustling hub of activity.
Glass clinked, and spoons scraping against bowls.
The General Manager welcomed the CEO and his wife to the restaurant.
"Bienvenido a Este restauranté." (Welcome to this restaurant)
"Thank you for honoring this invitation after so long," he said with a handshake.
The CEO, a tall, imposing figure with a quick wit, chuckled and replied,
"Oh, it's nothing, just got a little free time and it's my wife's birthday, so I saw it as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."
The General Manager smiled and gestured to the table.
"Do have your seats, please. I'll be right back."
*
*
*
"Are you done, Chef?" the General Manager called out with a husky voice.
"They have arrived!"
"Yes, I'm done!" Cherry replied, her hands moved swiftly as she added the final touches to the dishes.
Just as she was about to lift the last tray, She stumbled upon the table beside her, and a sharp object bounced into the delicacy, without her noticing.
"All done!" she announced in confidence.
The butlers swooped in, their faces expressionless, and began to carry the dishes out to the CEO and his wife.
*
*
*
*
Half way into the meal, the CEO inquired, "Who deserves credit for this exquisite cuisine?
I recognize the recipe, but who invested the time and effort to prepare it?"
The CEO's wife attempted to respond, "Yes, it's very..." but her words trailed off as she took a final bite.
Her eyes widened in distress as she struggled to speak, "It's very delic..."
The General Manager began to answer,
"It's umm, Chef..." but his words were cut short as he noticed the CEO's wife choking.
She frantically cried out,
"Water! Water!"
She was handed a glass of water, but even after taking a sip, she continued to choke, gasping
"Belch! Belch!!"
The CEO's concern turned to alarm as he asked,
"Honey, what's wrong?"
The CEO's wife managed to gasp,
"Something's stuck in my throat."
The General Manager's frustration boiled over as he exclaimed,
"What in the hell...!"
One of the butlers came into the scene.
His swift action dislodged the object from the CEO's wife's throat, and the room erupted into chaos.
The pin clattered onto the table, and the onlookers gasped in unison,
"It's a pin!"
"It's a pin!!"
"How did it get there!"
"How did it get there!!"
Meanwhile, Cherry stood frozen behind the glass door opposite the scene, unable to come out as her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Her mind raced with thoughts.
"I wasn't even near a pin, how could I have been so careless? No, no, no, I can't afford to lose this job again." She felt her heart sink.
The CEO's wife, still shaken, clutched her throat, her eyes wide with fear.
*
*
*
*
The scene faded back in, with the Boss standing in the kitchen, his face was filled with disappointment.
He surveyed the room, his eyes landed on each of the chefs before coming to rest on Cherry.
"Chef Cherry."
"I thought I could trust you. I thought you were the best we had."
Cherry stood, her eyes cast downward, unable to meet the Boss's gaze.
She knew she had let him down, and the weight of that knowledge was crushing her.
"How did a pin end up in the CEO's wife's dish?" the Boss demanded.
Without giving the boss a chance to speak further, Cherry hastily defended herself, her words tumbled out in a rush as her heart beat fast.
"Boss, you have to believe me, I didn't do anything! It was Samantha who sabotaged the dish!"
The boss's eyes widened in shock.
"What are you saying, Cherry?"
Cherry continued, her voice shaking,
"I saw…I saw her putting something in the dishes! I swear on my life, I didn't do it!"
The other chefs gasped in surprise.
Samantha vehemently denied the accusation, "I didn't do that! She's falsely accusing me!"
The boss intervened, demanding silence.
"Silence everyone!"
"Cherry, are you certain about what you're saying?"
Cherry nodded emphatically.
"Yes, boss, I saw her, but I thought she was just helping to arrange the dishes. I had no idea she was sabotaging them!"
The boss's assistant intervened,
"Let's not jump to conclusions. We have a CCTV camera in the kitchen, let's review the footage."
Cherry's eyes widened in panic as she thought, "Oh no, I didn't think of that!"
The footage was played, and it clearly showed Cherry handling the setting of the dishes alone, with no assistance.
The boss turned to her, with a stern voice
"Cherry, it's clear you lied.
Estoy decepcionado deti, Cherry. (I'm disappointed in you, Cherry).
You had no help, and yet you accused Samantha of sabotaging the dish.
Why did you choose to lie and falsely accuse your coworker?"
"You could have cost Samantha her job with your reckless lie."
"I can explain, boss…" Cherry fell to her knees, pleading.
"The only thing you can do here is to walk through that door!
"Estás despedido
You're fired Cherry!"
His deep voice left no room for argument.
With the intensity of his voice, she left with shock, almost reaching the door when he called her back.
"Stop!"
She turned back hoping for a pardon.
"Collins!" he barked, summoning another chef.
"Yes boss!" Collins responded, stepping forward.
"Strip that apron off her and take all the utensils off her table!" the boss ordered with an unforgiving voice.
Cherry was humiliated as Collins approached her, he was sympathetic but he had to carry out orders.
He gently removed the apron from her waist and began to clear the utensils from her workstation.
She stood there defeated, as the boss's words echoed in her mind: "You're fired."
Cherry shamelessly walked through the door.