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He studied me, then the bag, before sealing it in a plastic evidence pouch. "We’ll be testing this. If it’s anything that violates food safety regulations, Amélie could face temporary closure."
Ice flooded my veins. "You can’t be serious."
His expression didn’t change. "We’ll see."
He left, and I stood frozen, my heart racing.
Then I turned to Leah. "Get Christian on the phone."
Fifteen minutes later, Christian stormed into the kitchen.
His presence alone seemed to quiet the chaotic energy buzzing through my veins.
"What happened?" he asked, voice sharp.
I exhaled shakily. "Someone planted something in my storage, Christian. Planted it."
His jaw clenched. "Let me guess—right before the inspection?"
I nodded. "Whoever did this wanted me to fail."
Christian’s expression darkened. "This was a setup."
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at it before cursing under his breath. "Eric’s looking into the inspector’s report. But if this goes public?—”
I cut him off. "I won’t let that happen."
His gaze flicked to mine. "Then let me help you."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him I could fix this myself.
But I was so damn tired.
And scared.
Not just for the restaurant.
For the other secret I was keeping.
I hadn't taken a test yet, but I knew. Iknew.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "What do we do?"
Christian’s eyes softened just a fraction. "We prove that you run this place cleaner than any Michelin-starred restaurant in the country. We counter their claims before they even gain traction."
I nodded, forcing a breath. "Then let's get to work."
For the next few hours, we went over everything—the inspector’s notes, the ingredient logs, even the security footage.
Christian had his team working behind the scenes, pulling strings, making calls, ensuring that this fabricated scandal didn’t ruin me.
By the time we finished, exhaustion weighed heavy on me. But the panic had started to ease.
And it was because of Christian.
He watched me across the table, his expression unreadable. "You should get some rest."
I huffed out a laugh. "You sound like you actually think I’ll sleep after all this."