Kingsley Academy

Chapter 15

It's 7 a.m., and I'm already on my third coffee of the morning, but the caffeine isn't doing anything to stop the headache pounding in my skull. I'm standing in the middle of the event hall, surrounded by tables half-set, decorations only partially done, and caterers who are about two seconds away from walking out the door.

"This is not what I asked for!" I snap at the head caterer, my voice rising in frustration. "You were supposed to have the mini quiches ready by now! The event starts in a few hours, and we don't even have the main course finalized!"

The caterer—a tall, middle-aged man with graying hair—gives me a tight-lipped smile that looks anything but friendly. "Miss Van Arden, we've been doing our best with the time we were given. But if you keep yelling at my staff, we're not going to get anything done."

I feel my temper flare, the stress of the last week bubbling over. "Your best isn't good enough! If you can't handle a simple event, maybe I should have hired someone else."

That does it. The caterer's expression hardens, and he steps back, folding his arms over his chest. "We're done here."

I blink, not comprehending at first. "What?"

"We're done," he repeats, motioning to his team. "You can find someone else to handle your precious charity event. We're out."

I watch, dumbfounded, as the caterers start packing up their equipment, the head caterer giving me one final glare before they all walk out of the door. For a moment, I just stand there, staring at the now-empty hall, my heart pounding in my chest.

What the actual hell just happened?

I fumble for my phone, my fingers shaking as I scroll through my contacts. There's only one person I can think to call, even though I really don't want to. But I have no other choice.

I hit the call button and wait, pacing back and forth as the phone rings. After a few rings, Kade finally answers, his voice groggy with sleep.

"What?" he grumbles.

"It's me," I snap, barely able to contain my frustration. "We have a problem."

There's a pause, and then Kade sighs heavily on the other end of the line. "Allison, it's 7 a.m."

"I don't care what time it is!" I shout, my voice rising. "The caterers just quit! They walked out on me, and now we have no food for the event! What am I supposed to do?"

Kade groans, and I can practically hear him rubbing his temples. "Oh my fucking god, chill out."

"I can't chill!" I scream, pacing the length of the event hall. "We're screwed! The event starts in a few hours, and now we have nothing! Nothing!"

"Allison," Kade says, his voice still half-asleep but clearly annoyed. "Take a breath."

"I don't need to take a breath!" I snap back. "I need you to fix this!"

There's a long silence on the other end of the line, and I can almost imagine Kade sitting up in bed, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out why he's even dealing with me this early in the morning.

"Alright, alright," he finally says, his voice calmer now. "I'll handle it. Just... stop screaming."

I let out a shaky breath, the tension still buzzing under my skin. "You better. I don't have time for this."

"Whatever," Kade says. "I'll call you back."

Before I can say anything else, he hangs up, leaving me standing in the middle of the empty event hall, feeling both relieved and furious.