Chapter 5

Anna's POV

The entire room erupted in chaos.

Chloe sat collapsed among the scattered sugar pieces, covering her face with both hands, crying pitifully. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... my ankle twisted..."

I stood a few steps away, staring at the crystalline fragments covering the floor, my mind briefly blank. That represented countless sleepless nights, every ounce of effort I'd poured into my work.

Ethan rushed forward and swept Chloe up from the ground, anxiously checking her hands and feet. "Are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt?"

After confirming Chloe was fine, he whipped around and glared at me furiously. "Why did you place such a fragile item by the walkway?! Are you trying to kill someone?!"

I watched his enraged appearance and found it utterly absurd.

"Ethan, are you blind?" My voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "The display is six feet from the walkway. Did she fly over there?"

"Anna! Enough!" Ethan cut me off sharply. "Chloe already apologized. What more do you want? It's just a broken sugar sculpture. Is it worth getting this angry over?"

I closed my eyes and swallowed the bloody taste rising in my throat.

During the subsequent auction, to comfort the shaken Chloe, Ethan announced on the spot that he'd bid ten million dollars for a box of burnt cookies Chloe had supposedly "personally baked" for charity.

All the cameras focused on them, praising Ethan's devotion.

Meanwhile, the Michelin chef whose work was destroyed stood alone in the shadows like a forgotten joke.

I didn't look at them again. I turned and walked out of the banquet hall. The night wind cut through me, chilling me to the bone. My love, along with that phoenix, had shattered completely into dust.

Several days later, a video went viral across the internet.

Chloe posted an episode on her personal channel titled "Original Spring Secret." In the video, she wore an apron, using clumsy yet "creative" techniques to prepare an extremely complex molecular gastronomy dish.

I watched the video on screen, my blood instantly freezing.

That wasn't any original creation! It was the brand new spring signature dish I was preparing to unveil at next month's global launch! The recipe was extremely complex. Aside from myself, no one else knew it.

The only possibility was that my private notebook draft had been leaked.

Online sentiment shifted instantly. Chloe's fans began viciously attacking L'Éternité, accusing me, the supposed three-star chef, of being a thief who'd plagiarized an influencer's creativity.

The restaurant's reservation line was flooded with cancellations and abuse.

I immediately pulled up the home security footage. The video clearly showed that two days ago when Ethan brought Chloe to the villa to get something, Chloe had snuck into my private study and photographed the notebook contents with her phone.

I had evidence.

I grabbed the USB drive and called Ethan. "Have your PR department issue a clarification statement immediately. I'll simultaneously release the surveillance video of Chloe stealing the recipe."

Thirty minutes later, Ethan didn't issue any statement. Instead, he rushed straight back to the villa.

He walked quickly to the main console and, under my icy gaze, pressed the format button without hesitation.

All the surveillance records vanished instantly.

"Have you lost your mind?" I stared at the blackened screen, my voice trembling.

Ethan turned around, his brow furrowed, his tone carrying unquestionable firmness. "Anna, Chloe's about to sign with a major international brand. If a theft scandal breaks now, her entire career is destroyed!"

"What about MY career?!" I raised my voice sharply, my eyes reddening. "I'm being cyberbullied across the internet for plagiarism! My restaurant's reputation is destroyed! Ethan, that's my life's work!"

"You already have three Michelin stars! You can spare one dish!" Ethan gripped my shoulders, trying to convince me with his twisted logic. "You have so many recipes. Just write a new one! Consider this dish a gift to Chloe. I'll compensate you. I'll buy you the best downtown location and open ten new restaurants!"

Looking at this man before me, I suddenly found him as alien as a monster.

He not only wanted to strip away my love but also destroy my pride, forcing me to bear the infamy for a thief.

"You want me to bow my head and confess to a thief?" I asked softly, my voice drifting like a ghost.

Ethan's eyes flickered, but he continued. "As long as you stay silent, this will blow over quickly. Anna, I'm begging you to let Chloe go."

For another woman, he begged me for the first time.

I looked at him and suddenly laughed. The laughter echoed through the empty villa, desolate and desperate.

"Fine." I stopped laughing and looked at Ethan, my eyes hollow and terrifying. "I'll stay silent."

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to hug me, but I dodged him.

I turned and walked upstairs. With each step, another shovelful of dirt was added to the grave in my heart.