Chapter 718
Chapter 718:
Malcom remained on stage, disoriented and detached from the moment.
While he acknowledged Ashton’s crucial role in their win, Malcom took personal satisfaction in having genuinely beaten the three Figueroas.
“Why are you still up there? Quickly, get off the stage. Don’t waste anyone else’s time; other teams are waiting to compete.” Ashton’s voice grounded Malcom, bringing him back to reality.
Heart swelling with gratitude as reality set in, Malcom followed Ashton off the stage, quickly expressing his appreciation. “Thanks, Ashton. Without your guidance, I would never have had the chance to retaliate against those three ungrateful men.”
Ashton looked back at Malcom with a complicated expression and sighed, “I was wrong this time. I overestimated your ability to keep pace with my guidance. Our dishes didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped. Honestly, if the three men hadn’t gone easy on us, our journey might have ended here.”
The grin faded from Malcom’s face as he processed Ashton’s view of their competitors’ mercifulness.
Malcom asked, “Do you really believe they gave us a break? No, they simply underestimated me and tried to make a mockery of me with their tactics, which spectacularly backfired on them.”
Ashton nodded slightly, saying, “True, their underestimation played a part, but your nerves got the better of you during the competition; you missed that they only began cooking after observing the other teams.”
Malcom looked confused and asked, “Is it unusual to watch the others first?”
“Did you see the scores of the other three teams? They were 83, 87, and 89. Covington’s team scored 90, just over the others, which provided you a buffer to qualify for the semi-finals,” Ashton explained.
Ł𝖆𝖙𝖾𝘀𝖙 𝙘ђ𝖺𝐩𝑡𝖾𝗋𝘀 ɡ⍺𝗅ⓝ𝗈ν𝓮𝗅𝓈﹒ⅽ𝗈𝗺
Malcom paused, reluctant to accept that the three men might have allowed him a strategic victory.
With a shrug, Ashton continued, “If they truly despised you, they could’ve scored perfectly, ensuring your elimination and shattering your morale. Instead, they scored just enough to give you a fighting chance. Perhaps they were challenging you to prove yourself. My guess is as good as yours; they might have wanted to humiliate you with a narrow victory margin. To know the truth, you’d have to ask them directly.”
Influenced by Ashton’s analysis, Malcom glanced toward the three Figueroas as they prepared to leave. He felt an urge to confront them about their real motives. Catching Malcom’s gaze, the three men mockingly gestured at him.
Malcom’s heart sank as he recalled how they had betrayed him and decisively left the restaurant back then; his initial urge to seek answers from them vanished.
“Do they look like they would actually give us a fair chance?” Malcom said angrily.
Ashton pressed his lips together and remained silent.
It seemed he might have overanalyzed the situation after all.
Ashton had been caught off guard by the sudden announcement of the culinary competition. Had he known about it beforehand, he would have prepared himself much better.
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