Angelica's POV

I hope Madison's kidding right now, why Alexander of all people? Did she get hit on the head by chance?

"This is serious, I think I like him so much." She squeals lightly and she's shaking me.

"Okay, okay, you like him. And what about him? Does he feel the same about you?" She shook her head.

"You don't have to force someone to like you, because they'll feel it too. Even if it will take a long time for them to realize."

"Wow, desperate?" I asked Madison harshly and her eyebrows furrowed at me jokingly.

"You just didn't experience it, Ms. Grumpy." My mouth was agape from her words.

"I'm not, I experienced it in the past...?" she scoffs.

"Oh really? By who? That guy back in middle school who already had a girlfriend? That's low." Madison starts to laugh like an evil villain that was drowned in water.

"Haha, very funny, Madison Cooper. I didn't expect that he already has a girlfriend, that was in the past. Anyways, why are you out here? Really?" she stopped fantasizing and answered.

"To come with you today, you're competing right?" I nod in response.

"What about Alissa? Will Aunt April watch her?" Madison shook her head.

"They're already in New York, we'll be watching you. You can do that, it's a piece of cake. Fighting!" I smiled at her and she seemed to forget Alexander for a bit.

"I bet Alexander's there too!" Or not.

"Well, isn't this Angelica? Come now, we're going to start at 15." Madeleine tapped my shoulder from behind and I followed her.

"Have you happened to know Alexander?" she stopped abruptly and quickly turned her heels at me.

"Alexander who?" I shrugged.

"Well, Mr. Jonathan seemed to have a pretty heated conversation when I was at the venue..." I trailed when I remembered it once again, she laughed at me wryly and stared at me deeply.

"Was it your first kiss?" Madeleine's question gathered a lot of people in the set looking at us which I denied immediately.

"Of course not, I kissed a lot of guys back then." I forced a smile, trying not to be caught by my lie.

"Okay, then it's settled." she leans at me and whispered at me, my eyes widen when she said that, and I can't help myself but let my mouth agape and she just left without further notice

"Are you okay, Ms. Park?" The waitress in my restaurant asked me, I snapped back to my reality and just nodded.

"We'll be starting in five minutes."

"I won't think about it for today, this is a big day for me." I smiled again when I saw Madison and Alissa with her grandmother, the director started saying that the competition will start in 15 seconds. The show starts smoothly and the theme for today's competition is. Beef, okay that is okay.

"But," the host added.

"There's a twist, of course, we're gonna make it a sweet yet spicy one!" The crowd cheers, and I smile because it's too easy for me.

"The two winners in this competition will be ranked up and will go to Indiana and will receive 250,000 dollars, taxes included of course. The competition starts at 3, 2, 1... GO!" When the timer goes, everybody went inside the kitchen to pick up all their ingredients. I tried to reach for the sugar but they were towering over me, I gave up and waited. When they were done collecting sugar, I tried to grab one, but even grain was not left.

"Wow, they went for all of it." I looked at the timer and I saw that we had forty-five minutes left. I started to look for other ingredients but to no avail. They all collected the cabbages and the other vegetables, but there was rice left. I went for it and the girl who was collecting the vegetables smirked at me my brow raised a bit and just ignored her to continue with what I wanted to cook first, but there was a problem. There's no sugar, I looked for all the places if there's any sugar left in the back.

"Don't be desperate to search for one, you won't win otherwise," she said.

"Keep adding fuel to the fire, I'll make a perfect roast of you." plastering a smile, I left with what's left. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw a jar of honey in the very corner of the table, I slyly smiled at it and grabbed a jar of honey before heading off to where I was designated.

"30 minutes left before the taste-testing happen, but it seems contestant number 12 is low on ingredients.'' The crowd gossiped about what I just bought, a jar of honey, a small bag of rice, salt, and pepper with oil. I continued with what I was thinking and went to beat the meat off before I marinated it in honey with salt and pepper. I started to fill the pot with a bit of oil while the other pot was filled with rice and water. I heated the stove and put the two pots on it.

"20 minutes left." I looked back at my marinated beef and the girl earlier almost put something on it, but I swatted her hand using the spatula sitting beside the sink. I hissed at her and she quietly walked away with anger left in her gaze. Okay, this is it. I put the beef in it and it started sizzling good with a good smell coming out of it, I put all the honey left and let it simmer.

"10 minutes left." I opened the pot of rice and saw that it was almost finished cooking. I looked at the other pot and saw that the honey was now absorbed by the beef and I used a knife to cut it. I smiled widely when I saw that it cuts cleanly with the honey left on the knife. I used my pinky finger to scrape off the honey and tasted that the honey was not burnt. I turned off both the stove as I put the plate in the kitchen and dug a cupful of rice before I put the beef on the top of the rice, the timer ran out and the host brought the judges with him. They started with all of them and then me.

"Wow, Ms. Angelica. You made it in time, you were the first one to finish." I just smiled at him as the judges eye my food critically, they wiped their forks and knives with their tissues, and when the first judge cut it their eyes widened in astonishment.

"You're pretty intelligent, Ms. Angelica. You used honey to tenderize the beef, in just a small amount of time, you made it fantastic. Very good." she praised, when the other judges cut it they were amazed. I just smiled at them

"Please, help yourselves," I suggested for them to eat the beef and when they did, one of the judges who also owns a restaurant looked at me shockingly and he raised two thumbs. The strictest one softens a bit and compliments how it's sweet and spicy and at the same time even though the peppers are the only ones I've got. They finished the beef with their satisfied gestures and went to sit back, the girl who attempted to put something on my food seemed to have burned her beef completely. They didn't give a bite nor a look at it, she was immediately out of the competition.

"Yep, you're pretty roasted," I smirked at her and all she was left was her humiliated tears escaping her eyes, I shrugged it off and waited for the announcement. When the vote was in, I attentively listened to who were the winners.

"And here's the anticipated votes for our judges!" The lights dimmed and stage lights are going everywhere, as someone did a drum roll and I closed my eyes hoping it was me. When they started clapping I opened my eyes to be disappointed, I didn't win.

"But there's a consolation prize, it's added by one of the judges here." he points at Madeleine? Is she here to mock me just to make me get angry? That won't happen.

"Oh, there's no need. I'd rather give the consolation prize to the girl who's kicked out." I looked at her and pitifully smiled at her, her eyes brimming with tears, and went to hug me.