Mommy, Where's Daddy? The Forsaken Daughter's Return
Chapter 51: The Executive Chef

On an early Monday morning, Ethan was walking down the staircase with a frown on his face.

When he found one maid cleaning the living room, he asked, "Where is my wife?"

"Sir, Mrs. Wright is preparing breakfast for the children," told the maid.

Ethan walked towards the kitchen, maintaining the grimace on his face. When he found Samantha preparing breakfast, he walked over to her and turned off the stove.

"Ethan!" While Samantha exclaimed, Ethan turned her to face him.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and said, "Sam, I am not a very demanding man."

With his eyes closed, he leaned his head and rested it on Samantha's before revealing, "I am a very busy man, and for now, I'd really like to ask that I wake up next to you every morning when I am around."

Samantha was holding a spatula in her hand when Ethan turned her over. Her hands remained raised while her body was held tight by her husband.

Hearing Ethan's words, she blushed while eyeing the reaction of the other maid inside the kitchen. She wound up chuckling and announcing, "That's it!"

"I conclude, you are crazy about me!" Samantha declared before she wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck. She reached for his lips and said, "Good morning."

"Hmmmm," Ethan said with his brows drawn together. "What's good about the morning?"

"I just went down to make breakfast," Samantha reasoned while giggling. She gave him another peck and added, "I did not go anywhere. Don't worry, tomorrow, I'll wake you."

"Okay," Ethan said. "I'll just take a shower. What time do you start work today?"

"Ten," Samantha answered. "Edgar will come back for me and take me to work."

After the family's very first breakfast together, Ethan left for work with Edgar. The children followed, leaving with Conner and Diana.

Samantha left last, shortly after Edgar returned to fetch her.

On the first day of Samantha's work, she was incredibly nervous. She had many considerations to take, especially the opinions of others being the boss' other half.

Cindy, the receptionist, had told her once that others were wondering how she became Ethan's wife in such a short amount of time. They had questions left and right about her background.

Were they together before she joined the company?

Or did they just met?

Were the children really Ethan's children?

Where they really married?

Why was there no wedding?

Samantha at least addressed part of Cindy's curiosity, confirming with the receptionist that they were indeed married and the children are Ethan's. She promised, however, that the rest of the details will be unveiled in time.

Ethan, however, did make a formal announcement to the company that all employees have no right to pry on his personal life, including that of his wife, Samantha.

The fact that she was married to Ethan was out there, but the circumstances of how they met remained a mystery.

In the two hours of her day, Samantha was given an orientation, including a tour around the property. Her last pit stop was the hotel's main kitchen, standing in between The Pearl Diamond Restaurant and The Marigold Restaurant.

The Pearl Diamond Restaurant was the hotel's fine dining cafe, while the Marigold Restaurant was the main diner where they offered buffet meals for all their guests.

As the executive chef, Samantha was expected to oversee both restaurants, but of course, she had underlings to support her, whom she looked forward to meeting that day.

The General Manager of the First Diamond Hotel came with the HR staff specific for Samantha's introduction to the kitchen. His name was Gerard Clarke.

Calling the attention of every chef and kitchen assistant on a busy lunch, Gerard announced, "Everyone, I need your attention, please."

"What is it, Gerard, we are running a kitchen here! We are very busy?" complained a man, clearly in a chef higher in rank.

The man was tall, with light blond hair, silver eyes, and a very athletic frame. He was distinctively uniformed in black chef attire while everyone else was in white.

"Today is your executive chef's first day, remember!" Reminded the general manager before telling, "I would like to introduce to everyone, Miss - rather, Mrs. Samantha Davis-Wright, your new executive chef." The General Manager eyed everyone before adding, "Therefore, Matteo Romano's being the stand-in executive chef will end this afternoon and will officially work under Samantha as her executive Sous Chef!" "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Wright."

While others welcomed Samantha pleasantly, she saw the clear grimace on Matteo's face, including a few chefs behind him.

She was unsure why, but she just spoke in response to the welcome, "Good noon. Sorry to disturb you on a busy lunch, but please, call me Chef Sam."

Turning to the General Manager, Samantha instructed, "Mr. Clarke, please have the hotel employees call me, just Chef Sam."

Clearing his throat, Gerard asked, "Are you sure, the boss would be okay with it?"

"I'll talk to him," she answered softly. "I don't want them to feel afraid of the fact that I am... the boss' wife." She wrinkled her nose and added, "If you know what I mean."

"If you say so, Mrs. Wright," answered the General Manager.

Returning her attention to the kitchen staff, Samantha announced, "Well, we can have our introductions later after the lunch service. I'll be joining everyone by then and aid in the dinner service preparation." With eyes widening, she said, "I heard we have an event this evening. I'd like to join this magnificent team in the preparations, then!"

Before Samantha took her lunch that day, Gerard spoke to her in private from one corner of the hotel lobby and told, "Mrs. Wright. I'm sorry about Matteo's behavior."

"It's just that... he was initially hired as the executive chef, but after just a month of employing Matteo, he announced that you would be the executive chef." Gerard sneered before adding, "Matteo - he... technically got demoted, but with the same pay!"

"Oh, my goodness! Ethan, what did you do?" Samantha massaged her temples, feeling a headache her way. She realized how she may have a rival at work, even before she could even begin. "Well, Mrs. Wright. You can always exercise your power, being Mrs. Wright," suggested Gerard. "Just... tell me if you need him out."

"Is he any good?" Samantha probed.

"Oh, he is very good and very disciplined," answered the General Manager.

"Then, he is a keeper." Samantha smiled and said, "Don't worry. I have been through this with the hotel I have worked for in Monroe City. I have been looked down before, but I had always proven myself." Samantha extended her hand to Gerard and said to him, "I can turn things around."

***

While the entire kitchen was preparing for the dinner, Samantha asked for a private time for Chef Matteo.

It was from one table of The Pearl Diamond Hotel that they spoke.

"Chef Matteo, can I call you by your first name?" Samantha asked while sitting across the table from her executive sous chef.

The man, Matteo Romano, gave Samantha a blank expression and told, "You are... already calling me by my first name."

"Well, I did not want any awkward situation between us, so I wanted us to start calling each other by our first names. The same way, I asked everyone to call me Chef Sam," explained Samantha. After a second of pause, Samantha defended, "It was just today that I learned of how my husband decided to change your designation and I am very sorry about it."

With eyes tightening, Matteo answered her, "Well, there is really nothing I can do. I already relocated here, all the way from Europe, when I was told of my demotion."

He shook his head and responded in an icy tone, "I supposed, it pays well to be in favor of the boss, you can easily land the executive chef position with less experience." Samantha smiled professionally at Matteo. She said, "Chef Matteo, why don't you see my work first and taste my dishes before you judge me."

"I probably will... In fact!" Matteo stood up and removed his apron before revealing, "I will leave you to handle the dinner preparations alone, without my help!" The corner of his lips twitched before challenging Samantha, "See if you can manage, Chef Sam."

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