âIâll stop asking if you donât feel like answering.â
Sheryl did not pursue the matter further, saying decidedly, âIâll need to regain my cooking skills in order to give your hotel a competitive edge.â
Casper was overjoyed when he heard that. If Sheryl regains her capabilities and joins my team, Tycoon Hotel will definitely become a top-notch hotel in the city. The womanâs culinary skills were surely better than Casperâs. His success was attributed to his smooth start in life. He had a famous teacher to guide him in culinary, and his daily diet was nothing less than exotic delicacies.
The resources and exposure Sheryl had been way lesser compared to Casper, but her skills were impeccable. After tasting her improved version of Beef Wellington, he was resolute to recruit Sheryl. He was very certain that her potential in culinary was immeasurable.
Had it not been for what happened three years ago, Sheryl would have made a name for herself worldwide.
She was like a rare gem. Casper thought he must have done something right, which pleased the heavens and the earth, to deserve her.
Planning ahead, focusing on developing Tycoon Hotel would be his best strategic move. The addition of Sheryl would benefit Casper greatly in achieving his goal of earning ten times more than his current assets within the span of one year.
Both of them discussed the details of their grand plan for half an hour before Caspar and Elena left.
âBoss, what do you think of Sharon?â Elena asked Casper during the journey back to Tycoon Hotel.
âGo ahead and share your thoughts,â Casper urged.
Biting her lips, Elena went straight to the point. âSharon said her sister was suffering from depression.
However, youâve seen it too. Does her mannerism look like someone whoâs depressed?â
âI guess sheâs recovered?â Casper did not find anything strange about that.
âHow could she be healed magically?â
âShe didnât. In fact, her condition has worsened.â
Casper recalled the moment he saw Sheryl speak without any facial expression â her eyes had been filled with a strong sense of hatred.
âShe capitalized on her hatred toward a matter to cure her depression. Itâs equivalent to drinking poison to quench thirst. Itâs hard to say if she will be able to heal completely in the future. Right now, all we need is her precious culinary skills. Thatâs our most powerful weapon to tackle Lingham Hotel and other restaurants alike.â
âI see. All right, then.â Closing her eyes, Elena did not say one more word.
âWhy? You donât trust her?â
âItâs not that. Itâs just that she said today youâve got a sweetheart, so I wanted to know if itâs true,â Elena muttered.
Casper chuckled upon seeing his secretary acting coquettishly. âYouâre too cute.â
They locked eyes for a brief moment. Suddenly, a shout broke the silence between them. Casper turned and realized that it was Louis calling out to him at the entrance to the hotel.
âHey, are the cooks still here? Didnât I say that they could all go on leave today?â
Louis rubbed his hands. âWell, weâre all eager to know the results of the showdown. Howâs it? Does Ms. Alder win a chance to come over to our hotel?â
A glint of doubt flashed across Casperâs eyes, but he dismissed the thought almost immediately. Louis should be the least suspicious amongst them all. Heâs the kind who holds high expectations for his culinary skills.
âAre you the only one here, Mr. Goldstein?â
âOh, there are quite a number of us. We all want to know the outcome,â Louis answered.
Nodding, Casper sighed. âThereâs nothing much to say about the battle. Iâve been busy all day, for nothing. I donât want to talk about it. Nope, Iâm not going to bring this up ever again.â
Louis hummed softly. From Casperâs reaction, he guessed that his boss had lost. âHow is that possible? Mr. Simpson, your cooking is superb! How comeâ¦â
âIâve overestimated myself. I was too careless! Darn it, that girl looked down on me. Iâm afraid thereâs no chance for her to join us at Tycoon.â
Casper described the situation so well that Elena almost believed his nonsense if she had not followed him around the whole day.
âWhat a pity!â
As Louis sighed, he recalled something that made his eyes lit up. He turned to Casper and said, âMr.
Simpson, your cooking skills are brilliant. Why donât you give us some pointers? Perhaps we could improve and bring about more business to the hotel that way.â
Casper nodded and replied, âMr. Goldstein, I understand where youâre coming from, but thereâs no need to hurry. The hotel is facing multiple problems at the moment. You guys only need to do your best and carry on with your work.â
After Louis left for the kitchen, Elena asked, âDid you say that on purpose?â
âThatâs right. We need to obfuscate them thoroughly. We canât let Sawyer suspect anything,â Casper said unswervingly with the hope to fight Sawyer till the very end.
âAfter failing to woo your goddess, you want to beat me in business? Sure, Iâll let you suffer the biggest loss in your life.â
The ambitious Casper was motivated to defeat his opponent, and he would not allow merely a hotel under the Lingham Group to be his stumbling block.
âItâs about time we prepare for the meeting with the board of directorsâ¦â
These two days, he had missed his classes due to his busy schedule. If Ms. Clauder finds out, sheâll surely give me a piece of her mind.
âI havenât returned my Goddessâ missed call. Let me do it now.â
Casper walked to a quiet corner and made a call to Giselle. After ringing for about ten seconds, she answered.
âHello, Ms. Clauder, this is Casper. Were you looking for me?â
âCasper⦠Iâve got something to discuss with you. Can you come to my hostel tomorrow? No, tonight?â
Giselle sounded oddly calm, which made him feel rather dubious about it. She hung up before he could ask further.
Something fishy is going onâ¦
He paced around wondering about it. She is definitely up to something. Sheâs usually amiable when sheâs among us, but today⦠Then again, she asked me to visit her hostel tonight. She initiated the invitation!
Casper looked forward to his appointment at night. He rubbed his palms in excitement.
Upon settling all his work matters at Tycoon, he headed back to his dorm, thinking about his plans for the evening.
Right then, Jeremy called him to talk about Hanson.
âBoss, I forgot to ask how many days you want to keep this dude locked up. Weâre short of manpower.â
âDetain him for now, at least until Ms. Alderâs edited video is ready to be published. Thank the gang for the hard work on my behalf. Iâll compensate them with a little something.â
âAlrighty, money is their sole extrinsic motivation anyway. Iâll arrange.â