Serena’s expression completely collapsed.
She demanded, “What, you guys kicking me out now?”
“Miss Thompson, that’s a bit much,” Arnold interjected.
Standing beside Claire, though he’d toned down his temper, his voice still carried a trace of defiance.
“You said my food sucks no matter how I cook it.
If we switch up the flavors, it’ll still taste awful to you.
We’re just trying to avoid more waste by suggesting another restaurant.
We’d never dare chase off a big star like yourself.”
Serena burned with anger.
“Then switch chefs!
A restaurant this big, and you’re the only damn cook here?”
Arnold shrugged.
“Sorry, Miss Thompson.
All the other chefs here trained under me.
So if it’s my flavor you hate—well, the rest are no different.”
He’d made his point.
Even if Serena wanted to stay, she had no way to hold onto her pride now.
She bit her lip, threw a glare Claire’s way, then turned and stormed off.
Violet, still holding her phone, quickly chased after her.
“Wait up, Serena!”
Outside Lotus Smoke, Serena’s mask dropped completely.
She fumed out loud.
“What a bitch.
Just a waitress, acting all high and mighty!
Kicking me out like that?
As if she’s not smiling for all those randos inside!”
Violet chimed in, “Don’t bother with that cow, Serena.
She can only hang around a few nobodies.
Last time it was some thug, now it’s just a bottom-tier cook.
Seriously, so many rich folks dine at Lotus Smoke—tons of them have ties with the Cooper family.
You just say the word to Mr.
Cooper, and once their business takes a hit, let’s see her act all smug then.”
Serena narrowed her eyes, “You’ve got a point.”
With a sharp scoff, she pulled her phone from her bag and dialed a number.
It connected quickly.
“Nelson,” Serena’s voice turned soft and pitiful.
“I just ran into my sister at Lotus Smoke…”
Inside Lotus Smoke, the second Serena left, laughter broke out.
Loudest of all was Arnold.
Hands on his hips, he glanced toward the entrance, brows raised in disdain.
“Seriously?
Just wanted Master to cook, so she trashed my food.
Thank god Claire put her in her place!”
A few others nodded in agreement.
“Exactly.
First time anyone’s dared say our food is bad.
Throwing her degree around like it means something—our kitchen staff probably have ten times the real education than she ever paid for.”
The rule to attend college while training had come straight from Jasper himself.
Most of his apprentices came from tough backgrounds or had no families.
They cooked and studied at the same time, and grades were a big deal in their little world.
Do well academically?
Get rewards.
Fall behind?
You’d feel embarrassed just showing your face.
Those who finished school and wanted to stay became official members of the McCarthy house, calling Jasper ‘Master’.
Those who left and made it elsewhere still respected him and called him ‘Teacher’, as long as they didn’t embarrass the restaurant.
“Alright, enough messing around.
We’ve still got customers—back to the kitchen!”
Jasper’s voice snapped through the space, immediately bringing the staff back to order.
Once everyone had gone, his stern expression instantly melted into a sheepish grin.
“Thanks for your help today, Claire.”
Claire smiled too, clearly amused.
“Come on, we’re family.
No need for thanks.
Besides, weren’t you gonna go test those dishes?”
“Oh right!
Gotta hustle—won’t taste the same cold!”
Jasper hurried off ahead.Claire followed behind him at a steady pace.
“Jasper, did you save the footage I asked you to record just now?”
Over on Serena’s side, Violet was already holding up her phone.
They couldn’t afford to show up unprepared.
Jasper didn’t take it seriously.
“Yeah, I got it.
I’ll have Arnold send it over later.”
“Do it now.
Grab the surveillance too.
I want a separate backup.”
Nelson took Serena’s call just as he pulled up in front of the old Cooper residence.
He cut the engine but didn’t get out right away.
“You’re saying Claire works at Lotus Smoke?”
“Yep.
I think she’s still mad at me.
She just kicked me out of the place and threatened to cancel your VIP card.” Serena’s tone carried a hint of grievance.
Nelson didn’t say anything.
Serena thought his silence meant something good and was just about to keep pushing when he spoke again.
“Who’s usually with her over there?”
“Huh?” Serena blinked, confused.
“No one, really.
Just the waitstaff and a couple of chefs or whatever.”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Just some kitchen staff acting tough, thinking they own the place.
But Nelson didn’t catch the annoyance in her voice.
He just let out a quiet “Mm” and stepped out of the car.
“If you want to eat there again, call me.
I’ll go with you.
Or ask Evan to set something up.
Just don’t go alone.”
Serena froze for a second before it sank in—he wasn’t planning to do anything about it.
She spoke more carefully this time.
“Nelson, are you mad I used your name to get in and ended up causing trouble?”
His brow furrowed slightly.
“It’s not that.
It’s just better not to run into her unexpectedly like that.”
“True.
She finally landed a decent job.
If the boss blames her and fires her because of me, that’d be a mess.”
Serena sounded understanding, but then casually changed the subject.
“Oh, by the way—Mom was asking again.
When are we gonna… make it official?”
Nelson, who had just started walking toward the house, paused mid-step.
He didn’t say anything right away.
Then, out of nowhere, a memory flashed in his mind—Claire accepting a rose from another man.
His chest tightened, a dull pressure rising, along with a wave of irritation he didn’t even realize he had.
“We’ll set a date after the divorce papers are finalized.”
“I’ll let my mom know then,” Serena said sweetly.
“She’s been nagging me every day about how I’m not getting any younger.”
After the call ended, Nelson stared at the now-dark screen, his expression clouded.
After standing there a moment, he finally headed toward the house.
Ever since his father passed, his mother Beatrice had been living here alone.
For the past three years, Nelson had been handling the entire Cooper Group himself.
Beatrice kept to herself, spending her days gardening, meditating, and staying out of business matters.
For her birthday today, she hadn’t planned anything major, just called Nelson to ask if he’d be home for dinner.
He walked into the house carrying the gift he brought.
Beatrice was just coming out of the kitchen with a pot of soup, completely unbothered.
“You’re back.
Go wash up, dinner’s ready.”
“Mm,” he replied, setting the gift down on the table.
He was just about to wash his hands and lend a hand in the kitchen when Beatrice’s phone on the table lit up.
He glanced at it, about to call out to her—until he saw the screen.
The name “Claire” stood out like a sore thumb.
She hadn’t called him once in three years abroad, but she’d kept in touch with his mom?
He scoffed silently.
Without thinking, he picked up the phone and answered.