*3 weeks later*
A huge crowd had made its appearance before the doors of the hotel - The Royal Palace.
Well , this crowd could not be marked as a mob as all the participants of the crowd necessarily belonged to the high society. Starting from the chauffeurs to their masters , everyone was labelled as 5 star.
The Royal Palace was the venue allocated for the Competition. Big enterprises and small start up companies lined up their cars at the parking lot. Some were participants while others , spectators. Excited greetings and appraisals buzzed from every corner of the hall. Some were excited to meet their seniors and know about their experiences , while others excitedly criticized the inexperienced entrepreneurs who had started their career. Moreover the Competition was also a center to exchange and conduct all the gossip of the business world.
Among this lot of commotion , our very own participants arrived at the venue.
"This is the venue for our Competition ?" Reyansh asked quite fascinated.
"Hm... You have been here before ?" Darshan asked curious.
"I don't understand how someone can be so carefree when we are about to face such a serious event right now..." Priyanka grumbled under her breath.
"She is just stressed right now... Don't bother..." Darshan whispered to Reyansh.
"Its ok... She'll have her mood sorted right away..." Reyansh replied peeking over the car window as if searching for someone.
"But how !?" Darshan questioned while getting down from the car.
Reyansh exercised his eyes for a few more minutes and then tapped on Priyanka's shoulder.
"Waha dekho..." He whispered into her ear.
Priyanka moved her eyes frantically for some time and then , a sparkling glow made its appearance on her eyes.
"Dau !!" She called out and went running forward to Ankit who was busy welcoming the guests at the doorway.
"Re Priya tum ?" Ankit was quite surprised by this sudden call. "Oh.. So that means Reyansh jo Competition ke bare mein baat kr rha tha..."
"Haa wo iye wala hi h... I wasn't sure of the venue but look at the coincidence..." Reyansh laughed.
"Dau fir to aap dekh payenge ye Competition..." Priyanka said quite excited.
Meanwhile Darshan made his way to Priyanka.
"Darshan meet him..." Priyanka introduced Ankit and Darshan to each other.
After the greeting session was over , Reyansh and Darshan accompanied by Priyanka went towards the participants zone while Ankit got busy in tending the new arrivals.
"Accha suno... Mr. Raichand ne ab tak tumhare bare mein zarur baat pheladi hogi... But still I know there would be people who don't know you... So unke liye you're Reyansh Sharma , an intern at the Ryankoi Restaurants of the Ryankoi Enterprise... Got that !?" Priyanka told Reyansh in a stern voice proceeding forward.
"Ye...yeah..." Reyansh stuttered.
Darshan forwarded an assuring smile to Reyansh.
"Wese why do I specify Ryankoi Restaurants ?" Reyansh whispered to Darshan as they followed Priyanka.
"Actually the Ryankoi's run a enterprise. It includes the Ryankoi Restaurants , owned by Priyanka's father , the Ryankoi Constructions and the Ryankoi Hospitals headed by his brothers. Understand now ?" Darshan explained.
"Hmm... Very well..." Reyansh smiled.
"Hello Mr.Gonzales..." Priyanka had stopped in her track to greet an old man wearing a navy blue suit. Priyanka bowed a little and then forwarded her hand.
Darshan too bowed down to show his respect. Reyansh stood still confused at the situation. Darshan understanding his confusion pinched him and made him follow his gestures.
"Oh Hi Priyanka !" Mr. Gonzales finally spoke. "All ready and set for the Competition !?"
"Just so that we can live up to the name of Ryankoi Restaurants..." Priyanka replied humbly.
"Well well... Miss Shanaya is not gonna cut you any slack you know that right !?" He laughed.
But before Priyanka could reply he answered the question on his own.
"Well I see you have got the finest weaponry right here... Hello young boy !" He smiled looking at Darshan.
"Hello Mr. Gonzales..." Darshan forwarded his hand.
"Prepared for the fight champ !?"
"Well mostly prepared to uphold the spirit of cooking in this Competition you can say..." Darshan replied formally.
"Very well... Hmm... And who would this young man be !?" Mr. Gonzales enquired looking at Reyansh.
Darshan and Priyanka both signalled him to introduce himself.
"He...llo Sir ! I..I am Re..Reyansh Sharma , an intern at the Ryankoi Enterprise for the Ryankoi Restaurants..." Reyansh blurted out nervously.
Visible signs of confusion covered Mr.Gonzales's face which where then taken off by the grin that appeared on his lips. Priyanka shot a death glare towards Reyansh.
"I...mean... An intern at the Ryankoi Restaurants for the Ryankoi Enterprise..." Reyansh corrected himself timidly.
"Hmm.. This young man seems a bit nervous..." Mr. Gonzales smiled a bit and then continued. "Reyansh Sharma.... So you're the one Raichand has talking about the entire time !?"
Reyansh seemed a bit surprised at the mention of this new identity. Priyanka decided to cover up for him.
"Yes Mr. Gonzales , Mr. Raichand had tasted his food once..."
"That sounds like a defeat for Miss Shanaya in today's Competition don't you think !?" Mr. Gonzales laughed.
"The winner and the loser , I suppose should be left on fate for the time being Mr. Gonzales..."
"Ahh ! Shanaya !" Mr. Gonzales exclaimed on seeing Shanaya who had just marked her appearence at the scene.
"Mr. Gonzales we should get going... The bets are about to begin..." Shanaya said politely.
"Sure sure... Well then Priyanka , All the Best !" He wished her and then whispered closely. "I'm rooting my lakhs on you... Don't let me down ok !?" Mr. Gonzales threw one last smile before leaving Priyanka alone with Shanaya.
"Honestly mujhe na Mr.Gonzales k liye bohot bura lag rha h... Wo to apna bet harne wale h..." Shanaya laughed menacingly.
"You..."
"Uh-uh... Bottle up your temper for the while... And let's face each other in the Competition..." Shanaya smirked.
"Very well then... We'll see who's the boss..." Priyanka replied sternly.
"Ha zarur... Let's see what stones can you overturn with participants who can't even introduce themselves properly..." Shanaya laughed a cruel laugh. "I'll take my leave... Bye ~"
As soon as Shanaya waved her hand and left the place , Priyanka dragged Reyansh to a corner by his hand.
"Priya kya kr rhi ho... Choro use...." Darshan insisted.
"Itna difficult hain kya !? Khud ka name bolke khud ko introduce karna ITNA DIFFICULT HAIN KYA !?" Priyanka raged.
Reyansh kept quite staring at the ground.
"Priya have u lost it !? Why are you shouting ?" Darshan tried to take her away from Reyansh.
"I told you Darshan... He's not the one... In fact he can never be..."
"Accha thik h... Come here..."
"Leave me...."
"I said come here..." Darshan brought Priyanka to the other side of the room.
"What exactly are you doing Priyanka !?" Darshan questioned sternly.
"I'm just trying to educate...."
"He is completely new to this world... And if u need to educate him , it shouldn't be done this way..." Darshan interrupted before Priyanka could finish.
"He is right now in more of a mess than we are... So instead of finding faults we need to encourage him a little..."
"Well he doesn't deserve that encouragement..." Priyanka said coldly.
"Don't you remember your first time of coming to this competition ? Have you forgotten how timid you had been...?"
Priyanka's memory drifted of to the time when she was just a little child in terms of business and had just stepped her foot into the high society...
"I do... I absolutely do... And hence I'm trying to prevent him from repeating the same mistake once again..." Priyanka paused before continuing further.
"My nervousness made everyone think we were an easy target... And since it was our first time at the Competition , everyone ganged up on us and got us kicked out in the first round itself... Not only that , the participating chef was badly injured and had to keep a plaster on for 3 months..." Priyanka retaliated the incident with much regret.
Darshan put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know all of that... And I promise that history will not repeat itself this year... Everything will work out perfectly !" He comforted Priyanka and then left the place to join Reyansh.
"Hey !" Darshan called to Reyansh who was standing few feet away , eyes glued to the floor...
"Oh-Hi... I'm.. I'm really sorry... I.." Reyansh instantly broke down into apologies.
"Its ok... Its just that Priya is a bit too stressed about this..."
"I know... And that's natural... I should have been more careful with the matters of the rich class..." Reyansh spoke with regret.
"Absolutely not... A chef is only supposed to know how to cook and worry about the dishes he makes... Nothing else ! You don't need to get yourself tangled in these complicated matters... We have come to cook , fill the empty stomachs with food and empty hearts with love... Cuz that is our identity..." Darshan encouraged Reyansh.
A soft smile curbed on his lips.
"That's my boy... Now let's go...." Darshan put a hand around Reyansh's shoulders and took him towards the participants zone.
Before leaving the hall , Reyansh met Priyanka who was talking to an elderly businessman. Her restless eyes came to a rest as soon as they met the sap green lenses. Reyansh simply forwarded a blank look in reply of Priyanka's guilty stare and left the place silently.
In an isolated corner of the hall , the 20 year old boy from earlier was talking to someone. The man had a muscular physique accompanied by a well built body...
"To Boss k order yaad h na !?" The boy cackled.
"Yes sir..." The man replied obediently.
"Accha suno... Kya name tha tumhara... Yaad nhi-"
"Just call me Agent K sir..." The man replied.
"Haa... Haa... K M N L O tum jo bhi ho... Darshan k sathe kya karoge ?"
"Boss ne kaha h ki usko kahi p lock karke-"
"Abey tu gunda h ki security guard !?" The boy said angrily. "Lock karke ka kya matlab h... Last round k pehle...." He proceeded to whisper something in the man's ears.
"But sir..."
"No ifs and buts... Jo bol rha hu kar... Ab nikal yeha se... Koi dekh lega to problem ho sakti h..." The boy looked around to see if anyone was near them or not.
The man rather Agent K did a little bow and left the place.
Priyanka's Side :
Priyanka had just arrived in the room where the competition was supposed to be held. The large banquet hall was filled with many podiums where stoves and ovens were neatly piled up , waiting for their respective masters. A flight of stairs led to a room surrounded by a glass window , from where the spectators could enjoy the show. Priyanka ascended the stairs to meet her father.
"Mr. Ryankoi !" A man in his late 30s came forward to greet Mr. Ryankoi.
"Oh , Mr. Bagchi... Good to see you here !" Mr. Ryankoi turned to talk with his new guest holding a glass of champaign in one hand.
"So its quite rare that the Ryankoi's would join a competition like this..." Mr. Bagchi said sipping on his drink.
" Yeah well , sometimes you need to do unexpected things for your profit... I hope u understand my meaning over here Mr. Bagchi..." Mr. Ryankoi laughed.
"Very well... Very well..." Bagchi laughed back and then started. "I don't see Priyanka anywhere... As a would-be CEO I don't see her fulfilling her duties Mr. Ryankoi..."
"Um... She might be somewhere-"
"Oh ! We should check the food court isn't it !? I heard your daughter is still a foodie..." Mr. Bagchi tried to be very subtle with the vicious taunt.
Priyanka had just stopped a few yards away from her father , listening to the conversation. She was about to intervene when her father started.
"Well my daughter just munches on food , unlike someone's son who munches on his father's money... Isn't it Mr. Bagchi ? I heard that you had lost a large sum of money trying to get your son a bail..." At this moment many other businessmen had gathered around the two.
"Mr. Ryankoi , you're being too personal right now..." Mr. Bagchi fumed up.
"Oh yeah ?! I never knew my daughter's eating habits were a matter of national importance. Maybe that's why no-name rats like you have gathered the right to comment on that..." Mr. Ryankoi smiled.
"But you also cannot deny that today when every other company is headed by the next generation , the Ryankoi Restaurants is the only one still headed you... Maybe your daughter is still incompetent of that post isn't it Mr. Ryankoi !?"
"Mr. Bagchi , my daughter has fought her way up to the post where she is currently residing , unlike those who were promoted because they had to..."
"My son-" Bagchi was about to say something when Mr. Ryankoi spoke again.
"Well... Even if she was directly promoted as the CEO , there would be a vast difference between her and your son , Mr. Bagchi..."
"What do m-" Mr. Bagchi was cut mid-sentenced by Priyanka who came up to her father.
"Mr. Ryankoi , the competition is about to begin , they are asking for your bet..." She said politely.
At the very moment Bagchi's son also entered the room.
"Daddy... They have stopped serving the starters in the cafeteria ! Why don't u go and talk to them !?" He whined to Mr. Bagchi.
Everyone present tried to suppress their laughter and chuckled silently.
"U see the difference Mr. Bagchi !?" Mr. Ryankoi said in a sarcastic voice and followed Priyanka out of the room.
"Idiot !" Bagchi looked at his son and muttered angrily.
Outside the room , the 20 year old boy was talking to someone over video call. A vague ray of light revealed a big scar running through the left eye of the person on the other side of the call.
"U know why I can't be there right ?" The man asked in a husky voice.
"Yes boss !" The boy replied obediently.
"Then do you're job properly , stupid idiot... I don't care if you get kicked out in the first round , but make sure Darshan is intact... We have to preserve him for the last round..."
"Yes boss..." The boy replied in a low tone and then cut the call.
A couple of minutes went by while the businessmen present placed their respective bets on the participants. Apparently treating humans as betting objects was considered as a matter of respect in the royal society. Thus Mr. Ryankoi failing to disagree to his peers , agreed on this cruel game. Apart from this one reason , he himself was quite curious about the new chef who had tagged along with Darshan. Coincidentally , the new face seemed very familiar to him... As if someone he knew from a very long time...
After all that put to an end , finally the Competition was about to begin. Participants had lined in their respective places. Priyanka had taken her place in the front row of the audience. Ankit had also managed to squeeze in a leave in order to watch Reyansh on the Competition ground and was waiting in the audience with Priyanka.
"Look at all the people around you... Almost 40% are the best chefs of the culinary world , who have been hired by their masters to keep up the the name of the company... Rest 60% are from small start up companies who have entered for the prize money..." Darshan whispered to Reyansh.
"I guess we fall on the first category..." Reyansh whispered back.
"Absolutely... And we have to be very careful about the second one... They forget humaneness once it comes to money..."
Reyansh nodded his head.
"Look over their... You see that chef in a white apron ?" Darshan pointed to a fine looking young gentleman who had taken his position just opposite to them.
"He is Andrew... He is the youngest person to become a head chef in a 5 star restaurant of Mumbai..." Darshan continued. "He is the one that Shanaya's company has hired... So basically its us against him , if u see from Priya's perspective that is."
"He looks quite professional with the knives..." Reyansh said glancing at Andrew.
"I'll show you who's the real professional with knives..." Darshan said and pointed to their left.
"That's Karthik... The locals call him Cutting Karthik..."
"Interesting name.." Reyansh laughed.
"He is quite a source of inspiration for many... An aspiring chef from the slums of Mumbai , got a chance in the most prestigious 5 star hotel of Mumbai and now owns a chain of ten restaurants..." Darshan completed the life history of the inspirational individual.
Reyansh stared at Karthik with a mixed feeling of respect and rivalry.
"The reason for his name , he's excellent with knives..."
"I can very well asses that from his demeanor..." Reyansh whispered back to Darshan.
Their conversation was interrupted by an overexcited anchor who had just taken the mic in his control , marking the beginning of the great Competition !
"A very hearty good morning to all the prestigious persona of the business world , their respected guests and the talented food warriors... Well it might not be mysterious why the chefs present here have been referred to as 'warriors'..." The anchor said putting speech marks around the word warriors.
Reyansh's POV :
As the anchor cracked his first enthusiastic joke the entire room burst into a vigorous laugh. I did too , but that laugh had specks of nervousness hidden within. Darshan noticed it.
"Just stay calm and do what you do the best !" He said with a cheerful smile. I felt better.
"Now let us mark the start of this battle with a few words of wisdom from our chief guest Mr. Srivastav !" A round of applause followed the words of the anchor as a bald man in his mid-fifties rose from his leather chair to seize control over the mic. He spoke for a few minutes addressing the necessity of such competitions to catalize the passionate spirit of cooking among chefs and finally ended his speech with a chivalrous quote , definitely pasted from the web. All of us clapped as the mic shifted back to the anchor.
"Ok so without any further ardue let's get started with the Competition !!!" A big round of applause accompanied with a mechanical enthusiastic music from the speakers filled the entire room. I waited with bated breath , gripping the ladle the hardest I've ever gripped. The nervousness was making me anxious but also filled me with an unknown thrill. My first ever official 'cooking competition' ! Dad would've been so proud if he could see me today...
I looked up.
"I know you're there somewhere between the clouds spying on me" I interacted with Dad in my mind.
"Popcorn taiyaar kr lo Papa... I'm definitely winning this one , whether it's a competition or a war !" I prepped my mind as a confident smile crept up on my lips. This was a battle ground and I , I was ready to fight !!!
A/N : Phew ! Almost a year ain't !? Well a lot happened in the middle... Actually quite a lot !
I had always thought I was just being lazy with my updates nd I could give them anytime I wanted until I faced a more serious problem other than my laziness ! Well I really didn't have an access to this account for months (pretty much the whole of the last six months) But I never stopped trying...
The thought of opening up a new account and starting fresh always knocked in my head but for this story , nd my readers I just couldn't !
So finally I have my account back , here's finallllyyyy an update !
Although it's been over an year since I last posted this , looking back it makes me feel as if it was yesterday I pressed ' Publish ' on my last chapter and started writing this one... So to all my readers , if u r still here , I can't thank you enough for being this patient 😭✨ If this has made its to your notifications nd u have made it till here , I just wanna say THANK YOUUUU for giving this a second chance and being there 💟
I'm back so now there will be updates to the story once again !
So fasten your seatbelts and get ready for this sweet yet sour , tangy and juicy , hot and cold journey of love being tossed on the wok of life !!!
Stay tuned nd keep readinggg !!! ✨