The voice on the other end answered immediately. “Ma’am?”
“I want Amélie shut down,” she said, her tone cool, controlled. “Temporarily, at least. Enough to cause damage.”
A pause. “You want an inspection?”
“No. I want a violation.”
Another hesitation. “That could get tricky.”
V smiled. “Then I suggest you find someone willing to get their hands dirty.”
11
SCARLETT
The letter trembledin my hands.
NOTICE OF HEALTH INSPECTION – IMMEDIATE REVIEW REQUIRED
The words blurred together as I read them over and over, willing them to change. But they didn’t.
I sucked in a slow, steadying breath, my fingers tightening around the paper. My restaurant, my life’s work, was under threat. Again.
It didn’t make sense. I ran Amélie with precision, prided myself on the highest standards. How the hell did this happen?
My stomach twisted, and for the first time that day, I couldn’t tell if it was stress or something more.
I’d been feeling… off lately. Dizzy spells. A few waves of nausea. Fatigue that hit me harder than usual.
I closed my eyes.
No. I couldn’t think about that right now.
There was too much at stake.
I took another breath and shoved the letter into my bag. I had to focus.
I needed to get ahead of this inspection before it turned into something worse.
But as I turned to head back into the kitchen, I nearly crashed into Christian.
He caught me before I could stumble, his strong hands firm on my arms.
“Easy,” he murmured, his sharp eyes scanning my face.
Damn it. I didn’t have the energy to fake calm.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice softer now.
I forced a nod. “Fine. Just… busy.”
Christian frowned, not buying it for a second. He never did.
“I got a call from Eric,” he said, watching me closely. “He said there are rumors spreading about a possible health code violation.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse kicking up. “So it’s already out there.”
Christian’s jaw ticked. “Looks that way.”
