#Chapter 56: Pity Party

The restaurant buzzes with an energy that I haven’t felt in a long while. Streamers hang from the ceiling, twinkling fairy lights wrap around the bar, and the laughter of friends and colleagues fills the air. Tonight is more than just another party; it’s a celebration of someone I hold dear, and I can’t help but get swept up in the excitement. “So,” Ethan says as we complete the finishing touches on some balloons. Leah is on her way with Chloe, who thinks that it’s just going to be the three of us girls going out for drinks. She has no idea. “You hear anything yet about the cook-off?” Instinctively, I lower my voice and shoot Ethan a wary look. Karl is floating around here somewhere, and I haven’t mentioned the cook-off to him yet. I’m not entirely sure why, other than the fact that I did promise that I would go to the Alpha party with him, and potentially catering it would get in the way of that. “Not yet,” I answer as I tie an intricate knot on one of