Chapter 1

After I made my boyfriend’s restaurant a viral sensation across the entire internet, he finally decided to reveal my identity as his partner at the grand celebration banquet.

Yet before he could speak, my former apprentice cut in, her voice dripping with fake innocence:

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. I'm Julian's girlfriend."

Instead of correcting her, Julian took the company shares that rightfully belonged to me and handed them to her in front of everyone.

The staff gasped, then erupted into loud cheers.

My apprentice kicked me while I was down, and Julian didn’t do a single thing to stop her.

He even sneered at me, "Your cooking is decent, Scarlett, but without Chloe’s social media marketing, nobody would even know your food exists. You should be thanking her."

I smiled faintly and gave a calm nod. "You're right. Actually, I don't think giving her the shares is enough. She can have my job, too."

I untied my apron and walked out of the restaurant.

I really wanted to see how they planned to keep this place afloat without me—their master chef and the real mastermind behind all their viral hype.

In front of the entire staff, Julian announced that Chloe was now an official co-owner of The Grand Mirage. The room exploded in thunderous applause.

I stared at him in disbelief. The pristine white cocktail dress I wore suddenly felt entirely out of place.

"Look at Scarlett trying to dress up like a CEO," someone snickered. "She's just a line cook."

"Good cooking means nothing these days. It’s all about algorithms. Without Chloe running the TikTok and Ins campaigns, we wouldn't have a single customer!"

"Scarlett kept throwing her weight around just because she's the head chef and Chloe’s former mentor. Julian finally showed everyone who actually matters."

The whispers among the staff were vicious.

I knew they were picking sides, kissing Chloe's ring to secure their own spots.

After all, to Julian, I was just an expendable cook, while Chloe was the restaurant's rising star.

Chloe slipped her arm around Julian's waist, casting me a smug, venomous glance before batting her eyelashes.

"Chef Scarlett, you dressed up so nicely today. You must be so happy for me, right?"

"Wait... why do you look so miserable?"

I stared at Julian coldly, demanding an explanation with my eyes.

Julian met my gaze with pure disdain. Terrified that I might cause a scene and ruin his carefully orchestrated victory party, he snapped:

"Wipe that look off your face, Scarlett. Yeah, I promised you those shares, but you proved you're useless. You almost drove this place into bankruptcy last time. Be grateful I didn’t sue you for damages."

"Is that right?"

I looked at the man standing before me, my heart sinking straight to rock bottom.

The mess he was talking about was entirely Chloe's fault.

Behind my back, she had cut corners during a private dinner for high-ranking city officials by serving thawed, pre-made frozen meals. When the guests found out and threw a fit, I stepped in and took the fall to protect her because she was my apprentice.

Julian knew the truth perfectly well.

Yet now, they pinned the whole blame squarely on me.

Then again, I should have seen it coming. Ever since Chloe joined the team, Julian had thrown his principles out the window for her.

She lacked real talent, but she was young, flirtatious, and knew exactly how to stroke his fragile ego. His heart had drifted away long ago.

"Whatever makes you happy, Julian."

I was done wasting my breath arguing with them.

Seeing me back down, Chloe flashed a triumphant smirk before instantly morphing back into a fragile victim.

"Julian, is Chef Scarlett mad at me? Maybe... maybe I shouldn't take the shares. You should give them back to her. She's been here way longer than I have."

Her fake pity only deepened the sneer on Julian's face.

"Don't worry about her. In this business, we reward results, not tenure. She has no real talent, and now she's taking her jealousy out on you."

The surrounding employees chimed in with petty laughs and mocking remarks.

Listening to them, I felt a bitter chill in my chest. Every ounce of devotion I had poured into this man had been fed to the dogs.

Julian claimed he was sparing my dignity, but when had he ever shown me any respect?

Julian and I built The Grand Mirage from scratch.

He didn't know the first thing about running a restaurant; I managed every single detail from day one.

I put together the marketing team. I stood over the scorching stove for hours, using my family’s secret recipes.

I even tapped into my personal connections to bring in A-list celebrities and elite foodies, creating the massive buzz that put this place on the map.

I had bled for this restaurant for years.

And now that The Grand Mirage was a smashing success, Julian handed all the credit to Chloe on a silver platter.

Fine. There was no reason for me to stay.

I fixed Julian and Chloe with a long, piercing look. Chloe instantly shrank behind Julian.

"Julian, she's scaring me..."

Julian glared at me furiously. "Scarlett, what the hell are you trying to pull?! You want to get violent? You try anything, and I'll kick your ass to the curb right now!"

I unclenched my fists and almost laughed out loud.

To protect Chloe, Julian had used that exact threat against me more times than I could count.

In the past, I loved him too blindly. I bought into his sweet promises, genuinely believing that if we made this restaurant successful, he would finally marry me.

Now, the blindfold was ripped off.

I calmly untied my apron and tossed it onto the counter. "You don't have to kick me out. I'm leaving."

Startled by my sudden defiance, Julian froze.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit.

"Scarlett! Stop right there!"

Behind me, Julian's voice cracked with desperate rage. "If you walk out that door today, don't you dare ever come crawling back!"

I didn't look back. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Grandpa... I'm ready. I'll come home and take over the family business."