Page 21 of Brutal King

The students nodded.

“Well,” Mr. Singh said as he gestured to me. “We have among us the daughter of Mr. Lee... Miss Katrina Lee.”

Everyone turned to look at me. Recognizing me from the cafeteria catastrophe, they nonetheless smiled respectfully, no doubt for Mr. Singh’s benefit.

“I am sure that we could all learn something from the Lee family,” Mr. Singh said. “They have found the perfect marriage of good food, good atmosphere and good business sense. I’m sure that Ms. Lee will be a valuable addition to this class.”

“Valuable?” Kobe muttered with a sneer.

Kobe was clearly pissed off by Mr. Singh’s praise, and it pleased me to no end.

During the rest of the lesson, as Mr. Singh explained the importance of hiring the right employees, finding excellent suppliers and understanding the finances of a restaurant, Kobe repeatedly glared at me. He tried to get me to meet his gaze, but I stubbornly ignored him.

“With all that said,” Mr. Singh said. “I am a staunch believer in hands-on experience. I could speak until I’m blue in the face, but until you are out there dealing with the details of running a restaurant yourself, you won’t know what it’s really like.”

“Hands-on?” a student called out. “Do you mean we’re going on a field trip?”

He smiled. “In a manner of speaking. You see, this entire semester will have you managing a brand-new restaurant, and I think you will find the experience very enriching.”

“Where?”

“Yeah, where?”

“Well, I’ve made arrangements with a friend who just so happened to open a new French restaurant in the Napa Valley.”

“French restaurant,” a student gleefully repeated.

“In the Napa Valley,” another added with a happy chuckle. “Jackpot.”

“That’s right,” Mr. Singh said. “But not all of you will be working at that French restaurant in the Napa Valley. I’ve also arranged for some of you to work at an Asian fusion restaurant that recently opened there as well.”

“I want the French restaurant,” a student called out.

“The Asian fusion one in Napa Valley is perfect.”

“That’s what I thought,” Mr. Singh said.

I raised my hand. “I would prefer the Asian fusion restaurant, Mr. Singh.”

He smiled. “Just as I hoped.” He looked at Kobe. “And I think that you’d be a perfect partner to Katrina.”

Kobe gasped and almost jumped out of his seat. “Me? But I...”

“Katrina could teach you a lot, Kobe.”

“But French cuisine is more my...”

“Asian fusion is fascinating. I have no doubt you’ll love it.”

“May I ask, Mr. Singh,” I cut in. “What restaurant would we be working at.”

“Ginger,” he said with a pleased smile.

“Ginger?” I echoed. The name sounded familiar, but... “You mean...”

“Yes. The Lee family’s most recent, freshly opened Asian fusion restaurant.”

“Wait a minute,” Kobe protested. “That’s not fair.”