SPEND OR DIE: THE GOURMET WEALTH SYSTEM

Chapter 2: Bottomless Pit.

Killian threw his phone on the table and let out a deep sigh. The silence in the background was more frustrating than having someone to talk to about Amanda, his former boss’s mockery words.

It had been two days since Martha had travelled to the countryside to see her aged mother and three weeks since Killian had lost his job at KTS but he was still yet barred from picking up the rest of his experimental recipes from the restaurant’s kitchen cabinet.

He looked at the kitchen table where two pots of delicacies sat lazily, there was no one to taste it for him. He smiled at the memory of Martha’s usual enthusiasm whenever he tests out his recipes and she tastes them for him.

I will be back within the week my love.

He remembered her exact words and how he rubbed her belly lovingly before dropping a soft kiss on her lips. Killian gasped softly and got off his feet, he had been too distracted that he almost missed the important show, the one he spent years fantasizing over, waiting endlessly to get an invite to,

“The Elite of the Culinary Universe”

It only happens once in two years, he had applied for it twice but he got no response,even Sean wouldn’t dream of getting a spot on that show, it was always a dead end for low class nameless chefs, only few in the category were lucky enough to participate, painfully enough, this year’s edition came with a bigger deal,

An opportunity for international recognition, blue house employment and awarding.

Killian picked up his television remote and switched on the view, to his relief, the show had just commenced, the four participants had just concluded their cooking session and it was time for the panelist tasting and participants to give an overview of their dishes.

Killan’s eyes lightened up as the camera shifted focus to his favorite panelist, Mr Liu, an hilarious Chinese man that judges without biases. He tasted each of the dishes placed on small plates in front of him. The other judges did the same and each participant was called out to give an overview of their dishes, that was when Killan sighted him,

Harris Calvary, his first greatest rival chef since culinary school days. Harris, a hotelier heir hated Killian’s gut because he always gets the highest points and compliments in cooking competitions and recipe development, after graduation, twice he had blocked Killan from getting a good employment offer from top tier restaurants back then.

Killian scoffed watching Harris smile lovingly as he walked towards the panelists.

“I definitely need a drink watching this.” He soliloquized and made for his fridge.

He got himself a chilled coke, it wasn’t surprising that Harris got the invite to the show as his connections were great enough. Killan sat down and sipped his drink while Harris’s voice cut across the room.

“I put my heart into this dish, thank you.”

“Well, I successfully fermented ginger root without it losing its structure, flavor and texture. Also, my fermented combination of four different kinds of root vegetables, although I will have to withhold their names,”

He laughed shortly and so did the rest of the audience.

“Adding it to a carbohydrate dense food, my recipe defies the odds of caramelization while retaining maximum nutritional benefits.”

Killan’s hand shook! That sounded way too familiar at first but he shrugged his shoulders and let it slide, he hadn’t physically met with Harris in over ten years. There is no way their recipes would be the same.

If only what happened twenty five minutes later hadn’t!

If Harris Calvery hadn’t won the show and he dedicated the award to his girlfriend, his girlfriend had rushed out of the crowd to give him a hug, if only it hadn’t turned out as Martha, his pregnant wife.

The bottle of chilled coke fell from Killan’s grasp. Heat surged through his chest. Maybe he was wrong, she had only a striking resemblance to his wife, Martha is still in the countryside with her mum. He managed to grasp his phone and put a call across to Martha but the phone kept ringing endlessly without any response.

He stared intently at her happy smile , the same smile he had cherished for years. He was so distracted despite the loud banging sound at his door, he couldn’t move, the banging sound intensified and he literally dragged himself to the door and drew it open.

“Are you Killan Quinn?”

A delivery man with a disgusted expression called out, Killan nodded affirmatively.

“I have been knocking for quite some time, I have a package for you, here, sign its reception.”

Killian couldn’t find his voice, so he accepted the paper and signed. He knew he didn’t place any order anywhere but he assumed Amanda Black had changed her mind and sent over the rest of his stuff. To his surprise, the package was light and flat, he accepted it and closed the door behind the delivery man. The show on the television had ended now but every surprise still stings.

Killan tore open the package and faced his greatest fear,

A divorce letter from Martha, his wife.

Most men were raised to hide their emotions and Killan was no different but right now, he couldn’t help himself, he fell hard on his butt as he stared at the paper in his grasp. He read through hastily but he couldn’t understand a single detail. Everything Killian had achieved since after Culinary School, his savings, future investments were all co-owned by Martha.

Killian’s phone rang and he picked it up instantly, it was Martha, she had called him back.

“Tell me all this is a sick joke and I didn’t just watch you kiss Harris Calvary.” His voice croaked.

“Oh Killian, my apologies for your clumsy cluelessness, I believe the divorce letter would have gotten to you by now.”

Killan swallowed her, she had confirmed his suspicion.

“Babe, maybe I haven’t been the best husband to you but I promise to do better, Harris is only using you, and our child needs…..”

“Our child!” Martha laughed hysterically, “Harris is the father of my unborn child and about being used by him, I absolutely love it especially when he uses me in bed.”

“Martha!!!” Killan yelled.

“You are done for Killan, I have liquidated all our assets already, getting your signature isn’t that hard, I made you sign it a few months ago in a drunken state, even the apartment isn’t yours anymore, just remain a loser that you are.”

Killan listened! He couldn’t make sense of where he had gone wrong with loving Martha, the only thing that used to make sense in his life. His underrated culinary skill didn’t hurt him as much as this betrayal, and the child he had imagined fathering was just blown on his face that he belongs to his greatest hater.

“Martha, what did I do to deserve this cruelty of yours?”

Laughter erupted from the background, Killan knew that voice all too well, Harris had been listening to all their conversations all along.

“What you did wrong my old friend, is to be foolish and gullible, to make matters worse, born of a low class.” Harris interjected.

“You stole my recipe Harris, you used my…..”

“Stole your recipe! What recipe? What blesmesphy! I can actually sue you for that utterance.” Harris responded harshly.

“Martha gave you my secret recipe and you won the contest with it, I heard it all….”

“Killan, you are still the same loser as the one I met in culinary school, what proof of your words do you have? For crossing your boundary, I will make you regret accusing me wrongly.”

Harris Calvery was right, Over the two weeks that followed, Killan regretted confronting him, he lost everything to Harris and was finally blacklisted in the culinary industry. No one would employ him. Coming home after every failed attempt at job hunting to absolute silence, his savings and investments totally vanished, but Martha’s red carpet appearances beside Harris intensified.

Killan spends the last cash he has drinking, being an orphan and fighting his way through to his current little achievements, he has been reduced to nothing, back to that three year old boy abandoned in front of a church orphanage.

Wallowing in self-pity became his only resort until one night that he made up his mind. He had lost all hope, he held with shivering hands his favorite knife, his passing out gift from his mentor chef.

This was the end, there was nothing else to live for, as he held the knife to his wrist and it burrowed into his flesh, bitterness filled his heart and he made a vow,

In his next life, he was going to seek revenge on Matha and Harris even if it would send him back to hell,

Sadly, the universe approved his vengeance.