Chapter 46

• RICHARD'S POV
• Tension crackled in the air Like the sizzle of hot oil. The stainless steel counters reflected not only the bright overhead lights but also the high stakes of the competition laid out before us. I stood at my station, a collection of ingredients lined up like soldiers ready for battle. Across from me, Chef Baptiste was a picture of concentrated arrogance, his knives laid out with surgical precision.
• I could feel the skeptical glares burning into my back. Just hours ago, I had made a secret purchase from the Ultra-billionaire system—a comprehensive set of elite cooking skills. It felt like cheating, but in this cutthroat world, I needed every advantage. I tied my apron, the murmur of the staff around me was impossible to ignore.