The main branch of the Catering Association had just been renovated a few years ago, and was a very grand and lavish building. However, the atmosphere within the building was currently quite grave. The employees wearing Catering Association uniforms looked on in confusion and panic as people from the city lord’s castle stormed the building. Even though they weren’t detained, they had already been prohibited from leaving the building.
Warren stood on the second floor, and he seemed to have aged 10 years in the span of one night. Robert stood beside him, and asked, “Did you ever think that this day would come?”
“I considered this possibility as far back as 10 years ago, but so many years have passed, and nothing has happened, so I became complacent. Who would have thought that this day would still arrive.” Warren gripped the railing, and looked down at his panicked subordinates. He looked at the Catering Association building, which had been renovated into the exact building that he had envisioned, and a wry smile appeared on his face.
Robert was silent for a moment before asking, “Do you regret what you did?”
“Why would I?” Warren stood up straight, and spread his arms open in a proud manner as he replied, “Look at this glorious building, look at all these employees, and look at the statues outside the building—I created all of this. Countless customers seek out the restaurants on my Aden Square food competition rankings board every day too, so why would I regret anything? Even without backing from the city lord’s castle, I can still achieve all this in five years.”Robert fell silent again before continuing, “Do you think the old president would approve of a Food Association like this?”
“Perhaps…” Warren’s expression stiffened as he turned to look at Robert. In that instant, he suddenly felt as if Robert’s facial features were a little familiar. He hesitated momentarily before asking, “Who are you?”
Robert looked into Warren’s eyes, and replied, “The former president, Lorry, was my grandfather. I remember meeting you once when I was still a kid.”
“H… How is that possible?!” Warren stared at Robert with incredulity as if he had heard something extremely absurd.
“Back when my grandfather founded the Food Association, my father was not interested in his endeavors, and he didn’t allow me to come into contact with it, either. After that, grandfather passed the Food Association onto you, and passed away the following year. Our family never had any ties with the Food Association thereafter, but my grandfather asked me to keep an eye on the Food Association prior to his passing, so I’ve always been watching it.
“President, you are indeed a genius. The Catering Association developed and grew faster than anyone could imagine. Even my grandfather couldn’t have imagined that the directory he had created to guide people toward good food would become such a powerful organization. However, he definitely wouldn’t want to see the Aden Square food competition become what it has become today. The current food competition has completely deviated from his vision, and it’s not right.”
Warren clenched his fists, and replied, “So you came to the Catering Association last year just so you could bring me down today?”“No, that was not my intention. I suggested many times that you should change your ways. I didn’t want to have to do this, either. The Food Association is a manifestation of my grandfather’s sweat, blood, and tears, but you have also contributed to it just as much as he did. On top of that, you really did lead the Catering Association to greater heights, and put it through a period of rapid growth. Those are all accolades that cannot be taken away from you.” Robert shook his head, and his expression gradually became more stern as he looked at Warren. “But you never listened to anything I said. The mantra of our Catering Association, ‘Everything for food!’, is carved on the statue outside our Catering Association.
“Don’t you find that ironic? Do you still remember the promises you made to my grandfather? Do you still remember what you set out to do? Do you still remember the promises you made to the city lord’s castle? What have you done these past few years? You’re plunging the entire Catering Association into an abyss, and my duty is to right your wrongs.”
Warren looked at Robert’s firm expression, and his tightly clenched fists slowly loosened. It was as if all of the energy had escaped from his body, and he used the railing to support himself again. He looked into the distance with a pair of soulless eyes, and felt as if the lavish building around him was on the verge of collapse, as if it could be toppled with a gentle shove. The catering empire that he had invested so many years of his life to build was beginning to crumble in front of his eyes.
“To be honest, I didn’t want things to become like this, either…” A self-deprecating smile appeared on Warren’s face. He looked at the statue outside the building, and continued, “In the beginning, I only wanted to build a main branch for the Catering Association, but I didn’t have the money. Thus, I thought about how I could earn more money, and selling tickets was a good option. After that, some restaurants tried to bribe me for rankings. I rejected them initially as I didn’t want to corrupt the Aden Square food competition.
“However, I discovered one day that no one would notice anyway. All I had to do was to change one ranking, and I made far more money than I did selling tickets. Part of that could contribute to the association, while I made some profit for myself. I could decide how much I gave, and how much I kept, and the feeling of commanding such wealth was very addictive. After that, the Chamber of Commerce approached me. That President Jeffree really is a sly old fox, and he really knows the rules. He reserved our rankings in bulk, and even though the money I earned per ranking decreased slightly, it was a safe and symbiotic relationship.
“After that, Cyril took over the catering department of the Chamber of Commerce, and he was a lot more spendthrift than Jeffree. However, he was also more ambitious, and took over almost the entire rankings board. I knew the risks involved, but when I saw the crates of dragon coins delivered to my office, I couldn’t bear to send them back. Thus, the Aden Square food competition was like a ship that quickly spiraled out of my control. I couldn’t control its direction, its speed, or even set any rules anymore.
“I was still the president of the Catering Association, but I knew that I was just a puppet that was being controlled by money. If they needed me to do something, then all they had to do was to deliver money to my office. I couldn’t refuse. I wasn’t able to, and I didn’t dare to, either. Compared to the Chamber of Commerce, our Catering Association was like a defenseless child. After letting them in through the door, we were completely defenseless. I could only discard my conscience. I refrained from looking at the mantra carved on the statue, and told myself that I deserved all of this.
“I knew that… what I was doing was wrong, but once the first step was taken, I could no longer go back.” Warren sighed as he turned to Robert. He patted Robert’s shoulder with an earnest expression, and said, “I remember you now. You’re the kid who always liked to follow the former president, and didn’t want to wipe your mouth after eating grilled beef. If you’re going to guide the Catering Association in the right direction, I hope you can let everyone look at the mantra on that statue with a clear conscience.”
