Chương 54: Unexpected Guest
"Tony? Hey, my dearest friend!! Tonyyyyyy?? TONY!!"
"Huh?" I jumped on hearing Tanya's loud call.
"What is up with you? Where exactly are you lost? Did you fight with the CEO?" Tanya asked, looking at me, blearily.
Tanya's intuitions were always so on point that I get the eerie sensation of my mind being read. Feeling slightly exposed, I glanced up and threw a smile at Tanya. I spoke as if she cracked a joke, "What made you think I fought with Robbie?"
"You have been so lost in your thoughts ever since the day I left you with Mr. D'Souza and the CEO. So, I just assumed," Tanya shrugged.
To be honest, we did not fight, but we certainly did not part on good terms. I flicked my finger on her forehead, making her wince as I said with false annoyance, "You have a very active imagination. I am just worried about Twen's studies."
Tanya and I were in the smoking zone again. She had become a frequent visitor to the area because of me. It was break time so, many employees were there, and due to the noise, we had to speak a little louder. Even so, the noise made it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop.
"What is there to worry about his education? If I am not wrong, Twen is quite a good student," Tanya said, rolling her eyes.
"Of course, there is some worry. His elementary education will be over soon, and I will not be there to help him with his studies, so I have to figure out how to assist him."
This was just a small part of the reason. I don't know why I could not bring myself to tell her the major reason for my distraction!
"You worry too much. You know there are still a few years before he graduates elementary school, right? Plus, you could always take Jenny's help," Tanya answered, shaking her head in exasperation.
"Nah, she will have her own kid to worry about, and they are already pretty much parenting Twen. I need to do my duties as well," I laughed before changing the subject, "Anyway, what have you been up to recently?"
"Nothing really. I am so bored with work. I need a break!" Tanya pouted, suddenly looking like a high school student.
"Couldn't have agreed more," I said, feeling that I could do with a break as well, especially with all the chaos recently.
We saw the crowd of employees starting to thin out and quickly checked our watch only to find that our time was over. We hurried to our kitchen, bidding each other 'goodbye'.
On my way to the kitchen, I had several thoughts going through my mind. Three days back, I had a huge disagreement with Robbie…
*Flashback*
Three days back.
"Dad has greater reach than me, and if he wants to take Twen, my powers are not enough to stop him. So," Robbie turned to face me, "I will arrange for both of you to leave the country with a different identity. It is best if you both do not stay close to me."
"Leave the country?" I asked blankly.
"I will speak with my mum to arrange everything for you and Twen. You will have your fake identit-"
"Robbie, what are you saying?" I interrupted.
"I am saying that you both need to leave," Robbie replied, before crashing on the couch, covering his face, "I thought…. I thought I could protect you both, but I still do not have the power to do so. I wanted to abdicate my status as the Walker family heir, but dad threatened me that if I do so, then he will take Twen away from you and make him the heir."
"WHAT?" I said, looking horrified. My life would end if I lost Twen. He is the very reason I was still breathing.
"Don't worry. I won't abdicate my position. I won't let him do anything to Twen. Hence, I want both of you out of my dad's grasp." Robbie said, his voice almost breaking.
"Robbie, have you thought about how Twen will handle all these sudden changes? And how long can we stay hidden?" I asked, feeling that everything was happening too fast.
"I know," Robbie mumbled, his voice almost a whisper.
I breathed out, trying to calm my tensed nerves. I could understand Robbie's dilemma but running away from a problem won't solve it. I slowly walked to Robbie and sat down beside him. He looked up. His grey eyes now clearly showed his desperation, grief, and underlying fury. I placed my hand on his and spoke as soothingly as I could muster,
"Robbie, we will find a way out of this. You don't have to do this alone."
"I have to do this alone," Robbie cut me off. He placed his hands on my cheek and kissed my eyes before saying, "You would not have been in this predicament if not for me, so it is I who has to get you both out of this safe and sound. I will do whatever I can."
It was so unlike Robbie to take responsibility for his mistakes or wrongdoings that I was left speechless. I saw Robbie bend towards our hands and place his warm forehead on them. He spoke in a muffled tone,
"I will speak with mum and see what can be done."
"What about the marriage proposal with Sarah?" I asked without thinking but immediately realized I had asked the wrong question. Robbie jerked his head up, his face showing both shock and hurt.
"What about that? Don't tell me, you think the best solution is to marry Sarah?" he asked in a voice that almost sounded like he was about to be mad.
"No, that's not-"
Robbie suddenly got up from the couch, turning away from me. I was so taken aback by this action that I forgot what I was about to say. Robbie's voice trembled as he said,
"Tony, you should know this very well that if I marry anyone else, Twen will forever be known as my illegitimate child. Do you want that?"
"Of course not!! I was not asking you to marry her. I was ju-" I spoke in a startled tone, getting up from the couch as well, but Robbie cut me off.
"If you don't mean it, then don't say it. DON'T EVER. There is only one person in this world that I want to marry," he said, staring at me with bloodshot eyes before picking up his suit and leaving.
It was not until I heard the bang of the door that Robbie's words hit me. It never even crossed my mind that Robbie would ever say these words to me. Open-mouthed, I blankly stared at the closed door.
*Flashback end*
I reached the kitchen to find everyone extremely busy. Normally, the kitchens are very busy as the restaurant is hardly empty. Not only the resident guests but also guests from outside are sometimes welcomed. So, the busy behavior of everyone was quite normal. Although everything seemed under control before lunch, what happened to cause such restlessness?
"Tony! You are finally here. Chef Boris ordered all the sous chefs to be present at his office," a lady chef in her early forties spoke, looking a little nervous.
"Chef Anna, what happened? Why would Chef Boris suddenly call a meeting?"
"I don't know the details except that the chairman sent an order to arrange a small cocktail party to welcome an important guest of his," Chef Anna informed.
"CHAIRMAN??" I abruptly got very alert.
The Chairman sending orders to one particular resort or hotel was quite a rare event except making regular visits to some of the more profitable hotel branches or checking on its progress. Plus, this resort is a newly launched project managed by Robbie. So, the Chairman's visit along with an important guest is a straight-up kick in the gut.
If the Chairman wants to welcome a guest to his hotel, the hotel has to present a perfect image. No mistakes are allowed. More than the ones in the lower posts, the ones in the higher posts will be sweating buckets right now. One mistake and the higher posts will be bashed mercilessly. I am already feeling the pressure from just hearing that it is the chairman's order.
"I am leaving. The event order has already been sent. I have to go to the garde mange," Chef Anna said with a hint of impatience and urgency.
Without another word, I hurried to the Executive Chef's office.
EXECUTIVE CHEF OFFICE
I was feeling slightly nervous standing outside the Executive Chef's office. The Chairman's order was not a common matter, and the pressure on the sous chefs and the executives will be very high. I breathed in deeply and knocked on the door.
"Come in," I heard Boris's voice at once.
I went in to find five pairs of anxious eyes turn to me. All the three Sous Chef and one Executive Sous Chef were present there. Being suddenly thrown into the limelight, I felt kind of uncomfortable. The sharp voice of Chef Boris soon released my discomfort,
"Finally, you are here, Chef Tony. Please join in. I am briefing on today's event."
I nodded and closed the door. As soon as I joined them, I heard Boris speaking as if continuing from an earlier conversation,
"As you all already know, the Chairman ordered us to hold a party. From the event order we received, it will be a cocktail party for 15 pax. The party will be held near the swimming pool, so it is not a sit-down party. Therefore, a fork buffet will be set. The menu is mostly based on appetizers suitable with rum, brandy, and vodka-based cocktails that are to be served in the party."
Everyone nodded along with me.
"Excuse me, sir. Since the menu is already set, is it set in line with the cocktails to be served? The food has to pair well with the cocktails otherwise, the food value and taste will be affected if the pairing is not maintained," the bespectacled Executive Sous Chef in his late forties spoke out his concerns.
"The event managing team informed me that the menu was personally taken care of by the F&B manager," Boris answered.
Immediately, everyone looked relieved. Boris's eyes looked around waiting for more questions to pop up, but when there were no more queries, he continued,
"The menu has three vegetarian items and five non-vegetarian items. Though it is not a mandatory course, dessert has been included in honor of the special guest attending the party. The menu has already been circulated around the kitchens. The supervising team must take care of the food production so that not even the slightest mistake occurs. Our reputation and prestige are on the line. Give your very best!"
Everyone nodded again. Boris continued his briefing as he assigned every Sous Chef and the Executive Sous Chef their responsibilities and the team they will be supervising. As soon as everyone received their orders, they were immediately dismissed. I was the last one left and was waiting for my order, but it did not come. It was not until everyone in the room left that Boris opened his mouth. His penetrating eyes looked at me with an odd light which I couldn't decipher,
"Chairman Walker asked me to inform you that you will his host tonight," Boris said, his eyes narrowed and his tone sharp like a knife.
"Wha-WHAT??" I said, perplexed, "How can I be a host, Boris? I am a Chef!!"
"I know. I was bewildered as well. I tried explaining to the Chairman that you can't be the host as you have no training whatsoever in that field, and as it is only a 15 pax stand-up cocktail party, one host is enough to entertain the guests. However, he specifically asked you to be their host," Boris said. His voice was calm, but I could clearly hear the questioning tone underlying it.
My mouth fell open in utter shock. What the hell!! How can I be a host when I am trained as a Chef? My people skills are pretty bad. All I am good at is cooking. The maximum I can do is supervise my team members and take care of the food items to maintain their quality. But a host?!! Why? I was so taken aback that for a few seconds, I couldn't utter a word. Seeing me very surprised, Boris's brows creased even more. He asked me in a low suspicious tone,
"Tony, may I know exactly how the Chairman of such a huge hotel chain knows the name of a mere Sous Chef of one of his branches?"
I looked at Boris, still recovering from the previous shock. Hearing Boris's question, my eyes widen in panic. I suddenly realized that the Chairman also happens to be Robbie's father. Was the Chairman doing this on purpose? Could it be another tactic of his to threaten Robbie? I wanted to hit my head on the wall!! I looked at Boris, who was observing me with his arms crossed across his chest. The mood became so tense in the office that anyone could feel the pressure. My only response to his question was to divert his attention,
"Who is the special guest that the chairman will be welcoming to the party?"
Boris's clever little eyes narrowed at my question so much that they were almost a straight line. He could clearly understand that I was trying to change the subject but did not confront me. He answered calmly,
"I am not certain, but I heard he is in the import/export business and recently entered politics. Maybe the Chairman is trying to curry favor from him."
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