Chapter 712
Chapter 712:
Ashton’s expression turned serious, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in and whispered, “What if I guide you every step of the way? Don’t you want to defeat those three traitors in front of everyone and avenge the years you wasted on them?”
Malcom was momentarily stunned, his voice faltering as he asked, “Are you sure your guidance will actually help?”
Ashton chuckled softly. “How will we know unless we try? I’ll guide you step by step—what heat to use, which spices to add, and the exact order of preparation. It’ll be as if I’m cooking, but with your name on the dish. You’re already in such a rough spot, so why not go for broke?”
Ashton’s words struck a chord. Malcom paused to think it over, realizing Ashton had a point. What reputation did he even have left to lose?
His peers mocked and ridiculed him, and the disdainful attitude of their opponents only rubbed salt in the wound. He was already at rock bottom—there was nowhere lower to fall.
If that was the case, why not let go of his fears and give it everything he had?
After a moment of silent deliberation, Malcom clenched his fists and made up his mind. “Alright! I’ll do as you say. Even if it means risking everything, I have to fight—just this once!”
Ashton let out a couple of dry chuckles but said nothing more. To him, this plan was effortless—a mere trifle. He couldn’t quite grasp why Malcom treated it like a life-or-death battle.
With the competition’s tight schedule, everything had to be completed within a single day, leaving little time for each team to showcase their skills. Before long, it was Ashton’s group’s turn to take the stage.
The Figueroa siblings, curious about Ashton’s audacity in challenging the authority of the Crawford family, were caught off guard when they saw Malcom standing at the stove as the head chef.
Ⱡ𝗮𝗍𝙚𝕤𝖙 ς𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗲𝖗𝗌 ɢ𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․𝚌𝗈𝗆
Their expressions faltered for a moment before they burst into laughter. The sound rippled through the surrounding crowd, as nearly everyone was well aware of Malcom’s lackluster reputation in the kitchen.
Once the laughter died down, the three men exchanged smug glances and regarded Ashton with even more contempt.
Esteban, unable to resist, sneered loudly, “So, you were so confident about competing with Pavilion Foods Group, and now you’re hiding behind a failure like him? Sending a loser to take the fall for you—how pathetic. Are you really that incapable?”
Ashton met their scorn with a faint smile, his calm demeanor unshaken. He stared at them steadily and replied, “Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps you’re not even qualified to be my opponents?”
Esteban’s smirk vanished, his face darkening as he shot back angrily, “By the end of this, you’ll be the laughingstock of everyone here!”
Ashton said nothing more, but the teasing glint in his eyes only grew sharper, as if daring them to prove him wrong.
Malcom had resolved to cast aside his burdens and follow Ashton’s guidance to complete his task. But the constant doubts and ridicule from those around him had inevitably left a significant mark on him.
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