CHAPTER 7 — THE DINNER OF NO RETURN
The invitation contained only one address.
No phone number.
No logo.
No instructions.
Just a date.
Friday. 8:00 PM. Come Alone.
Gabriel begged Ethan not to go.
"Every chef who walked through those doors either vanished... or came back working for them."
But Ethan had already made up his mind.
"If I run now," he said quietly, "they'll never stop hunting us."
That Friday night, a black limousine picked him up.
After an hour of driving through empty country roads, the car stopped in front of an enormous mansion hidden deep in the mountains.
Inside, a banquet table stretched across a grand hall.
Twelve seats.
Eleven were already occupied.
Billionaire restaurateurs.
Celebrity chefs.
Food critics.
Corporate executives.
No one spoke.
At exactly eight o'clock, an elderly man entered.
Everyone stood immediately.
His name was Victor Ashcroft.
The founder of The Black Table.
He smiled warmly.
"So... Gabriel's son finally came."
Ethan refused to sit.
"I'm not here to join you."
Victor laughed.
"Oh, you're already part of us."
He snapped his fingers.
Huge television screens lit up around the room.
Security footage.
Bank records.
Hospital files.
Old newspaper articles.
Then came one photograph.
A smiling young Gabriel...
holding baby Ethan.
Victor looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"You think Richard stole your father's life."
"He didn't."
"He was following my orders."
The room fell silent.
Victor continued calmly.
"We built the greatest restaurant empire in history."
"Every legendary chef you've ever admired..."
"...worked for us."
"Every recipe you love..."
"...belongs to us."
Then Victor slid a contract across the table.
"Sign this."
"You become the youngest executive in our history."
"Refuse..."
"...and Laurent & Son burns to the ground before sunrise."
Ethan picked up the pen.
Everyone watched.
He slowly signed...
Then smiled.
Victor smiled back.
Until Ethan quietly whispered five words.
"Read the last page carefully."
Victor opened the contract.
His smile disappeared instantly.
Every page after Ethan's signature had been replaced.
Instead of a contract...
It was a confession.
Complete with evidence.
Every crime.
Every stolen recipe.
Every illegal payment.
Every missing chef.
Hidden inside the folder was a tiny live camera.
May you like
The entire dinner...
had just been streamed live to millions around the world.
