Peter sits up straight, suddenly very serious. “We have to murder him.”
Eden chuckles. “Funny.”
“No,” Freddie says, “he’s right. Hector needs to go.”
Rina nods in agreement. “We can lure him behind the restaurant and stab him.”
“But my knives are my babies,” Peter says. “I say we knock him on the back of the head with a tenderizer, stuff his body into the corner of the walk-in freezer, and burn the whole damn restaurant to the ground.”
“Christ,” Eden says, looking between her friends. “You’re all joking, right?”
“Yes,” the three of them grumble bitterly.
Eden knows they’re lying.
Shang leans back in his chair, casually draping an arm over Eden’s shoulder. She likes how he twirls the ends of her hair around his finger absentmindedly.
“I’m sorry you guys are going through this,” he says. “If you need a letter of recommendation or something, I’d be happy to write it for you. Although I’m not sure if my name holds much weight anymore. Sebastian’s probably put my reputation through the meat grinder already.
Freddie grimaces. “Yeah, we heard. It’s all the culinary magazines have been covering lately.”
Peter pulls out his phone and opens up a browser tab. “This was on the front page of Gastronomica.”
Eden takes the phone and reads aloud, “‘The Rise and Fall of the Infamous Iron Chef, Alexander Chen.Once the poster boy for the culinary arts, Chen has plummeted from the upper echelons of fine dining after an explosive tirade and exit from his multi-award winning restaurant, La Rouge. Sources confirm that the Michelin Star chef has struggled for years with alcoholism, drug abuse, and violent outbursts due to unchecked anger issues—” She shoves the phone back into Peter’s hand. “What the fuck kind of bullshit is that?”
Shang places a gentle hand on the back of her neck. Eden’s almost lulled into a state of calm by the warmth of his palm, but she’s just too angry.
“Sources,” she bites out. “What fucking sources?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Sebastian paid someone off to talk to the reporter,” Shang says simply.
“Why are you so calm about this? You should sue for libel.”
He shakes his head. “I’m tired of fighting that man. I want nothing to do with Sebastian. It’s a blessing in disguise. Now I don’t have to go through the trouble of burning the bridge myself.”
Rina shifts in her seat. “So that means there’s no chance of you coming back to La Rouge?”
“No.”
A silence befalls the table. Eden can’t stand to see her friends so glum.
“There are plenty of other restaurants in the area,” Shang says, trying his best to be helpful. “I’m sure you can find jobs elsewhere.”
Freddie blinks. “You haven’t heard?”
“What?”
“Sebastian’s in the process of buying out the neighboring restaurants to cut down on the competition,” Peter explains grimly.
Eden frowns. “How many?”
Rina swallows. “All of them.”
Eden’s heart leaps up into her throat and immediately plummets into the pit of her stomach. “How... How is that even possible? Is that even allowed?”
Shang clenches his jaw. “Sebastian’s got the money and the connections. That’s how he came to own La Rouge. He bought the restaurant across the street, had the menu priced well below what the original owner could afford and then drove the man out of business. He had no choice but to sell. Then Sebastian bought him out and wound up with two restaurants on the same block. He does that everywhere, not just here. It’s how he got his foothold in France and Spain.”
Freddie crosses his arms over his chest. “You don’t sound horribly upset.”
