Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

Chapter 0248

Karl

The second round had left a bitter taste in my mouth. Seeing the way that the judge, Logan, tore into

Abby on live television left me feeling maybe a little too overprotective, but I couldn’t just stand idly by

while Abby had her integrity ripped apart on stage.

I told Abby I needed to take a call, but it was a complete lie. I needed to talk to this Logan, understand

why he was being so harsh on Abby compared to the other contestants. And most of all, I needed to

make him see the truth: that Abby was an excellent chef, undeserving of this treatment, and that her

spices had been sabotaged.

The security guard outside the judges’ private room was a mountain of a man, his face impassive as I

approached.

“Hello,” I said, adjusting my blue surgical mask slightly. “I’d like to speak with—”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go in there,” the security guard replied, his voice a low rumble. “Policy.”

“But I just need a moment with Judge Logan. It’s important,” I pleaded, trying to keep the urgency out of

my voice.

Before the guard could refuse me again, the door cracked open and Logan’s piercing gaze found mine.

His eyes searched me up and down for a moment, as though he were considering, before he finally

nodded.

“It’s alright, let him in,” he said, and the guard stepped aside, albeit with a reluctant look on his face.

Logan’s presence was as commanding off stage as it was onstage, and the judges’ room felt small and

thick with tension. Logan was the only judge inside, the other two likely off doing their own thing. I was

relieved, because I wanted this to just be the two of us: man to man.

I closed the door behind me, turning to face Logan, who was regarding me with a mixture of curiosity

and impatience.

“Ken, is it?” he asked.

I nodded, although that wasn’t my real name. It was the pseudonym that I had chosen for the day, and

it was what I would stick with until this competition was over.

“What can I do for you, Ken?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’ll be straight with you,” I began, my hands clasped behind my back to steady myself. “I’ve noticed

something... a tension between you and Abby. On stage, your critiques seem more personal than with

the other contestants. I want to understand, man to man, why it seems like you’ve got it out for her.”

Logan’s eyebrows lifted. “Did Abby send you?” he asked.

I shook my head vehemently. “No. She has no idea I’m even here. I wanted to talk to you in private.”

Logan looked at me for a moment, then leaned back against the table. “Ken, you’re assuming I dislike

Abby, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said with a disarming calmness.

“That’s not the impression you give out there,” I countered, my voice tense. “The way you’ve been with

her, it’s like she’s being singled out.”

He paused for a moment, considering. “Look, I know Abby has talent,” Logan continued. “Her flavors,

when she actually gets them right, are some of the best I’ve tasted in this competition. And her

techniques are pretty much spot on.”

“So what’s with the attitude, then?” I pressed. “Why are you so harsh with her, on live television, no

less? You’re not nearly as strict with the other contestants.”

Logan’s eyes met mine, and there was a flicker of something unexpected within them. “Ken, in this

business, we push those we see potential in. Sometimes harder than the rest. It’s not dislike, it’s quite

the opposite.”

The room seemed to tilt slightly as his words sank in. “What are you saying?” I managed.

Logan let out a slow breath, his demeanor shifting ever so slightly from defensiveness to unexpected

candor. “Abby is actually my favorite in this competition.”

My eyes widened. Abby? Logan’s favorite? It made no sense.

“But I saw the way you treated her,” I insisted. “The way you looked at her. It’s hurting her.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Oh? So you’re her knight in

shining armor now?”

“No, I just…” I trailed off for a moment, frustrated. “You’re nitpicking, Logan. You made her lose her

spirit up there.”

“Karl, I’m nitpicking because Abby can do better. I expect more from her. Enough said.”

“But you made it sound like she’s the worst of the lot,” I pressed further. “That’s not fair and you know

it.”

“Fair?” Logan scoffed. “This is a competition, Ken. I’m not here to coddle anyone. Abby is not putting in

the effort, she’s riding on praise and it’s made her lazy.”

I felt a flash of anger at the use of that word: lazy. Abby was anything but that. “That’s bull, Logan. She

works her ass off. Ten times harder than any of the other contestants.”

I clenched my fists, feeling a heat rise to my cheeks. “She’s not hiding, she’s running a business. And

she’s good at it. You’ve got no idea the pressure she’s under.”

He laughed. “Pressure? I see two men doing the heavy lifting while she parades around like some sort

of celebrity chef. She’s forgotten the heat, the rush, the essence of being a chef. She’s lost her

passion, plain and simple.”

“That’s not true!” My voice echoed around the room, sounding foreign even to my own ears. “She lives

for cooking. She’s put everything into this competition, into her career. You can’t dismiss her hard

work.”

But Logan’s gaze was unyielding. “Well, I’m simply not seeing it. What I am seeing is potential wasted

on someone who thinks managerial work is more important than the art of cooking.”

My skin prickled at his words. “She’s still a chef at heart, Logan. She belongs in the kitchen, sure, but

she also has a business to run. Can’t you see that that’s passion too?” New chаpter avąilable on

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“You’re wrong about her,” I said through gritted teeth, my conviction roaring. “Abby’s more dedicated

than anyone I know.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, Logan waved his hand dismissively and turned his

back on me. This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

“See yourself out, Ken,” he said, settling back into his chair. “And next time you show up at the door,

the security guard really will send you away.”