Chapter 8 ~That man is Feng's father~

"It’s not like, I can hide anything from you, Head chef." Kristi gaze up at Simon with anxiousness. "You're indeed right. It's about Feng. He keeps being rude to Rina and that's why I scolded him at morning. I... I just don't want to cause any trouble to Rina or you who have showered me tremendous kindness, generosity and love that I have imagine in my whole life. That's why, I can't have Feng to cause trouble."

He quietly gazed down at her then he approached his hand closer to her soft cheek, giving it a light pinch on both sides, startling her. "Why're you even trying to carry some unnecessary burden now. They're always like that. They both love teasing and competing with one another. We both know despite how Rina complains, she still loves it. So, don't think too much about it."

She avoided his gaze, feeling downhearted, "You're still kind, Simon. You and Rina, you're both like my guardian angel."

"G-Guardian angel?" He then suddenly burst into laughter, blushing with a wide grin across his face, "Why're you so adorable?"

"Adorable?" She widen her gaze while staring at him who was widely grinning. She couldn't help but smile alongside with him. Finally got witnessing her smile, he patted on her shoulder and reassured her, "Rina loves Feng like her own son. So, don't give any kind of pressure to yourself. Okay? If she ever finds you're thinking this way, you can imagine how she'll react, right?"

She suddenly felt heavy in her heart just by imagining Rina's reaction. "Y-Yeah, she's scary."

"So, In want you to remember this. Rina and I both adores you and Feng more than you think. Don't ever feel pressure when it comes to us. We want you and Feng to be happy." Simon held her hand tenderly with a gentle smile and continued, "You're special to me." Suddenly, his heart started to beat rapidly upon his word and added it quickly, "For Rina as well. You and Feng are special to us." He then let go of her hand. "So, don't worry and overthink anymore now."

Hearing his reassurance, she felt warm in her heart. With a wide grin, she nodded her head, "Absolutely. You guys are also special to me." However, in the depths of her heart, she still couldn't help but feel guilty. She could only recall taking from them and never returning back. She wanted to do anything for them as soon as possible even though she knew very well neither Simon or Rina expect anything in return but only her faith and love. She held his hand with wide grin and expressed her gratitude, "Thank you very much, Simon. You're truly a great person. I'm so glad that I met you."

His complexion turn entirely red and he could no longer look at her eyes. "Ah-hummm!" Clearing his throat, he glanced at other side. Suddenly, he recalled an important matter. “Oh! By the way, the entire restaurant has been reserved by a V.I.P people. You know that right?”

She nodded her head, “Yeah, I do.”

“Then,” he smiled, “I’m sure you know too that if we succeed tonight, we'll get a great bonus for this month and more importantly; you'll have a great opportunity for promotion to be a head chef. Isn't that great?”

“Yeah," she nodded her head with a serious expression, "So that’s why I can't let go of this opportunity out of my hand. I'll do my best tonight.”

This opportunity was very important for her. If she gets a promotion then she'll be able to earn more money so that she doesn’t have to worry about fulfilling Feng every desire without any hassle. This was the opportunity once for life. On top of that, she wanted to do something for Rina and Simon.

~ At 10:30 P.M~

Nina rushed to the kitchen where Kristi, Simon and other Head chef was making the dishes. “The V.I.P are already here." Anxiously, she inquired, "Are the dishes ready?”

Emma nodded glancing at the dishes, “Yeah, it’s all prepared. But, weren't they coming at 11?”

Kristi nodded her head with a frown, “Yeah, The time was 11. Anyways,” A relief smile took place on her soft lips “Glad, we had prepared everything ahead.”

Emma smiled agreeing with her, “Right!"

Suddenly, there was an anxious voice coming from th door, “Chef Emma! There is big trouble.”

“Trouble?” Emma frown, “What happened?”

“Red Lobster! Our main dish tastes awful.” Jack informed showing the dishes on the plate. Simon and Emma immediately tried and it was true.

“How could this happen?” Simon frowned in disbelief. It had never happened before after all.

Nina's heart sank with nervousness, “What do we do now?”

Mia, the young waitress, anxiously informed, “Chefs, Boss is ordering to take the dishes to our V.I.P customer immediately. Please, Hurry up.”

They were growing anxious. The primary issue was that chefs had to show up no matter what. Jack, Emma, and Simon were unable to stay to redo it. "I... I'll do it." They turned to hear a gentle voice that suddenly caught their attention. Kristi was the one who took a step forward.

Emma was relieved to hear it, however she couldn't help but remained concerned. “But, we haven't taught you to make this dish and we can't—”

“Trust her,” Simon interrupt her with faith in his eyes.

Jack also added, “Yeah, Believe in Kristi now. We need to go now. Hurry up! There is no time to waste.”

Emma sighed, “Alright then.” She then glances at Kristi with a faith in her gaze, “Best of luck.”

Kristi smiled, nodding, “Sure! Thank you for putting your trust on me.” Simon then gently placed his hand on her shoulder with a smile which made her feel at ease. He then went straight to the table with Jack and Emma while carrying two dishes in each of their hand where two V.I.P were facing each other. They served the dishes on the table with respect.

The boss suddenly notice that the main dish, Ref lobster, was missing which caused him to grew anxious. He glared at the chefs which made them nervously smile at him.

Across the table, A sophisticated woman sat in a sensual red bodycon dress with her leg crossed. Her exquisite curly hair fell to her shoulder, highlighting her flawless jawline, round eyebrows, and grey eyes. Her lips were heavy on the top. With a dubious look, she surveyed the food before asking, "As long as I know, I believe the main dish would be Red Lobster. So why can't I see anywhere?" Her words had a tinge of disappointment.

The boss gulped feeling his body trembling. Not in a million years does he want those V.I.P person to get offended in anyway. “Well...” he then quickly glance at Simon who quickly spoke up, “Apologise for the trouble, Ma'am. According to our restaurant cultures and dining traditions, it is believed that saving the main dish to be eaten last allows you to end the meal on a high note with the most flavorful and satisfying part of the meal. By savoring the main dish as the final part of the meal, it can leave a lasting impression and ensure that the best taste is experienced at the end."

“Is that so? It wasn't the same last time,” her gaze turn cold, "Are you sure you're not hiding something?"

Simon smiled, brightly, "Definitely no. You're our special V.I.P guest. We want to serve you at our best."

Upon hearing his response, it quite made her happy. Nodding her head, she said, "Alright."

They sighed relief in their heart secretly. The boss was quite impressed by Simon and he knew he could rely on him. However the woman's mood abruptly altered when she noticed the man in the suit sitting in front of her staring coldly at his food. "Just serve it quickly," she ordered with no intention of hearing another excuse.

Simon fell in daze unable to think anything and so did other. They were starting to panic. They knew that unless they bring the main dish, it won't solve the problem.

“Ma’am, Here's the dish.” Suddenly, Simon and others heard the familiar voice from behind. It was indeed Kristi who put the dish on the table and apologized politely, “I apologize, Ma'am. I—”

“Alright! Alright! All of you can go now. Don’t disturb us.” The lady dismiss them coldly. Kristi and others bowed their head showing respect and left quietly without disturbing them.

In the kitchen, Emma widely grinned while holding Kristi's hand. "You're our life savior. Thank you so much, Kristi." She was truly grateful.

Jack nodded his head agreeing with her, flashing a relief smile, "You're our life savior. If it weren't for you, I can't imagine what would have happened, honestly. You were a hero, an angel descended from heaven to save our life.Thank you so much."

Kristi awkwardly smiled, "It wasn't a big deal. Also, can you stop exaggerating it anymore."

Simon, who was sitting at the side feeling proud of Kristi. He was truly content from within his heart. While he was busy admiring her, a sudden pat on his back startled him. It was Nina who was slyly smirking at him as though she can see right through his head. She slightly leaned closer and said, "You'll make a hole through her head if you keep staring at her anymore, head chef!" Before he could say anything, she rushed towards Emma. He couldn't help but sighed heavily and mumbled underneath his voice while feeling his face burning, "Was I staring too much at her?"

Nina excitingly inquired, "Head chef Emma, did you saw that? Hmm? Hmm?"

"Saw?" Emma was perplexed. "What?"

Nina nudge with a smirk, "Oh, come on, head chef! You know what I mean. I'm referring to that guy in a black suit with that wrecked lady. Damn! How could anyone be so handsome? That kind of gergeous heavenly face, I've only seen on television. What's more, when I look at him, I feel as though I've seen him before.” A person suddenly crossed her mind, “Ahh! He resembles Feng. Yes, it appears as though Feng and the man in the black suit are identical copies of one another. Like that man is Feng's father and—” Emma abruptly covered her mouth and pinched her waist, causing Nina to realize what she had said.

On the other hand, Kristi's body had gone numb when she heard Nina. "What do you mean?” she hesitantly inquired.

“O-Oh, to put it another way, they both appear attractive, and Feng will undoubtedly become just as handsome as him or perhaps more so as he gets older." Nina walked closer to her and held her hand gently, "I'm sorry if my word hurt you." She apologized sincerely as she truly felt like she shouldn’t have put it that way after knowing that, Kristi was a single mother.

"Ah, I see. I-I'll go to washroom." She then immediately walked out and she could feel her heart thumping against her body rapidly. After taking few steps, she suddenly felt weak over her feat and she couldn't take another step.

She couldn't help but want to look at his face to confirm it. When she went to serve the Red Lobster, she couldn't see his face since she was facing his back. She walked to the other side to see his face. Suddenly, she saw him even though the distance between them was far away and she could barely see it, there was no doubt about it. She didn't want to believe what she saw. She fell on her knees with horror residing on her trembling gaze. "No, it can't be."