CHAPTER 3 — THE FALL OF A KING
Richard Bennett tried to laugh.
But no sound came out.
The cameras zoomed in on his pale face as the entire competition hall waited for his answer.
For thirty years, Richard had been called a genius.
A legend.
A king of American fine dining.
But now, one notebook had turned him into a thief.
Ethan stood frozen beside his final dish.
He had expected to win.
He had not expected to destroy his father on live television.
Richard suddenly stood up.
"That notebook is fake," he shouted. "My son is a liar!"
The audience gasped.
Ethan's heart cracked.
Even now, after everything, part of him still wanted his father to defend him.
Instead, Richard chose war.
By morning, Ethan's face was everywhere.
Some people called him brave.
Others called him a fraud.
Richard used his money to flood the media with lies. He claimed Ethan had stolen recipes, manipulated an old man, and betrayed his own family for fame.
Then came the worst betrayal.
Ethan's mother, Margaret, appeared on television beside Richard.
With tears in her eyes, she said, "My son is confused. He has always wanted attention."
Ethan watched the interview alone in a cheap motel room.
For the first time, he cried.
Not because the world doubted him.
Because his own mother had chosen the lie.
But at midnight, someone knocked on his door.
Gabriel stood there, holding a sealed envelope.
"There is one more truth your father buried," he said.
Inside was Ethan's birth certificate.
Ethan read it once.
Then again.
His hands began to shake.
Richard Bennett was not listed as his father.
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And under "father's name" was a name that made Ethan drop the paper to the floor.
Gabriel Laurent.
