Chapter 4

The Lakeside Annual Baking Championship was the social and culinary event of the season. Tents were spread across a vast, manicured lawn by the water, each one housing a different vendor or a stage for demonstrations. The air was thick with the smell of caramelized sugar, yeasted bread, and grilling sausages. In my past life, I had come here as a spectator, watching with a hollow heart as Chloe was celebrated on the main stage.

This time, I was a competitor.

I had spent the past weeks poring over my grandmother' s journals. I found more than just recipes. I found her story. I found faded newspaper clippings of her wins, and I found her handwritten notes about a rival, Antoine Dubois, who constantly accused her of stealing his work. She wrote about his bitterness, his ambition, and his underhanded tactics. In a hidden pocket at the back of her 1985 journal, I found a sealed letter. It was a warning to her future self, or perhaps to me, detailing a specific incident where Dubois had tried to sabotage her entry at the state fair by swapping out her sugar with salt. My grandmother had caught it at the last minute. The letter ended with a chilling line: "Talent incites envy, my dear. Trust your instincts, but never trust a rival with a bruised ego."

Armed with this knowledge, I felt a strange sense of calm. This was bigger than me. I was fighting for her, too.

I had submitted my application for the championship using a new, innovative recipe I had developed myself-a fusion of my grandmother' s classic techniques with modern, unexpected flavors. It was a risk, but it was a declaration. I was not just my grandmother' s heir; I was my own baker.

My entry had been accepted. Now, I walked through the crowded festival grounds, my head held high. I had chosen my outfit carefully: a simple but sharp white chef' s coat, embroidered with my family name, "Reed."

People started to notice me.

"Isn' t that Eleanor Reed' s granddaughter?" I heard someone whisper.

"I thought she was at the academy in the city."

"I heard she lost the top spot to another local girl, Chloe Davies."

"Oh, yes! The one Julian Vance is backing. They say she' s a genius. Her bakery is opening next month."

The whispers followed me, a wave of gossip and speculation. They confirmed what I already knew: the narrative was set. Chloe was the prodigy, and I was the runner-up.

Then, I saw them. Chloe and Julian were standing by the main stage, giving an interview to a local TV reporter. Chloe was dressed in a soft pink dress, looking sweet and humble. Julian stood beside her, beaming with pride.

They saw me at the same time I saw them. The reporter' s interview finished, and they made a beeline for me, their smiles tight and unfriendly.

"Ava. What a surprise to see you here," Chloe said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I didn' t know you were competing."

"There are a lot of things you don' t know, Chloe," I replied evenly.

Julian stepped forward, his shadow falling over me. He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on the "Reed" embroidered on my coat. A flicker of contempt crossed his face.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Especially after the scene you made at the academy."

"I have every right to be here," I said, refusing to be intimidated. "I' m a finalist."

Julian laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "A finalist? Don' t make me laugh. You got lucky. Your technical skills might be enough to get you through the door, but you don' t have what it takes to win. You don' t have the artistry. You don' t have the soul."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper so only I could hear. "Chloe is going to win this. She is going to be a star. And you... you will be nothing but a footnote in her story. A bitter little girl who couldn't handle defeat."

His words were meant to cut, to dismantle my confidence before the competition even began. But they didn't. They were the words of a man terrified that the truth might come out. He wasn't just supporting Chloe; he was actively trying to destroy me. And that told me everything I needed to know. I had him scared.