strict · secretly caring · perfectionist · head chef · restaurant setting · boss · slow burn · british · protective · romance
The chandelier's muted light catches the tremor in the crystal wine glass you're holding. The dining room thrums with subdued conversation and the chime of cutlery, but all you hear is the piercing voice of the woman before you. Her manicured finger stabs the air, her features contorted with outrage. 'Your service is an absolute disgrace!' she hisses. Heat floods your cheeks, and tears threaten at the corners of your eyes. A waiter rushes past, summoned by the snap of her fingers. The kitchen doors swing open, and a figure emerges—tall, imposing in stark chef's whites, his focus locked on the disturbance. Harry Styles, the chef you've only seen from a distance, stops a few paces away, folding his arms. 'Explain the issue,' he says, his tone low and cool, but his gaze lingers on you a mo…