2026-10-20 18:40:01
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Chapter 23: The Faceless Restaurant
"Who are you? This kitchen is no place for outsiders."Pierre Dumont stood in front of the main stove with both hands clenched into fists. His white chef uniform was wrinkled at the collar. The bags under his eyes were dark. Behind him, four kitchen staff members stopped slicing, chopping, and stirring—all turning toward the door with the same guarded expression.Rovan stood at the threshold of The Gilded Hearth kitchen. He wore a plain black shirt, dark trousers, and a gray apron he picked up from the rack near the entrance. No name on his chest. No logo. Only one sentence spoken in a flat tone."New management sent me. I am the kitchen consultant."Pierre narrowed his eyes. "New management? Which management? Ashworth is gone. I submitted my resignation three days ago.""I know. And the new management did not accept it.""Who did not accept it?"Rovan stepped inside. His pace was unhurried. His eyes swept the kitchen in a single sweep: two stoves with unstable flames, one frying pan
Chapter 22: Kitchen Behind the Gray Uniform
"Are you sure this is edible, Rovan?"George lifted his spoon with a hesitant expression, staring at the fried rice that had just been poured onto a plastic plate. Scrambled eggs were scattered on top, mixed with chopped onions and a splash of soy sauce. Nothing special. Just leftover ingredients from the cafeteria that were supposed to be thrown away, repurposed in the small utility room kitchen."It is," Rovan answered flatly. He was still stirring a second pan for Doris. "Just eat it before it gets cold."Doris, who was already sitting on a folding chair near the mop rack, immediately took a spoonful. Her eyes widened. "This is... delicious. Really. It tastes better than the cafeteria food we buy every day.""Because I do not use oil that has been used four times," Rovan said without turning.George chewed slowly. Then chewed faster. "Alright. I take back my question. This is edible. In fact, very edible.""You say that every time I cook.""Because you always cook well. Strange for
Chapter 21: The Birth of Pendleton Crown
Three days had passed since that voice echoed on the end of the line, but Rovan had not slept more than four hours in a single night.He sat in the dark living room of the flat, a laptop open on his knees. The screen showed the organizational structure he had built himself over the past three days. No logos. No addresses. No names that could be tracked at Companies House or any public registry. Just one phrase printed at the top of the internal document, in sans-serif capital letters:PENDLETON CROWN.In the inner pocket of the uniform hanging on the hook near the door, his phone vibrated. Rovan closed the laptop, walked to the kitchen, and answered the call in a low voice so as not to wake Millie in the next room."Report."The voice on the other end sounded professional. Emotionless. One of the three proxy directors he had recruited through the Aegis Security Group database. A lawyer. His name did not matter. He had never met Rovan. Never would."The holding structure is registered
Chapter 20: Without a Single Punch
The blue interface appeared before Rovan's eyes before Millie's voice completely faded in the hall.[Sincere praise detected.][Location: Main Hall, in front of more than two hundred third parties][Reward released.] [New Skill: Grandmaster Martial Arts – Pure Defensive Stance][Ownership: Permanent. Cannot be revoked.] [Note: This power only activates in defense. Not for aggression.]The knowledge flowed like water filling an empty vessel. Body positioning. Balance points. Reading the direction of an attack before the opponent's muscles even moved. It all felt like it had been in his head for a long time, just waiting to be unlocked.Victoria still stood with her hand raised. Her fingers were spread open, pointing toward the collar of Rovan's uniform. Millie was between them, both arms stretched out, her small body acting as a shield."Do not touch my dad!" Millie repeated, her voice higher now. "He is not allowed to be touched! My dad is a martial arts expert! He can beat anyone!"
Chapter 19: Emergency Meeting
"Representative of the cleaning staff? Are you joking, Caldwell?"Whitmore's voice resounded clearly in the hall, which was already packed with nearly two hundred parents. He stood beside the podium with a leather folder open, his black suit without a single wrinkle. Behind him, his female colleague arranged documents on the table. In the front row, Victoria Ashford sat with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes red but her back straight.Caldwell stood at the podium with a tense face. "Mr. Miller is an official staff member of this school. He is attending as a non-teaching representative. According to emergency meeting procedures.""Procedures?" Whitmore let out a short laugh. "We are discussing land ownership worth forty million pounds, and you bring a janitor to the bargaining table?"Quiet laughter echoed from a few corners of the hall. Not many. But enough.Rovan stood in the third row from the back. His gray uniform was clean—he had changed before coming in—but it was still
Chapter 18: The Eviction Notice (2)
"I do not know what I can do, Rovan. But I need you here tonight."Caldwell said those words with a voice that was barely audible. He sat in the wooden chair in his office, both hands folded on the desk. In front of him, the notice of termination of land usage rights left by Whitmore and Associates still lay there. The envelope was already open. The original document had been photocopied three times for three senior staff members.Rovan stood in front of the desk. His gray uniform was still damp on the back from trimming the hedges. His hands were still green with plant sap. He had just come in from the east garden when the receptionist called him."What is it, Sir?" Rovan asked. His voice was flat. Not rushed.Caldwell slid the document to the center of the desk. "Did you see this?"Rovan looked down. His eyes swept the first line. Then the second line. He did not touch the paper. "A lease termination letter.""Yes. From Whitmore and Associates. On behalf of Lord Ashford." Caldwell s
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