Part 3: The Grand FinaleClaim It—If You Dare

Oh, how kind of Clare. Due to her generous offer, I decided to let her enjoy her sweet dream a little longer.

The food station was on the basement level. There were no desks and no computers, just a row of stainless-steel racks and stacks of white plates.

My assigned task was simple—serve food. As it happened, I was one of the servers for today's luncheon.

Claire made a special trip downstairs to the food station just to check the menu. She even posed for a photo with the greasy roast suckling pig and posted it on social media.

The caption read, "Everything is ready. Now, we're just waiting for our honored guest."

Damian commented underneath, "You're the best."

I sneered, took a screenshot, and saved it to my photo album.

…

The client arrived at 11 a.m. sharp. Applause and music drifted down from the banquet hall upstairs.

Claire had hired a live band for 80,000.

Damian gave a speech onstage. His voice filtered through the floor to the basement, muffled and indistinct.

I crouched by the serving window, waiting for instructions.

The servers had to serve the cold appetizers at 11:30 a.m. Then, the hot plates had to be on the tables by 11:45 a.m.

The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity. The head chef stood by the menu, checking off each course one by one: appetizers, soup, seafood, entrees, starches, and desserts.

Every item received a check mark before they were wheeled out of the kitchen.

"What about the roast suckling pig?" the head chef asked.

My heart fluttered in anticipation.

"It's here!" Claire's assistant hurried over. "Ms. Sutton specifically instructed us that this dish has to be served last. It's the grand finale."

The grand finale? Did she seriously just place a bomb for the final act? How positively exciting!

In that case, I definitely had to watch this finale unfold.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was at its peak at noon.

I heard Damian taking credit on Claire's behalf.

"Today's luncheon was entirely organized by Claire. She knew you'd traveled a long way to get here, so she spent days researching a menu tailored to your tastes.

"Everything you've had so far was just to whet your appetite. The main course coming up is the highlight of today's luncheon. You have to make sure you try plenty of it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the head chef shouted, "Roast suckling pig, serve it now!"

The time bomb was finally about to explode.

I eagerly lifted the platter covered with a red cloth and slowly pushed the banquet hall doors open.

Every eye in the room fell on the dish in my hands.

Claire sat beside the client, still bragging about how much time she'd spent researching the menu.

However, her lips tugged into a frown when she turned and saw that I was the one serving the dish. A flicker of anxiety flashed across her face.

Damian's expression darkened immediately.

As I set the roast suckling pig on the table, he tugged at my sleeve and whispered a warning, "I'll make sure no company in this industry ever hires you again if you dare steal Claire's thunder."

This time, the bubble of gleeful giggles escaped my lips.

They were already standing at the edge of a cliff. Yet, these dunderheaded trolls still thought they could threaten me.

God, what great times to live in.

My reaction must have irritated them because both of them shot me angry looks.

The clients from Qamaria caught the rich aroma of the roast suckling pig and eagerly asked, "What Azurian delicacy is this? It smells incredible."

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Claire dramatically pulled away the cloth covering the pig and proudly declared, "Mr. Ashar, I specially researched your personal tastes before preparing this dish for you. It represents my deepest blessings and best wishes.

"To guarantee maximum freshness, I even had the pig slaughtered the same day. It's absolutely delicious."

She didn't notice that Darius Ashar's face had turned deathly pale.

She still had a smile on her face as she blithely picked up a piece of pork with her utensil and held it toward his mouth.

"Mr. Ashar, allow me to personally feed you the first bite as a sign of my respect for you."