The Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 327: [ Volume 1] Chaper - Sudden leave of absence.

As they approached the car, laughter rang out from behind them, followed by a voice dripping with mockery.

"Wow! Not even stopping in the parking lot, huh? Is this a new low or a bold new trend?"

Esme froze mid-step, her head snapping around toward the source of the interruption. But before she could utter a word, Ray, in what could only be described as the betrayal of the century, shoved her away with the force of someone throwing out expired leftovers.

"Ray!" Esme shrieked as she stumbled backward, arms flailing in a desperate (and utterly useless) attempt to stay upright. Gravity, as usual, had other plans. She hit the ground with a graceless thud, the asphalt scraping her palms and sending a jolt of indignation straight to her core.

"Ugh!" she groaned, glaring at the pavement like it had personally wronged her. She sat there for a moment, patting her sore backside and assessing the damage to her pride. "Well, this is just fantastic. Exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon."

Raising her head, her eyes landed on the three culprits: Jay, Kai, and Ryan. They stood there, looking like the cover models for Smug Siblings Monthly, with expressions ranging from mild amusement to downright judgment.

Esme hauled herself to her feet, brushing off her skirt with exaggerated dignity. She plastered on a smile that screamed fake it till you make it. "Babes! What are you doing here?"

Kai’s smirk dropped faster than her dignity had a moment ago. "Stop calling us ’babes,’" he snapped, his tone dripping with disdain. "It’s so cringey."

Esme raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into an incredulous smile. "I’m sorry, what? Aren’t you the same people who told me to call you that? Last week, it was all, ’Oh, Esme, call us something soft and sweet—babes, darlings, cupcakes.’ And now it’s cringey? Make it make sense, Kai."

Kai’s glare deepened, and his jaw tightened as if he were holding back the urge to throw a dictionary at her head. His silence was deafening, but his eyes screamed one clear message: You’re wrong, and you will always be wrong.

Esme threw her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine! I was wrong. Dumb of me to take advice from a guy whose favorite pastime is glaring at people like they owe him money."

Kai’s lips curved into a slow, condescending smile that practically oozed, You said it, not me.

Before Esme could fire off another round of verbal sparring, Ryan stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension like an HR manager at an office party. "Ray is pregnant," he said, his tone calm yet somehow infused with the kind of authority that made Esme’s stomach drop. "So stay away from him."

Esme arched an eyebrow, utterly unimpressed. "I know he’s pregnant, Ryan. Thanks for the reminder." She folded her arms, looking at him like he’d just announced that water was wet.

His eyes bored into hers, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. "You heard me," he said, his tone calm, measured, and terrifyingly unyielding. "Pregnant. So back off."

Esme held up her hands in surrender, her smile now more of a grimace. "Okay! Got it! Loud and clear! Pregnant Ray is off-limits." She took a step back, her nerves shot. "Didn’t mean anything by it—promise. I was wrong, okay? So wrong."

For a moment, there was silence. Then it hit her—how ridiculous this whole situation was. If someone were to see her now, trembling under their scrutiny like a criminal caught red-handed, they’d never believe she was Esme, the youngest genius of the business world.

Great. If Aron or Helga saw me now, I’d never hear the end of it. Years of carefully cultivated respect, out the window in one afternoon.

Esme sighed, throwing a look at Ryan’s cold glare, Kai’s smirk, and Jay’s silent judgment. "You know," she muttered under her breath, "it’s a miracle you three don’t have your own reality show. The drama would break streaming records."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" she chirped, flashing an overly bright smile. "Just talking to myself about how wrong I am. Carry on!"

And with that, she swallowed her pride, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Esme’s expression shifted sharply, the lightheartedness that had accompanied their earlier exchange now vanishing without a trace. She walked toward Kai, her every movement purposeful and focused. Her gaze briefly flicked to Ryan, who was checking Ray’s pulse in the car seat, his hands steady despite the tension in the air. Esme’s posture stiffened, and with a calm yet stern tone, she spoke, her voice cutting through the silence.

"If you guys are here, then there’s something serious going on, right?"

Kai nodded solemnly, his face clouded with concern. "Yeah," he replied, his voice low, as though weighed down by the gravity of the situation.

Esme’s eyes narrowed, her mind already racing. "What happened?" she asked, her tone sharp and demanding as she stood her ground.

Jay exchanged a glance with Kai before the latter spoke again. He hesitated for just a moment, as if unsure how to reveal the full extent of what had been uncovered. "Do you know? All of our cooks are on leave." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Esme blinked, momentarily taken aback. She wasn’t expecting this. "What do you mean, all the cooks?" Her voice was tinged with disbelief as she sought clarification.

Kai exhaled slowly, his hands slightly trembling, betraying the tension he was trying to control.

"You see, today, all three of our chefs were replaced. It started with the head chef—she got a call this morning saying her daughter was gravely ill. So, she took immediate leave, leaving everything in chaos." He paused, then continued, "Then the second chef—he was involved in an accident. A car hit him. But here’s the odd thing: it wasn’t serious. He only suffered a light fracture, enough to keep him in the hospital for a week. The strange part, though, is that the person who hit him? They took full responsibility for the accident. Without question, without hesitation. The guy’s in the hospital, and now he’s stuck there for a week."