Chapter 1 - The Deadly Plate
Inside the dimly lit, high-end private dining room, warm chandelier light glinted off dark wallpaper and polished mahogany. Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass window, the sprawling Chicago skyline sparkled under the pitch-black night sky.
Ronan Callahan—a powerful, late-thirties mafia boss with dark slicked hair, intense dark eyes, and a tailored dark navy suit—sat alone at the head of the long dining table. Stern-faced bodyguards in sharp dark suits stood vigilantly along the perimeter, led by Coyle, his chief head of security.
Ronan reached down, taking his heavy silver fork to cut into a prime cut of steak resting on his gold-rimmed porcelain plate.
Suddenly, the kitchen doors burst open with a loud thud.
Tessa Row—a twenty-seven-year-old passionate female cook with dark hair tied back loosely, wearing a flour-dusted white apron over a stained white chef shirt—came sprinting through the doorway toward the head table.
"Stop her!" Coyle shouted in an alarmed, echoing roar, reaching for his concealed holster.
Tessa didn't hesitate. She lunged straight across the polished table, her hands slamming down onto the fine linen, grabbing Ronan’s wrist just as the silver fork reached his lips. She forced his hand down violently, locking her fingers around his flesh.
Behind her, six armed bodyguards instantly drew their handguns, aiming every single barrel straight at the back of her head.
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"Don't eat that!" Tessa gasped, her chest heaving heavily as sweat glistened on her pale forehead.
👉 What made a humble line cook risk a dozen loaded guns just to stop one bite of steak?
