Chapter 4: Samantha Was The Key

From inside his hotel room, John Garcia, the executive assistant of Ethan Wright, was collecting his belongings, getting ready to leave for the airport. 

Since he already had made Samantha Davis sign the contract, his work was already done. He needed to return to his boss where more and more work awaited him.

As he was about the leave, he meant to report to his boss the time that he will be arriving. He called Ethan Wright on the phone. With just one ring, the CEO of Wright Diamond Corporation answered, "Did she sign it?"

It took a second for John to realize that his boss was following up on the contract with Samantha Davis. "Ah, yes, boss. She did. We met yesterday," he answered before thinking about breaking the bad news.

"What is it?" His boss asked.

When John realized he gave himself away, he revealed, "Ah, Mr. Wright... She... Um. She has children -  two to be exact."

Silence could easily be heard on the other line. It practically took nearly a minute for John to hear Ethan speak again, "Why would you bring that up to me? We hired her for the job and as long as she can do the job well, it doesn't matter!"

"I am not one to look down on a married woman!" The phone went dead soon after.

John's boss did not even let him finish explaining Samantha's situation. Now, his boss completely misunderstood Samantha Davis' circumstance. 

"Oh, well. Just when I thought I found the woman that would melt the ice!" Remarked John before getting out the door. 

*** FLASHBACK***

Four days back when Ethan first saw Samantha in Monroe City. 

The great and powerful Ethan Wright had been invited to dinner by a co-investor while they were in town. He and his assistant, John Garcia was told, they were to dine at the best restaurant in the city of Monroe!

A man of great stance suddenly graced the humble hotel. Ethan was tall, blessed with a fine physique, and striking good looks. His dark brown eyes were so intense, studying the surroundings of the hotel, mentally evaluating. 

When Ethan stepped foot at The Emerald's lobby, a mere four-star hotel, he frowned and looked down to his assistant. He said, "Find a way to leave. This is not good enough for me."

Given that Monroe City was not that popular, Ethan wasn't planning on eating at a four-star hotel. He had very high standards for his meals. 

John Garcia's eyes widened at his boss' suggestion. He leaned over and said, "But boss, we are already here and Mr. Wilson said, it's an excellent restaurant!"

"John, look at the floor. It isn't glossy enough... Clearly, management did not give much care and attention to the refurbishment of this hotel," said Ethan before tightening his eyes. 

Ethan Wright was born with a silver spoon. His family was old rich, and he was used to the splendor of their wealth. Rarely did he settle for anything less than a four and a half-star hotel. 

Their co-investor, Mr. Wilson, easily found them as he came walking in from the hotel's entrance.

"Mr. Wright! Over here!" Called Mr. Wilson. "I'm glad you decided to join us for dinner." 

Mr. Wilson leaned forward and suggested, "Trust me when I say, you will have the most gastronomical delight... here at the hotel's fine dining restaurant!" 

"I'm a shareholder of this hotel, by the way. If you like what you eat, feel free to invest in this property. Haha!" An audible laugh followed Mr. Wilson's suggestion. He was so engrossed at his own proposal that he missed seeing the clear grimace on Ethan's face. 

"You find this amusing, Mr. Wilson? Did you bring me out here for the possibility of wasting my money over this outdated hotel?" In his dominating tone, Ethan spoke of his displeasure and it easily gave Mr. Wilson the chills. 

"Um. No - No! Mr. Wright. I - I was just joking," reasoned Mr. Wilson. "However, truth be told, our restaurant here is one of the best. It's thanks to our lovely and beautiful chef, Miss Samantha Davis. In fact, she had recently received recognition for her outstanding culinary skills!"

As if on cue, Samantha came rushing in from the other side of the hotel lobby, coming back from the hotel restroom. 

"Oh! Sorry!" She ended up bumping into the great man himself, Ethan Wright. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to. Are you okay?"

Samantha just placed a hand on Ethan's arm, not minding or carefully looking at his face. Her head was too occupied, eager to return to work. 

"Oh, Mr. Wilson. Hope everything is fine. I need to get ready for dinner," Samantha explained, suggesting she was leaving him to take care of the frowning man whom she bumped into. 

"It's okay, Sam. Go ahead," responded Mr. Wilson. 

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Wilson explained th Ethan, "That was our head chef, Miss Davis. I'm sorry - "

"It's fine. Let's have dinner there now," Ethan quickly replied while his eyes were glued at the girl with golden curls, making her way to the restaurant. 

Standing next to Ethan, his assistant, John, did not miss seeing how his boss was suddenly staring at a girl, much more, allow the same person, touch his clothing!

Ethan Wright never liked the approaches of women. This was exactly why he had a male assistant. 

John's eyes shifted back and forth from Samantha to his boss and only after a few seconds did he admit it was true. His boss was ogling at a woman for the first time!

What was even more surprising was how Ethan Wright was suddenly willing to eat at a restaurant with floors that aren't slippery glossy enough! Heck! Ethan even left him behind!

His boss was walking straight to the restaurant and his eyes never left the beautiful chef with golden hair. 

Finding their seats, John was even more shocked that Ethan was not muttering any complaints. He simply chose the set menu of his preference and observed the surroundings. Clearly, to John's point of view, Ethan was searching for the chef whom they call Miss Samantha Davis. 

When their meals were served, Ethan and John were both in dreamland. Each time they put their forks in their mouths, they gave pleasant reactions. 

"Wow! This is... the best, right, Boss?" John remarked. 

Mr. Wilson raised his hands before telling, "What did I tell you? Amazing, right?"

"Hmmm. Good," said Ethan. "G-o-o-d."

Just as they were appreciating the dishes, the chef came out of the kitchen being praised by the diners. Apparently, it was a custom for Samantha to appear before their guests in the middle of their dinner. 

John saw as Ethan stared at the chef and he heard him say, "The food is beautiful."

'The food is beautiful?' John asked himself. 

Both Mr. Wilson and John fell confused. The assistant had to clarify his boss' words, "Which one sir, the food or the chef is beautiful?"

"The food, John! I mean... the presentation," Ethan insisted.

When they all saw Samantha's angelic smile, John and Mr. Wilson smiled back. They could not help but be influenced by the chef's beauty. 

It was from then on that Ethan made the decision and he said, "I want her. I want her to be the executive chef at the First Diamond Hotel."

John's eyes widened. He explained to his boss, "Oh, but Mr. Wright. We already hired an executive chef - "

"Demote him ... I don't care," suggested Ethan. "I have never been so satisfied with a meal since I can remember. We need to have her."

Ethan turned to Mr. Wilson and said, "Can you make that happen, Mr. Wilson?"

"I'll sure arrange that Mr. Wright," confirmed Mr. Wilson. "In as much as we would hate to let go of such a talented chef, there is no disappointing Mr. Ethan Wright."

"Good that you know," said Ethan. 

John Garcia might have just considered it as a passing attraction, one which his boss never had in the past. However, what generally made him conclude that Ethan was affected by Samantha's charms was the fact that they had a second... and third round of meals!

Their party practically tasted all three set-menus for that evening!

At the end of their third meal, Ethan explained, "I wanted to taste every dish they have to offer. I wanted to test the chef's consistency."

John would have easily believed him if not for the fact that in each dinner schedule, he would simply gape at the chef in each of her every appearance.

In the end, they stayed for an entire five hours at the same establishment and John's butt hurt like hell, just sitting down for hours, but to him, it was rewarding. That night, John Garcia saw a different side of Ethan Wright and he concluded that Samantha was the key.

*** END OF FLASHBACK ***