Chapter 3

The kitchen was a sanctuary of gleaming stainless steel and controlled chaos.

Chefs moved in a synchronized, high-speed dance, shouting orders and plating food with military precision. The air was thick with the scent of truffle oil and searing meat.

I marched to the sink and shoved my hand under the cold water tap.

The relief was instant, but the damage was already done. The skin was beginning to peel, angry and red.

"Let me see."

The voice was deep, gravelly. It didn't belong to a chef.

I looked up.

Austin Gordon stood there.

He was the head chef, but everyone knew he didn't belong in a traditional kitchen. He moved too quietly for a big man. He held a knife with a precision that was less culinary and more terrifying.

He was known as "The Butcher" in a former life. A cleaner. A legend who had walked away to paint and cook.

He took my wrist. His touch was gentle, surprisingly cool against my burning skin.

He inspected the burn. His jaw tightened.

"Who?" he asked. One word.

"The tourist," I said.

Austin reached for a clean towel and wrapped it around a handful of ice. He pressed it to my hand.

"She doesn't respect the house," Austin said.

Before I could answer, the kitchen doors swung open.

Jaden marched in.

She had no business being back here. The kitchen was for staff only. It was the engine room.

"I want the Wagyu," she announced to the room, ignoring the busy line cooks. "And put that cheap caviar on it. The black stuff."

She spotted me at the sink.

She pulled out her phone.

"Connor needs to see this," she said.

She started a video call.

The screen lit up. Connor's face appeared. He looked stressed. He was in a conference room. Behind him, I saw men in dark suits.

The Apex Cartel.

These were the investors he was trying to impress. Dangerous men. Men who ate weak leaders for breakfast.

"Babe," Jaden whined into the phone. "The waitress. She was rude. She threw a drink. And now she's hiding in the kitchen."

She flipped the camera to face me.

I didn't hide.

I stared directly into the lens. I held up my bandaged hand.

Connor saw it. He saw the ice. He saw the anger in my eyes.

He knew. He knew Jaden was lying.

"Blake," Connor's voice came through the speaker, tinny and strained. "Is there a problem?"

"She burned me, Connor," I said. "And your Capo watched."

Connor glanced behind him at the Cartel members. They were watching him. Judging his control over his own house.

He panicked.

He needed to look strong. He needed to look like a boss who could control his women and his workers.

"Apologize, Blake," Connor said.

The kitchen went silent. Even the sizzling pans seemed to quiet down.

"What?" I asked.

"Apologize to Jaden," Connor said, his voice rising. "Stop causing drama. I am in a meeting."

"She poured boiling water on me," I said.

"I don't care!" Connor shouted. "Do as you are told! Kneel if you have to! Just make her happy!"

Kneel.

The word echoed off the stainless steel tiles.

He wanted David Shaw's daughter to kneel.

He wanted a queen to bow to a peasant just to save his own fragile ego.

Austin stepped forward. He stood next to me, a silent wall of muscle.

I looked at the phone.

"You want me to kneel?" I asked softly.

"Yes!" Connor screamed. "Fix it!"

I reached out with my good hand.

I snatched the phone from Jaden. She was too shocked to stop me.

I looked at Connor one last time. I looked at the man I had planned to marry.

"I don't kneel," I said.

I ended the call.

I dropped the phone into the deep fryer.

It sizzled and popped as it sank into the boiling oil.

Jaden screamed.

"Lock the doors," I said.

I didn't shout. I didn't have to.

Austin moved instantly. He walked to the back exit and threw the deadbolt.

"What are you doing?" Jaden shrieked. "You're fired! You're dead!"

I untied my apron.

It fell to the floor, stained with dishwater and grease.

Underneath, I was wearing black slacks and a silk blouse.

I wasn't a waitress anymore.

"I'm not fired," I said.

"I'm the landlord."