Seconds before war
750 Words
The break room was quiet.
Finally.
For the first time that day, the noise of the kitchen—the clanging metal, the shouting, the pressure—faded into something distant.
I rolled my shoulders, wincing slightly.
I hadn’t realized how tense I was… until now.
Just one night, Ember.
Just one competition.
And everything changes.
The door creaked open.
“Coffee delivery.”
I looked up instantly.
Daniel Kent.
Calm as always. Two cups in his hand. That small, knowing smile.
And just like that… I smiled too.
He had that effect.
“Perfect timing,” I said, taking the cup. Our fingers brushed briefly.
Warm. Steady.
Grounding.
He sat beside me, close enough that our knees touched.
Neither of us moved.
“You look exhausted,” he said.
“That obvious?”
“You’ve had that same determined frown since you were thirteen.”
I smirked.
“Still spying on me?”
“Someone has to.”
I glanced at him.
Where Marcus was fire and chaos…
Daniel was control.
Stillness.
The kind that made you feel seen.
“You’re going to win tonight,” he said.
No hesitation. No doubt.
Just certainty.
“You haven’t tasted the competition.”
“I don’t need to.”
I looked at him again.
Really looked.
He wasn’t watching my work.
He was watching me.
“You rebuilt this place,” he continued. “You made it better.”
My chest tightened.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
And he knew exactly what it had cost me.
“Your dad would be proud.”
Silence fell.
Warm. Heavy.
Hard to breathe in.
His hand lifted, brushing my hair back.
Gentle.
But his fingers lingered.
Too long.
“You worry too much,” he murmured.
I stood quickly.
“I should check the kitchen.”
Distance.
I needed distance.
“Good luck… dear.”
I paused for half a second.
That word.
Dear.
It followed me out.
Later that evening
At Derrick James’ mansion.
Elegant. Controlled. Quietly intimidating.
Power didn’t shout here.
It observed.
“You need to be there early,” he said.
“I will.”
He studied me carefully.
“You look nervous.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Your father had the same look.”
I sat, smoothing my hands over my dress.
We talked.
Well… I talked.
He listened.
Like always.
“You’re doing an incredible job,” he said.
That meant more than it should have.
“Your father trusted me to guide you.”
“I’m starting to think that was a lot of pressure.”
“It was,” he said calmly. “But you’ve made it worth it.”
I smiled faintly.
Then he asked, “Who’s your biggest rival?”
“Luxoria Dining.”
A pause.
“Ah.”
Something about that reaction felt… off.
“You know them?”
“Their owner is… ambitious.”
Too vague.
Too careful.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
“In business, rivals don’t start with war.”
My stomach tightened.
“They test you first.”
A chill slid down my spine.
“Before the real war begins.”
“Dirty games?”
He nodded.
Slowly.
“But you’re stronger.”
I hoped he was right.
Back at the restaurant
Everything was ready.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
The kitchen gleamed. Every detail in place.
We were ready.
We had to be.
Then my phone vibrated.
Sharp.
Wrong.
“Ember… you need to see this.”
My heart dropped.
I opened the link.
And froze.
“Luxoria Dining Exposes Sanitation Concerns at Ember & Thyme Before Tonight’s Competition.”
My chest tightened.
Unsafe food.
Failed inspections.
Health risks.
Lies.
All of it.
But headlines like that?
People believed them.
“What happened?” Marcus asked.
Daniel was already beside me.
Too fast.
Too alert.
I looked up, anger burning.
“Looks like our rival…” I said slowly,
“…just tried to destroy us.”
Marcus’s jaw clenched.
Daniel’s expression darkened.
Dangerous.
And somewhere in the city…
Alex Dane had just declared war.
The name echoed in my mind.
Ambitious.
Derrick’s words replayed.
Too perfectly.
And then it hit me—
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t luck.
This was planned.
Precise.
Personal.
My breath caught.
Someone knew too much.
Too many details.
I looked around the kitchen.
At Marcus.
At Daniel.
At everything I had built.
And for the first time that night…
Doubt crept in.
Slow. Quiet. Dangerous.
Someone close to me…
might have just betrayed me.
- Writer
