Chapter 2

I hung up the phone and walked out of the front doors of Arthur's restaurant, The Rustic Hearth.

Behind me, Arthur ran out a few steps, pointing at my back and screaming.

"Natalie! Stop putting on a show to scare me!"

"There is no way you can find another venue on this block that can host a hundred people on such short notice!"

"When your big clients show up and have nothing to eat, you’ll come crawling back to me on your knees!"

"When you do, it won’t be $2,000 a table anymore. It’ll be $4,000!"

I didn't even bother to look back. I just waved my hand to my event crew.

Within five minutes, the lavishly decorated lobby of The Rustic Hearth was stripped bare.

We even rolled up the custom red welcome carpet at the entrance and threw it into our van.

The entire restaurant instantly looked cold, empty, and dead.

I led my team across the street, marching straight into the newly built, towering luxury venue: The Pinnacle Club.

6:00 PM.

The sun was setting, and the city lights were starting to flicker to life.

Inside the glass pavilion on the top floor of The Pinnacle Club, the lighting was breathtaking, surrounded by fresh orchids.

Platters of fresh Maine lobsters, imported bluefin tuna, and live king crabs were being rushed into the kitchen.

One hundred VIP guests, dressed in sharp suits and evening gowns, began to arrive. They couldn't stop praising the stunning view and the luxurious atmosphere.

Meanwhile, across the street, The Rustic Hearth was dead silent.

At 6:30 PM, my phone began to buzz violently.

Caller ID: Arthur.

I sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows of The Pinnacle Club, swirled a glass of red wine, and picked up.

The second the call connected, Arthur's enraged voice boomed through the speaker.

"Natalie! Where the hell are you?!"

"Where are your clients?! Why hasn't a single person shown up?!"

I gently took a sip of my wine and said lazily, "Arthur, are you blind? Look out your window. Look up."

The phone went quiet for two seconds. Then, I heard the sound of a chair flipping over.

Through the glass, I could clearly see Arthur leaning half his body out of his second-floor window across the street.

He was staring wide-eyed at the massive digital screen on top of The Pinnacle Club, which was flashing our company’s tenth-anniversary logo.

"You... you actually took all ten tables across the street?!" Arthur’s voice began to shake.

"Obviously. Did you really think we'd stay to eat your garbage?" I laughed.

Arthur completely panicked. His voice pitched higher, laced with terror he couldn't hide.

"Natalie, you can't do this!"

"I rejected other bookings this afternoon just to save space for your party!"

"All the seafood in the kitchen is thawed! The prep work is done!"

"If you don't show up, I'm losing fifty thousand dollars in wasted ingredients! This is a breach of contract! You have to pay me!"

I cut him off mercilessly. "Breach of contract? Did we sign a formal agreement? Did I pay a deposit?"

"For the past three years, I paid you upfront. But this time, you were the one who said 'let's do it the old way' and pay after the event."

"Now, I'm not eating there. Enjoy eating those rotten shrimp yourself."

I hung up on him and immediately blocked his number.

I turned back to the party, mingling and laughing with our clients.

An hour later, the gala was at its peak. The atmosphere was incredible.

But then, Chloe leaned in and whispered in my ear, her face pale.

"Natalie, we have a major problem."