Chapter 9

The dining room of *L'Étoile* was a masterclass in pretentious design. Dripping with crystal chandeliers and draped in dark velvet, Julian’s new flagship restaurant was designed to scream luxury. But its centerpiece was the expansive, glass-walled open kitchen, built so the wealthy elite

Chapter 10

The grand dining room of *L'Étoile*, designed to hold two hundred of the city’s wealthiest patrons, was entirely empty save for five people.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the faint, frantic clatter of line cooks furiously scrubbing down their stations behind the glass wall,

Chapter 11

"Order in! Table four needs the venison tasting, and table two is ready for the scallop crudo!"

Clara Vance’s voice rang out, clear, steady, and commanding, cutting effortlessly through the rhythmic hiss of searing pans and the rapid-fire clatter of knives.

"Yes, Chef!" the chorus of