#Chapter 151: The Fall

Abby “Your sous chef… I saw him trying to bribe the judges earlier.” Daniel’s words land on me like a lead weight. Karl? Bribing the judges? He wouldn’t do something like that. When would he have even had the time? Why wouldn’t he have told me? My gaze locks with Daniel’s, and disbelief tightens around my chest as though some invisible hand is gripping my heart, squeezing tighter and tighter. “What do you mean by that?” I demand, my voice trembling despite my desperate attempts to keep myself steady, to maintain control in a situation that’s making me feel like the world is tilting on its axis. Daniel’s wry chuckle bounces off of the walls of the breakroom. His voice sounds like a taunt as he takes a step closer, narrowing his eyes. “Come on, Abby. Don’t act like you don’t know. You put him up to it, didn’t you?” he asks. “Your performance during round two was so awful, surely you thought you could bribe the judges into keeping you on the show.” My eyes are so wide th