Strictly Off The MenuUpdated at Mar 18, 2026, 11:21
I only meant to cover my mother’s contract.
Three months. Strictly professional. No mistakes.
I wasn’t supposed to work for Adrian Cole — the cold, controlled CEO everyone in the city fears.
He expected an experienced private chef.
Instead… he got me.
Twenty-two. Quiet. Nervous. Completely out of my depth in a glass mansion that doesn’t feel like a home.
He doesn’t tolerate distractions.
He doesn’t blur boundaries.
And he definitely doesn’t mix business with emotion.
But late-night dinners turn into conversations.
Professional distance turns into lingering eye contact.
And every time he says my name, it sounds less like a command… and more like something dangerous.
The rule in his house is simple:
What’s not on the menu — doesn’t get served.
And I was never meant to be part of it.
Three months.
That’s all I promised myself.
But the longer I stay under his roof,
the harder it becomes to remember
that I was hired to cook for him —
not fall for him.