Introduction

The stage lights seared, the bitterness of defeat choking me.

Julian Vance, my mentor, my guide, held Chloe Davies' hand high in victory – my best friend, clutching my trophy, won with my family' s recipes.

Cameras zoomed in on her tear-streaked, happy face as I screamed accusations, met only with pity.

My desperate attempt at sabotage backfired, solidifying my reputation as a sore loser, my career over, my family' s legacy a joke.

Humiliation burned, consuming everything until nothing was left.

Then, I blinked.

Harsh fluorescent kitchen lights, the metallic scent of stainless steel, the sweet aroma of butter and sugar – I was back.

Back to the final patisserie presentation, clutching a piping bag, standing between Chloe and Julian.

He inspected our cakes, mine flawless, hers a rich chocolate raspberry torte – the first recipe she stole.

"Your technique is flawless, Ava," he' d said, "but it has no soul."

Then he' d turned to Chloe, his voice dripping with paternal pride, "This, my dear, has heart. A talent that cannot be taught."

Chloe had blushed, claiming it an "old family recipe." A lie. My family' s recipe.

He declared her the winner, his prodigy.

His proprietary gleam wasn' t just simple favoritism; it was calculated.

He never just witnessed her betrayal; he orchestrated it.

My ruin was his design, a deliberate elevation of her, a calculated dismissal of me.

This time, there would be no screaming. This time, I knew.