Ryan heard her and scoffed, “You better work. You are the very best. I am very strict.”
Maya chuckled, “Yes, head chef.”
Ryan then proceeded to show Maya the ropes inside the kitchen. Maya gulped hard from seeing everyone being rushed as if she was in another episode of Hell’s Kitchen.
The food smelled so amazing, and each food they got up for checking at Ryan was heavenly and aesthetically pleasing.
Ryan went around checking each station. He stopped over the garnish station and reminded, “Hey, the garnish can’t be bigger than the meal itself, fix this.”
His tone was calm, but his remarks were precise. Ryan looked intimidating not because he was shouting all the time- he was most times, but because his leadership skills were undeniable and his cooking skills were just perfect.
Maya looked around at the busy cooks, the sound of clanking metals along with the shouts of everyone communicating, the
Both clearly thought that the situation as quite silly. Who to blame? Sally or the super dense Ryan?Maya shook her head. She could still remember that the baldy, even asked them not to tell to Oli that he liked her very much.If he knew that Oli was affected by him not only the friendly side, would he grow hair from frustration?In their minds, they thought, god, how clueless. Oli was obviously blushing because of you. Maya then cleared her throat and said, “Well, have a taste, Oli.”Oli stuttered but soon gained her composure, and she replied, “Yeah, I should.”Oli then dug in the pan-seared salmon first. It was cooked to perfection, and the crispiness went really well with the soft and pinkish salmon meat.The dressing and the soba noodles were so flavorful as well. Oli eyes brightened, before she remarked, “Whoa, Ryan, this must be the best pan-seared you ever cooked for me.”Ry
Ryan cleared his throat upon hearing Oli say something so straightforwardly.He was somewhat displeased for Oli to just compliment someone like that.Without thinking much, Ryan grabbed Oli’s hand and pulled him outside.Oli’s eyes were wide with surprise. When she got a hold of herself, she glared at him and protested, “Hey! I’m your boss! What are you doing?”“Precisely, and you hiding in the kitchen would make it more suspicious, so go out there. Maya’s inside the kitchen so she would be safe.” Ryan explained with a frown.Oli refused to relent. She wanted to talk to Maya further and ask her friend what she planned to do.But… Oli also thought that Ryan did have a point. So she remained silent and let Ryan drag her out.Ryan chuckled as he felt pleased with himself. He told Oli sternly, “Now, we have a job to do, so if you don’t mind, Maya and I will be cooking. Goo
“Oh…” Maya sadly said, but then she forced another smile.She had somewhat forgotten about it―no, actually, she hasn’t, but she was running away from it because she was scared that there was only a slim chance that she’d find her parents. Maya didn’t want to bet everything on that single thread of hope. She said, “It’s fine, Sally, you didn’t have to. I’m okay if it’s just us three and my cooking.”Ryan walked towards the three girls and said, “How many times do I have to tell you that my kitchen is not for your weird conferences?”“Just sit down and listen.” Oli pulled Ryan down to the floor as they all sat there. Ryan instinctively removed his apron for Oli to sit down on it. Ryan said, “Don’t sit on the floor. It’s cold.”Sally and Maya shot each other a look and giggled.Oli cleared her throat and changed the subject, “
“Watch and learn, Sally.” Oli confidently said as she strutted her way to Pedro’s seat. She gave him a big smile and said, “You’re becoming a regular here, sir.”Pedro looked at Oli, confused, and he didn’t look too pleased. Oli cleared her throat to save her from the awkward silence and continued, “I’m Oli, I’m the owner here. We met a couple of days back.”“I remember, and so?”“Uh, well, so… I was wondering….” Oli stuttered as she quickly thought about the next thing she would say, “Do you maybe want to upgrade to our VIP list? I mean, it has better benefits; discounts, and I would gladly walk you through it. So, do you want to?”Pedro sighed, annoyed, and then he glared at Oli as he said, “Do I look like someone with no money?”“I’m sorry?”“I said do I look like someone who’s broke
Oli was completely terrified from within. But, she didn’t have any other idea left, so this was the best course of action for her.Unbeknownst to her, Ryan was also just across the room, looking like the girl she likes to kiss someone else.Suddenly, someone announced through the speakers, “On behalf of the restaurant’s owner, Oli, requested me to announce a missing person case. A few days back, a girl dropped by here and was searching for her parents―”Upon hearing that, Pedro instinctively flinched and pulled away from Oli.Oli thought to herself, oh, thank god! It’s about time, Sally! She was so relieved that she felt like crying.Oli noticed how Pedro almost instantly reacted, and it just proved their assumptions: Pedro knew about Maya’s whereabouts and perhaps was still looking for her.Pedro’s gaze was fixated on the speaker.Their plan worked.Sally continued to sa
Sally sighed out of relief, as both Oli and Ryan have seemed to calm down now. She was glad it did not get out of hand. Sally has always been the group’s mediator with her grounded and logical thinking.Sally asked, “Well, do you still have that alcohol you supposedly made for Maya?”“Yeah, I do, but why?”“We might have to use it on Pedro.” Sally gulped hard and continued, “And I guess I’ll have to pull out another one of those dancer costumes. Once Pedro’s guard is down, we can know more. So Oli, each shot, you’ll have to find a reason not to drink it. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting drunk instead.”“That may be hard, but sure, I’ll try,” Oli said while gritting her teeth. She was in a bad mood and did not know if she could do what she was supposed to.Sally grabbed her costume, and the two of them went up to the private lounge to meet Pedro as he cas
Sam was casually brushing his teeth as he remarked, “Well, well, look who’s up and about?”“Sam? What the hell are you doing here?” Pedro asked before he sighed in dismay.He then frowned when he saw Sam and realized that he was barely wearing anything. Then it registered to him that he, himself was that same!Goosebumps appeared on his skin as he thought of the worse.With full of horror, he asked, “You… Why… Why are you naked? Why am I you damn naked? What the hell happened last night?” Earlier, he was so out of it to realize his current situation, and now he was worried that he was on the verge of hitting something.“Whoa! Whoa! Calm down tiger, first of all, and I’m not gay,” Sam replied. He even scoffed as if the idea was something he was not able to accept at all.He then added, “Second, Alexander practically forced me to go back here in Russia when I speci
He said to Sam before leaving, “Clean up your messes and don’t bring girls in my apartment, go stay elsewhere.”“Oh, come on, let me stay here. You owe me.” Sam whined, “I told you I didn’t want to go to such a cold place, but Alexander forced me. I basically did not have a choice. I had to deal with the branch here in Russia.”“Look, I could barely care about what you and Alexander discussed, but it’s your problem.” Pedro added seriously, “I’m just glad that Alexander could not come here himself. If he found Maya, who knows how much this wedding would go to such catastrophe.”Damn it. Pedro thought to himself, Why the hell did Stephanie have to choose a guy who does not even like her? Was she that desperate?Still, Pedro left after tossing a key to Sam and said, “Here’s a room. Feel free to stay there but don’t bother me again. Deal wit