The Scion: A Billionaire Romance (The Holbrook Cousins Saga Book 3)

by Alina Jacobs

  I arranged each plate of cookies and taste tested one. It was perfect. It had some bite, and while I could taste the almond it wasn't overwhelming. The buttercream was a light layer but it made intricate patterns on the snowflakes, reindeer, bells, and other shapes I had chosen for my cookies. I had decided on a more desaturated pallet like a burgundy red and navy blue and forest green and a rich cream studded with the most delicate lacing of icing. I snapped a few of my own pictures while Anastasia checked that everyone was finished.

  I looked over at Nonni and Hartleigh's workstations. Their plates of cookies looked well made too. This was going to be a stiff competition.

  "You can all go to the waiting area," Anastasia told us, "except for Chloe. You're first up." I took a deep breath and picked up my plates of cookies. Jack, the ice prince, was perched on a stool, watching me as I walked up with my plates of cookies and presented them to the judges.

  4

  Jack

  When Anastasia said that the contestants had all day, I half considered grabbing one of the candy canes that decorated the studio and stabbing myself in the eye with it. Thankfully we were allowed to leave after the cameras took the shots they needed of the judges reacting to start of the bakeoff. Anu and Nate actually stayed to give more narration. You could tell they were really into this baking stuff.

  I was not into baking, and I fled to my penthouse. My husky needed to be walked, plus I had work to do.

  "I cannot believe I'm wasting my time on this," I complained to Milo, my dog. He was excited to go out, and I knew it was better for him that I was stuck at the tower a few days a week. He strained at the leash as we walked out of the door. He sniffed at the homeless Santa slumped outside and I yanked the dog away. I really needed better security for Frost Tower.

  The day passed too quickly and soon I had to report for bakeoff judging duty in the studio. As I took a cursory glance at the finished products, and I was begrudgingly impressed. I saw intricate frosting work, impressive variety, and generally very professional looking cookies. One girl even made 3D cookies which even I could see would photograph nicely.

  I looked at Chloe. She was intently taking pictures of her cookies. From far away they didn't look as impressive as the others'. I hoped she knew what she was doing. She couldn't be sent home already—I still needed her to decorate my lobby.

  After the rest of the contestants filed out of the studio, Chloe approached the judges table. She was covered in frosting; it speckled her Christmas apron and was in her hair. There were streaks of it on her face, and I wanted to reach out and lick a little green dollop off of her nose.

  I crushed that thought. Since when did I want to lick icing off of anyone?

  The other two judges smiled at her. I did not. I didn't want to spend the rest of my already wretched day stuck in this studio eating cookies.

  "Can you tell us a bit about yourself?" Anu asked as Chloe put the plate of cookies in front of us.

  "I'm from the Midwest," Chloe said. "I learned to cook from my Oma. She loved Christmas! She loved the decoration and the large gatherings, and cooking. But she really loved baking. She passed away a few months ago." She wiped away a tear.

  Here we go, I thought, the desperate ploy for sympathy.

  I ignored her sob story and inspected the cookies. Though I had originally thought they were plain, on closer inspection they were intricately decorated. I studied the decorations. She had some sort of lace design that looked like patterns of frost on a window. It was a subtle nod to the holiday season and very clever.

  "I'm using this contest as a platform to show the breadth of the types of desserts I can bake," she told the judges. "I would like to one day open my own line of cafes like Christina Tosi and Milk Bar Bakery."

  Nick smiled at her and he and Anu chose a cookie. I picked out the smallest one I could. It was a tiny, perfect snowflake.

  "I hand cut that," Chloe said.

  "It's very nice," I said begrudgingly. They were really pretty.

  Cheers Nick said and he and Anu tapped their cookies against mine, raining crumbs and sugar all over my expensive designer suit.

  I scowled.

  "Don't make that face or it's going to freeze like that," Chloe said.

  "Is that so," I said.

  Anu took a bite of the cookie. "This is a perfect cookie!"

  Nick also took a bite. "I love how there's some give and how I have a complexity of flavors. I mean, my mom didn't make cookies that tasted like this, but it still feels like coming home."

  I didn't want a transformative experience. After Nick's reaction, I was worried the cookie was going to cause me to do something rash.

  "Don't you want to taste my cookie?" Chloe asked me, her eyes wide and innocent. The apron clung to her body emphasizing her curves. I wanted a taste of something of hers but not the cookie.

  Don't sleep with a contestant, I chastised myself. That sounds like a sexual harassment suit waiting to happen.

  I looked at Chloe's cookie. It looked like it was sweet and sugary. I took a bite. It wasn't bad. It was sweet but I could also taste a hint of almond. Chloe's snowflake had a deeper flavor than store cookies. Thankfully I didn't feel the need to break down in tears and rehash my less than ideal childhood. I scraped my teeth with my tongue. I could feel them start to rot from the sugar.

  "You know sweets are bad for you, right?" I said to Chloe. Chloe looked upset but she calmed her features and replied,

  "You just need a little milk with it."

  Was she flirting with me? I couldn't tell. Hartleigh had ruined that for me. I couldn't trust any woman.

  "I don't like sweets," I said wiping my mouth, "but your decoration is perfect and Anu and Nick seem to think your baking is superb. So," I swallowed trying to get the taste of the frosting out of my throat. "Good job."

  Each of the other nine contestants came up and explained their cookies. They were all well done to my untrained eye, though Chloe's decorating was still the best, I thought.

  We had to take a bite out of each cookie and by the time we were down to the last two contestants I had a headache and was probably prediabetic.

  Contrary to Chloe's cookies, the rest were very sweet—cloyingly so. They had some flavor, but mainly I tasted sugar of varying consistencies.

  The girl who's workstation was next to Chloe's, Nonni, was the second to the last contestant. She made these 3D cookies that were a sleigh and reindeer. She had fresh berries and whipped cream piled in the slight. I was glad to have the fruit if only to cut the sweetness of the cookie.

  Finally Hartleigh, the last contestant, stepped up. Her boobs were pushed up ridiculously high and I was afraid they might pop out of her apron. Speaking of nightmare material, Hartleigh was the reason I didn't date. Had stalked me since I was in high school and she was my neighbor. Broke into my house. She even showed up at Harvard. And here she was again.

  Dana and Gunnar clearly were running some sort of janky operation if they couldn't even do a simple background check.

  I wished Belle was here. I wish for the thousandth time that my sister hadn't cut off contact with us. If she were still in the area, Hartleigh wouldn't come near me. My sister was the only person Hartleigh was afraid of.

  I took a bite of her cookie.

  "Not as great as Chloe's," I said. "Also, while I see you used the Platinum Provisions icing piper, Chloe had a better mastery of the tool. Her cookies like art and yours don't. You and Chloe did basically the same cookie, but hers were better. "

  I could tell she was furious.

  "I have to agree with Jack," Anu said. "You need to step it up if you want to win."

  After Hartleigh stomped off, Anastasia said, "Now that you've reviews every contestant's cookie, could the judges please discuss the best and worst.

  "I actually really love this 3D cookie idea," Nate said. "It should be cheesy, but it's executed so well. I could serve this at my restaurant. "

  "It's not a plate of cookies," I countere
d. "Anastasia said a plate of cookies like you would leave out for Santa." I was so annoyed at this whole bakeoff. These people didn't even follow their own rules!

  Chloe's decorations were technically very perfect Anu said

  "Yes, but she used the machine" Nick added.

  "What's wrong with using a machine," I snapped. "You didn't have the contestants start their own fire. It's not like it’s a magic wand. For example, Hartleigh clearly didn't do as great of a job as Chloe."

  "I do agree with Jack, however, that the 3D sleigh isn't really a cookie it is inching more into a general dessert for me," said Nick.

  After we had reached a verdict, the contestants all filed out. The middle of the pack people were told they were safe. Then we sent the contestant who had made a stack of lackluster chocolate cookies home. Then it was time to announce the winner.

  Nonni and Chloe stood together.

  "And the winner is…"

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  About the Author

  If you like steamy romance novels with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!

  Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…

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