Phase Two

Gathering his stuff, Alex walked towards the nearby park bench where he sat in silence. Nursing a hot cup of coffee on this cold winter morning, gathering his wits as he rests after a hard day's work at the nearby construction site.

He had finally sorted his thoughts. It had been three days since he awoke from that bizarre dream. Where he was an orphan living in a high-tech world with a house and a promising future, having the opportunity to do various amusing things with close friends and companions. It was truly a wonderful dream. However, the details of which had already faded from his mind leaving him to face the bleak reality

He was a 35-year-old homeless amnesiac going by the name Alex Telmar. With matte blonde hair and big blue eyes, he had spent the last 15 years wandering along alleys and slums without a place to sleep or a place to call home.

It all began about 17 years ago, a few days before he turned 18. That was when he had the true nightmares came to life. He had been returning home from an overnight party with his friend Steve when he saw the flashing of ambulance lights around him as he walked into his family manor. A massive fire had engulfed the entire manor burning everyone save his half-brother Travis and his father's secretary Olen.

A total of 11 lives were lost in the fire including his younger brother, his father and his mother. As well as the entire staff working in the manor. Miraculously his half-brother had survived thanks to the mysterious chance that he was banging up his dad's secretary in the backyard storage building that night.

The fire was such a freak occurrence that with current technology back then, they couldn't trace the origin of it. With that fire, Alex began his downward spiral into despair

The families of the 8 staff members were compensated for their loss and burials were organised soon after, with the entire city mourning his family's death as they had been the richest in town. With his father's company employing over 10% of the city's population in one way or another. His father's business partners had all stood behind him, in their black funeral suits offering their support and condolences to him while his half-brother stood in the shadows smoking weed.

But soon all this fell apart as the day of will reading came, and to Alex's shock the original will had been burned down in the manor and there was no valid will that all the parties could accept.

His half-brother, the secretary, and their supporters stood at one end while he and his father's supporters stood at the other, dragging for ownership of the large company. For over a year and a half, the matter was disputed before he finally won his half-brother in court. 

However, that was not the end. On taking over the company he discovered several massive incidents that had happened during this period. Contract breaches and loans overdue had piled up, and before anything could be done the company was bankrupt. Like a sinking ship, all the rats fled first leaving him to sell all of his family assets just to repay his company debts, sending him into sudden poverty even his college girlfriend left him to his best friend Steve.

On investigation, he found that the company had been sabotaged by his half-brother with the aid of his father's secretary who he later discovered was the love child of an overseas rival company.

Suddenly alone and homeless his episodes of amnesia began to occur. Sometimes lasting for months at a stretch, and due to this sudden illness he had to drop out of college unable to continue his studies any more. He was admitted to several psychiatric wards, but that only seemed to worsen the problems. The episodes grew worse and worse and unable to pay for care, he was left to his own devices for years. Living off the kind hearts of strangers.

However, whenever he recovered his memories and realised the betrayals he would attempt suicide and currently he has attempted suicide a total of 7 times. Once he came into contact with his half-brother after 7-plus years had passed. Only to find out that the fire had not been an accident, with his brother Travis plotting to end all of them because his father had planned to leave the entirety of his assets to Alex.

Unable to accept this he allied with the enemies through the secretary and ended the company, offering it up in pieces as he could not have it for himself. Now the Son-in-law of this large company and his half-brothers' position has risen greatly within the company as they had swallowed the remnants of his father's company due to him.

Now no one knew of him anymore his family name, a footnote in history. He the sole survivor, living out of a rented van and working in construction.

Alex snapped out of his flashback as a flier was handed to him by a little child before running away with more in his hands. Looking at it Alex saw it was for a cooking show auditioning nearby today.

If there was one thing he learned in his 15 years of wandering from place to place, it was how to cook. Those who helped him when he lost his memory would always keep him in their kitchen while cooking, hoping to help him regain his memory with the familiar sights and sounds he must have experienced growing up.

Deciding to give it a shot, he entered the cooking show the same day and qualified for the main contest as his skill though homeless, won the hearts of the judges evoking nostalgic and exciting emotions from the judges.

Several episodes and stages passed in the tournament with Alex making it to the final three, all of them aiming for the prize money of 800,000 dollars and a contract to be employed as the head chef of a massive international energy conglomerate.

On getting to the finals the contestants were given free reign to make a dish in under 15 minutes that would win the heart of the CEO of this company.

This CEO was a mysterious character as only the higher-ups in the company knew who they were.

Given that they had limited time, Alex picked the simplest dish he could make, instant ramen. Other contestants also picked simple dishes like egg fried rice and one even chose to make oat porridge.

Soon the dishes were served to the CEO in a private room and 30 minutes later, the results were declared with Alex as the winner. The award ceremony was done and the company signed all three of the finalists into the company serving in different capacities. However, once it was all over Alex was called in by the bodyguards of the CEO to the private room.

Alex saw his ramen bowl emptied on the table with the other dishes left untouched on entering the room.

The CEO turned the swivel chair around to reveal a beautiful lady seated there staring right into his eyes. At that moment Alex felt a strange feeling within his chest, like a massive chain had wrapped around his heart. Unable to move or breathe or say anything at all, he watched this lady, staring intently at her.

"Hello Alex Telmar, my name is Sara Daniel and it is a pleasure to meet you." She said in a charming voice.

On hearing that name streams of tears flowed down Alex's face uncontrollably.