Chapter 702
Chapter 702:
Instead, he asked Malcom out of curiosity, “Mr. Deleon, Alisha mentioned she used to come here with her father when she was young, back when this place was so popular that it was always packed. What happened to change all that so drastically?”
“Alisha? The police director’s daughter?” Malcom responded with surprise. “She’s the one who told you about this place?”
Ashton nodded. “She mentioned the business was struggling and you were in debt. She thought I might be able to help.”
Malcom’s demeanor softened with these revelations. He muttered under his breath, “If you’d said that earlier, I wouldn’t have made things so difficult for you just now.” Before Ashton could reply, Malcom continued, his tone heavy with resignation.
“You saw what happened. The Crawford family’s Pavilion Foods Group has been after this restaurant for a while. I resisted them as much as I resisted you initially. This restaurant has been in my family for generations. I couldn’t just hand it over. It seems that my refusal angered the Crawford family. They resorted to underhanded tactics to steal our three chefs, who were my father’s apprentices. I never learned to cook, and even if I tried to copy their methods, the results were always disappointing.”
After a heavy sigh, he continued, “On top of that, the Crawford family’s food supply company often sends us poor-quality ingredients, making our dishes even less appealing. For a restaurant, bad food is a death sentence. Even our regular customers from the neighborhood eventually stopped coming. I couldn’t manage the business on my own and had no choice but to watch helplessly as it slowly declined.”
Hearing this, Ashton’s gaze hardened. It was clear the Crawford family was a habitual aggressor, employing such tactics not just against his interests but likely against other local businesses too.
He could have easily shared Malcom’s fate without his connections. With this realization, Ashton’s determination to bring down the three major families grew stronger.
𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: g𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀[․]𝗰𝗼𝗺
Ashton suddenly changed his approach and gazed at Malcom with genuine seriousness.
“Mr. Deleon, I’ve reconsidered. I won’t be taking over your restaurant. Instead, let’s join forces. I’d like to enter the culinary competition representing your restaurant as the chef!”
Upon seeing the serious look on Ashton’s face, Malcom fell silent.
He couldn’t help but feel doubtful. Although he had seen Ashton perform wonders in the kitchen, the presence of a top chef like Morris in this competition made it almost impossible for Ashton to stand head and shoulders above the rest.
So, after contemplating for a moment, Malcom shook his head and said, “I don’t want to waste any more time on something that seems hopeless. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll transfer the restaurant to you. Then, pay off the debts and leave Staville.”
However, Ashton insisted, “The only reason I wanted to buy this restaurant is to participate in the competition. If you cooperate with me, the restaurant will still be yours after we succeed. Isn’t it better for you? Or are you still thinking my cooking skills aren’t up to par?”
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