Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 134: Staff Recruiting (1)

<🎧 Song Recommendation: We Are Young by fun., Janelle Monàe>

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For the past month, Emily had sifted through hundreds of applications, conducted dozens of preliminary phone calls, and ran extensive background checks.

Anyone with a criminal record that couldn’t be easily explained, anyone with a history of leaking to the press, and anyone who seemed even remotely starstruck was immediately tossed into the rejection pile.

She had whittled the massive pool of applicants down to the absolute best of the best.

It was a little past five in the evening when Von finally arrived back at the rental. Instead of coming through the front doors, he had walked around the side of the property, entering through the sliding glass doors of the backyard patio.

The moment Von stepped inside, a wave of incredible aromas hit him. The air was filled with the smell of seared meat, toasted garlic, and rich spices. From the hallway leading to the kitchen, he could hear the distinct sound of food sizzling.

"Wow, it smells tasty in here," Von said, taking a deep breath as he walked into the main living room. "I was actually getting pretty hungry."

Emily was sitting on the large sectional couch, surrounded by neat stacks of manila folders and her open laptop. She looked up and let out a tired but accomplished breath.

"You’re finally here," Emily said.

Von walked over and took a seat next to her on the plush couch. "So, we’re starting with the chefs?"

"Yes, but before we go in there, review this," Emily said. She handed him a single, neatly printed list.

Von looked down at the paper. It outlined the four specific roles he was interviewing for today:

1. Private Chef

2. Head of Security (Driver)

3. Executive Assistant

4. Social Media Manager

Von scanned the list, his brow furrowing slightly as he noticed some missing roles. He looked over at Emily. "What about the other two? Business and Estate Manager?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I already picked them. They are professionals from high-end agencies and are fully vetted. But those four roles on the list are people that are going to be in your personal space every single day. I had a difficult time in some cases trying to narrow it down, so I thought it would be better if you made the final choice based on who you actually vibe with."

Von didn’t object. In fact, he was really interested in picking them himself.

’If Emily had selected the best of the best, there’s a chance I see someone with a really good skill.’

He didn’t have any guarantee of that, though.

Emily and Zack were really good at their respective fields but he couldn’t see any special skills when he used [Inspect] on them. The same went for Patch and the other professionals he had worked with.

Von guessed that either his System couldn’t see all types of skills, or having a designated special skill wasn’t actually a strict requirement for someone to be great at what they do. Hard work and experience clearly mattered just as much in the real world.

For the next few minutes, him and Emily went over a few ground rules. Emily handed him three separate sheets detailing the names, backgrounds, and qualifications of the three chef candidates waiting in the kitchen.

Von went through them quickly. He concluded that they were all highly qualified. One had worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and another had cooked for professional athletes.

Maybe some were technically more qualified than the others on paper, but what mattered most to him was his own personal preference. He needed someone who cooked food he actually wanted to eat.

At some point in their discussion, Emily checked her phone and saw a text message. "They must be done."

Von stood up from the couch, stretching his arms. "Ooh. What were they even cooking?"

"Well, nothing in particular. I gave them a budget and a time limit. I just told them to cook their best meals."

"That works too," Von agreed.

He followed Emily down the hall and stepped into the kitchen. The kitchen in the rental was fairly large and modern, but after walking through the cavernous setup at the Pinecrest estate just hours ago, this room suddenly seemed underwhelming.

Still, the fragrances filling the room were undeniable.

Three chefs stood behind the long marble island, each with a freshly plated dish resting in front of them. Von was immediately attracted to the meal closest to him.

Standing behind the first plate was a Black American woman in a chef’s coat. She gave Von a polite, confident smile.

Sitting on the plate in front of her was a massive, gourmet double-smash burger. It was layered with caramelized onions, melted aged cheddar, and a house-made sauce, all sandwiched between a perfectly toasted brioche bun. Beside it was a small pile of hand-cut truffle fries.

Von didn’t waste any time. He picked up the burger and took a healthy bite.

The crunch of the crust, the juiciness of the meat, and the tang of the sauce blended perfectly.

"Wow," Von chewed, swallowing before speaking again. "This is really tasty."

"Thank you, sir," the woman said proudly. "It’s a custom Wagyu blend."

Von nodded approvingly, but then he turned his head to look at his manager. "Em, I make better burgers than her, right?"

The woman simply smiled, looking a bit amused, as Emily walked up to the island to have a taste for herself. Emily cut a small piece of the burger, chewed it, and savored the taste.

After a moment, Emily sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Yes, you do..."

Emily quickly turned to the chef, offering a polite, apologetic smile. "Your food is still really good, I promise. He’s just a really, really good cook himself, so it’s actually a compliment."

The woman could only smile it off gracefully, taking the feedback in stride.

Von moved down the line to the second guy. He had prepared a complex, beautifully plated dish, pan-seared scallops over a bed of sweet corn puree with a drizzle of chili oil.

Von picked up a fork and tasted it. It was well refined. It was definitely better, from a technical standpoint, than the woman’s burger, and Von really liked the flavor profile.

But in the back of his mind, he was still confident that his own culinary skills were superior. He kept his thoughts to himself this time, though. He honestly didn’t expect to find a better cook than himself anyway.

"Hmm," Von dropped the fork onto the plate in satisfaction and walked over to the last chef.

This one stood out immediately among the others. He was an older man, a bit short, about 5’4" if Von had to guess.

He wore a white apron over his clothes and he had a very prominent mustache. Unlike the other two chefs who looked professional and slightly tense, this man’s face bore a very bright, warm smile. He wasn’t tense in the slightest.

Before Von could even ask what was on the plate, the man greeted him warmly, tossing up a hand in a classic gesture.

"Greetings, Capo!" the man said enthusiastically.

Von raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder at Emily. "Capo?"

Emily smiled wryly. "It means Boss. He’s Italian, and he isn’t really fluent in English. I didn’t want to bring him to the final round because of the language barrier, but he’s really good. You might like him."