Chapter 731
Chapter 731:
“Are you serious? If it weren’t for Morris giving you this opportunity, you wouldn’t even have a chance to compete for the championship! Does your conscience even stir?”
“Exactly! Without Morris’ insistence on a re-evaluation of the votes, the trophies would already have been handed to his team. And this is how you repay him? Shameless!”
“For the sake of a trivial championship, you’ve stooped to this? No matter how delectable your dish is, you’ve lost all respect!”
Amid the torrent of scolding, Stephen, who had been brooding since Morris’ statement, suddenly lit up like a man who’d just struck gold.
He had been bracing for the reputation of Pavilion Foods Group to collapse under the weight of the cheating scandal. But now, against all odds, public sentiment was lynching Ashton instead. It was a twist so absurd that Stephen couldn’t help but smirk.
“Uncle Stephen! Do you think this guy is out of his mind? If he had just shared the championship with Morris, we’d be the ones in deep water right now! But no—he goes and gives Morris such a low score for a silly title!” Marc exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement.
Stephen’s smile vanished in an instant as he shot Marc a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Do you even hear yourself? If Ashton weren’t such a fool, you, who had allowed him to participate in the competition, would be to blame for the ruin of our reputation. Thank your lucky stars his ridiculous stunt is salvaging our reputation. But let this be a lesson: don’t gamble with amateurs again.”
Marc’s excitement withered under Stephen’s reprimand, and he nodded meekly, too scared to utter another word. After all, it was his impulsive decision to let Ashton, an unqualified entrant, represent Golden Restaurant in the first place that had led to this fiasco.
Meanwhile, standing by Ashton’s side, Malcom could barely contain his astonishment.
𝖁𝗂𝖊𝗐 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾: g𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫽ⅽ𝗈𝗆
“Ashton,” he whispered, his voice low and nervous, “have you completely lost your mind? Morris handed you the perfect escape route—give him a perfect score, share…”
The win, and everyone walks away happy. Can’t you see this is a train wreck waiting to happen? Change the score now before this competition burns us alive. If we win like this, no one will ever trust our restaurant again!”
But Ashton only glanced at Malcom with a faint smile. Raising his voice, Ashton replied for all to hear, “Malcom, your advice is sound, but my score reflects my honest opinion. Giving him an 80 is the only way I can express my gratitude to him.”
The words hung in the air like a poorly strung melody, discordant and infuriating. Malcom’s face turned beet red, and he clenched his fists in frustration. Were it not for Ashton’s earlier role in salvaging their position, he might have planted a slap across Ashton’s face to knock some sense into him.
Oddly enough, Morris’ response stood in stark contrast to the outrage around him. He blinked in surprise at the score but maintained an air of composure. Stepping forward, he addressed Ashton with a humility that silenced the crowd.
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