Page 60 of Billionaire Neighbor

“Excellent,” says Bradley. “I’ve been looking forward to this phone call since the night we met. You have so much potential and I’m happy you’re ready to put those skills to good use.”

We chat for a few minutes as I take down a few notes I’ll need to get started.

“I’m pretty sure my friend Ray has an opening left at his culinary school,” says Bradley. “His place is downtown, maybe you’ve heard of it?”

My heart skips two beats and I nearly drop the phone. “Ray, as in Ray Manicozi?”

“Yep, one and the same,” says Bradley. “Hold on for just a minute and I’ll give him a call. He’s always looking for new talent and I think you’ll be a perfect fit for his program.”

The line goes silent and it takes everything inside me to contain the scream in the back of my throat. Ray is the cream of the crop when dealing with anything in the culinary world. If you know anything about food, you’ve heard his name before and you know he’s the best of the best.

I’ve driven by his restaurant several times in hopes of simply catching a glimpse of the famous chef, and right now, Bradley is on the line talking to a cooking legend, about me of all people. Not only that, but he’s talking to him about getting me into his school. I never would have imagined that Bradley would go to these lengths to help me, a person who is practically a stranger. I only called him in hopes of learning a few tips and tricks, but this mind-boggling conversation has exceeded my expectations tenfold.

“Hello, Jade, are you still there?” he asks.

I sit up straight in the bed and nearly drop the phone. “Yes, I’m here,” I say as calm as I can muster. My voice is steady, but my hands aren’t, and I hope Bradley can’t hear the shaking through the phone.

“Great! So, I talked to Ray and he’d love to meet you if you’re free today around one o’clock.”

“Today?” My voice is a screech.

“Is today not good for you? I can call him back,” Bradley adds warily.

“No, no, don’t do that. Today is perfect,” I assure him. “I’ll be ready to meet with Ray Manicozi… today… in person… today.”

Bradley laughs for a few seconds. “He’s just a regular person, so don’t be too nervous. Ray is an amazing chef, but he’s an even better guy. It’s been a pleasure for me knowing him on a personal level, so I know what he likes, and I think he’ll like you and see your potential just like I did,” he says.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” I say, biting back tears. “You have no idea how much this opportunity means to me. Trust me, I know this is an experience of a lifetime and I promise I’ll give it my all.”

“I’m not worried,” says Bradley. “Just go in there and be yourself. Call or text me if you need anything else.”

“I will,” I say before ending the call.

I wouldn’t believe what just happened if it hadn’t happened to me.

My love life is in shambles, I don’t have a job, I am living in a hotel as I have nowhere else to go, but at least my new career path is off to a good start. I get out of bed and rush over to my pile of belongings lying in the corner of the room, hoping to find an appropriate outfit for the meeting.

I settle on a crisp white button-down shirt paired with black slacks and low heels. Since I only have an hour and twenty minutes before my meeting, I rush to take my shower before beginning to get ready.

The shower is quick and my make-up application goes by even faster as I take on the ‘less is more’ approach.

No need to doll up too much, my cooking skills are the star of this show.

I lock the door to my hotel room before heading down to my car so I can battle the traffic to the culinary school. Luckily, the drive isn’t too bad, and I weave in and out of traffic like a pro, making it to the school ten minutes early.

I clutch my chest and take two deep breaths to help steady my nerves before walking inside the building. My senses are immediately taken over by a myriad of smells, which are both familiar and foreign simultaneously.

Ray exits an office to the left and immediately heads to me wearing a black chef’s coat with his name stitched on the left-hand side.

“You must be Jade,” he says reaching out to shake my hand. “Bradley has told me so much about you.”

“Yes, sir,” I say nervously. “Or should it be ‘Yes, Chef’?”

Ray pats the back of my hand and laughs. “Relax,” he says. “We’ll get to the formalities of the kitchen eventually, but for now I just want to show you around.”

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