CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

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It was an unusually rowdy evening. Every corner of the street was busy. This wasn't unusual in Mystic Grills, Seattle. This city is the money city. Money flowed here, like honey. And where the honey is, the bees are. Where the money is, the people run to. Unlike most cities in Seattle, Mystic Grills was flooded. Everyone wanted to be here. Perhaps, the boisterous and prosperous aroma of the town was what drew the werewolves here. Yes, it wasn't just the humans staying in the Grills. Even the wolves have residence here.

The werewolves' community in Mystic Grills, however were few. Only a few families reside

here. The families were not up to ten. This is relatively low compared to the large population of the city. This is probably because the wolves wanted their identity kept safe from the humans. That and the fact that wolves are territorial.

They wanted no one invading their space. So, even the ten families were scattered all over the place. Most were miles and miles apart.

The humans in Mystic Grills have no idea about these wolves. Only a few knew about their existence, and these few were either staff or mated to them. In which case, they kept their mouth sealed. It has been known that humans who threatened to expose the wolves' community never lived to tell the story.

Aside from that, everything in Mystic Grills went smoothly. The wolves behaved themselves. They all lived by the code.

This beautiful morning, the traffic, as usual, was heavy. Cars honked as drivers shouted angrily at each other. Everyone was rushing off to their workplace or the other. Somewhere in the heart of the city was a diner, CHOPPERs.

This was where most residents in the area had their meals. Some came in early in the morning for a cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea. A few accompanied this with some light snacks and that was suitable for the day. Some prefer having lunch at this diner. They loved the extra toppings that were always available during lunch.

However, the customers who knew this diner well came in every evening. They knew there was always a chef whose meals they could never resist. And the chef only cooked in the evenings. That was the red hair, curvy Ava Davis.

Yes, the chef with the magic fingers.

Tonight, while the customers trouped into the diner, Ava busied herself with her menu. She was trying a new delicacy again tonight. She had spent all morning sourcing for the ingredients. It was just as she had some days ago. Yes, the chef spent days, sometimes weeks, gathering her materials. For tonight's special, she had gotten every oil imaginable. Rapeseed, sesame oil, nut oil. Other ingredients such as fresh fruits, mangled veggies, nuts were also sourced for. Everything had been intentionally picked from fresh to dried ones. Getting everything right was the key to great meals with Ava.

The food was something she had scoured the internet for some days ago. She had been attempting it ever since. It was a Chinese way of making Mystic Grill's favourite meal. Yesterday, she finally got the hang of it and would be serving it tonight. She had even posted it on her page that her clients should watch out for tonight's meal.

Hence, the reason for the unusual crowd.

The instant she had posted that on her WhatsApp status, a few had started sending smileys. The ones out of town began to place orders. And the ones around promised to show at the diner. They loved her meals.

That she knew, and they always showed up. Every freaking time. In return for their loyalty, she always treats them to sumptuous meals. Tonight's dish was one of them. "Heat the oil until it burns," Ava instructed the assisting chefs.

She was grinding the grilled fish with a small pestle.

Her three assisting chefs at the diner, Kathrine, Casey, and Jamie, stood beside her. Tonight though, Jude replaced Jamie. Jude wasn't part of the chef that worked with Ava. He worked the afternoon shift most of the time. But Jamie's mother was visiting. The assistant chef had to skip work to stay home with her.

His presence always cheered Ava. Jamie is a free spirit, you see. You could never go wrong loving that one. He would be off work for two days. And Ava knew she would miss his praises and vibrancy. On his part, Jude made for a great substitute. He was attentive and watchful. He didn't mind asking questions either.

Ava found herself repeating some procedures to him. It was something he should know. She tried her best not to act surprised anyway.

"I love how you take your time to explain things in detail," Jude commented, taking the turning stick. He had just asked why Ava stirred one way only. She told him it was to have an appropriate mix. "This is something our team needs to learn. You're the best."

Behind them, Kathrine stood with her back turned to the cooker. Her disinterest in the new meal was obvious. She snickered when she heard the high praises given to the chef. In her mind, she laughed at their folly. Everyone knew to turn a broth soup one way.

Either Jude was dumb not to know that or something else. Is he trying to get in the chef's pants? She snorted. Men are always thinking with their groin. If only he knows that even the chef's boyfriend never gets enough! Pushing past Jamie, she spoke harshly, "Orders are filled already; won't you hurry?"

"Okay," replied the chef. Her eyes darted from one angle of the room to the other. Mentally, she was calculating what goes in the soup next. They were almost done now. And she couldn't wait for the customers to have a taste of the food and give their comments.

The 27year old had started cooking when she was 15. Having lost her parents at a tender age, she had stayed with her grandmother. Grandma Davis had been a great cook. Everyone wanted a bite of her soups and foods. Ava recalled people always visiting their homes on Sundays. This was because Sundays were Mama Davis' special scone's day.

She made the best of scones that folks from church always stopped by to get some. And luckily for Ava, she inherited those skilled hands. "Unlike your mother," Grandma would often tease her anytime she cooked for her, "You'd do well as a caterer".

Perhaps that had been her driving force. She loved to cook. Cooking was how she relieved herself whenever she was stressed. But her grandmother was wrong in assuming she'd want to be a caterer. She didn't want to cater for events alone.

Ava wanted more. She tried to feed the strongest of people. The people in high places. Food has a way of endearing people. It made the rich want to have something to do with even the lowliest of their servants. Food, good food, could earn you respect.

She wanted that. When she discovered the world where chefs thrived and catered for the masses, the idea stuck in her young mind. The idea that someday, some kings or royals would long for her services excited her. Then getting into college, her dream expanded into having chains of restaurants in Seattle.

They might be from a poor background with little or no money, yet she knew it was achievable. And the only way she knew to fulfil her dream was to keep cooking. "How far gone are we?" she asked the assisting chefs. She had spent too much gathering ingredients to fail her customers tonight.

"We are twenty minutes behind already," informed Casey, peeping through the keyhole. From there, she could see the diner filled up. "It's filled to the brim. If we don't start dishing, we might lose them."

Ava dropped her apron instantly. "I can't allow that," she told her colleague, "I need at least ten more minutes." With that, she opened the door.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jude hesitantly.

At about the same time, Casey purred, "Uh oh, the chef's going to do her magic."

"Watch me," said Ava to the new assistant. He doesn't work her shift, so he had no idea how they ran the show. Before stepping out, she turned in time to see Kathrine giving the soup mean looks. Unsure she could be trusted with the meal, the chef asked her to come with her. It was an order done with malicious politeness.

The latter went grudgingly. "Just let it simmer. I'll be back to start dishing." Said the chef to the other two.

"Okay," chorused Casey and Jude.

The instant the chef entered the diner, everyone cheered excitedly. "There goes our chef," they chanted. Ava revelled in the praises, taking it in for a while. She calculated how long they would chant before she said a word In her mind.

Her eyes darted across the room to check the wall clock. Nodding, she twirled around the room, hugging a few. She bestowed them with a handshake with her gloved hands for the men. For five minutes, her customers chanted, and she tried not to stop them. Instead, she signalled the DJ to light up the place with music. A few started to join her as she danced because she sucked at it. Their chef was anything but a dancer.

When they joined her in dancing, she let them. It was some simple steps the old folks loved. So, she could move easily even if she couldn't twist well. When she had some free space, her eyes darted to the wall clock again. Finally, she had gotten her eight minutes. "Ladies and gents. Your dish tonight will be served now," she waited until their cheers went down before adding, "And it's a new meal as you all have been promised."

"Chef Ava. Our chef Ava," they chorused as she took her leave.

"So, how are we?" Ava asked Casey and Jude as soon as she reentered the kitchen. She got the big spoon and stirred the dish. "We're ready. Bring the plates," she called.

As the assisting chefs rally around to get orders right, Ava busied herself with other stuff. Her work here was done. She cleaned up her tool and started returning the things she no longer needed.

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Finally, things quieted down in the diner. The folks had eaten, and most had gone home. The few people left were almost done with their meal. Two men were seated, talking about work. There was nothing much to do. Ava busied herself with her phone. Going through the comments on her WhatsApp group, she smiled. They knew how to make her day with insanely sweet ratings. The other chefs sat down, chatting excitedly. She didn't listen to most of what they said, but she knew it had to do with the meal. Their customers had, as usual, left, feeling great.

"Have you heard about the new restaurant opening downtown?" asked Casey. She was talking to Kathrine, who suddenly looked irritated. "What?" she glared back at the lady. The lady had a saucy way of looking down on everyone.

"What about the new restaurant?" Kathrine asked with a forced smile.

"You've been moody all day," Casey teased while ignoring the talk about the new restaurant, "Why not have a few of Ava's meals. It will lighten your mood." She pressed further. That only fueled Kathrine's anger.

Hissing, Kathrine walked past the chef and stormed out of the kitchen. "Brat." She murmured.

"What about the new restaurant?" asked Ava. She had stopped reading the comments the instant she heard about that. Every time a new restaurant opened, she remembered her dream to own several herself. Then she would make it a point of duty to check the new site out. There were always one or two things to learn. Just as she could see a few flaws that she could avoid when starting hers.

Jude spoke up first, "It's the new building downtown. The C-cut."

"Oh, I know that place," Ava nodded, recalling passing through the place on her way this morning. She had gotten her rapeseed around that area. "So, when is it opening?"

"I knew you'd be interested," Casey said, walking towards Ava. "It's opening this weekend. Wanna come with?" she held her hands tenderly. "I want to see what goes."

"You bet I'm coming." Ava couldn't suppress her excitement. "I could invite Dan too." The instant she mentioned her boyfriend, she noticed the assisting chef exchanging looks. "What is wrong?" she asked. "Can't I bring him?"

"It's nothing," Casey lied. How did one go telling a girlfriend about his flirty boyfriend? She looked awkwardly at Jude for help.

"Peterson owns the restaurant. You okay with that?" asked Jude, covering up for Casey. The chef was distracted immediately she heard the owner's name. Her countenance fell. Everyone knew how Ava had a thing for the billionaire. She wanted to work for the man. And though she kept applying, her application was never acknowledged. Even though they were barely on the same shift, Jude knew about it too. Thanks to Kathrine and her loud mouth.

"That was so 2020. I've stopped caring about him. I have my eyes set on other areas now." She assured her colleagues. Since completing her culinary school, she had set her eyes on Peterson McGuire. The man was a renowned business owner for his diners and restaurants in Seattle. He was also known for his credibility in getting good chefs. Fresh-from-school chefs wanted a slot with him. Getting hired by him made a good mark on one's Resume. He was her role model. But like most, the man ignored every attempt she made at getting hired.

"I might have seen him here today," Casey said, looking into the far distance. "I'm sure he was here."

"You sure about that?" asked Ava, a bit too excited. She got down from the slab she had been sitting on. Her legs grew weak at the thought that somehow, Peterson had tasted her meal. She rushed to the pot to scoop a few leftovers. "Is it good? Did I do well?" she asked, all three pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Ava?" Jude called cautiously, "Tone it down."

"I just want to know if he did," she shrugged, "At least that would mean he tasted my special delicacy."

Kathrine got back in then, "He was here," she told them calmly, "I saw him," she leaned on the door, arms folded beneath his chest.

Jumping up, Ava hugged Kathrine tightly. Forgotten was their constant bickering and rivalry. "He tasted my meal. Maybe he will call me or something?" she asked, looking at her colleagues.

"Stop dreaming," Kathrine laughed wickedly, pushing her off her. "He's turned down several of us already."

While the others started chatting about something else, Ava couldn't stop thinking of her dream. She would do it. Whatever it was going to take, she was going to achieve this desire. "Dream is all I have," she muttered to herself. "He cannot take that from me."