📖 Chapter 29 – The Corporate Feast
The corporate district stall had already begun to carve its place among the glass towers, drawing office workers each day with the promise of quick, bold flavors. But Raj knew that a stall, no matter how polished, was still a stall. If Raj's Fusion Eats was to break past its limits, it had to step onto bigger stages—where orders weren't for two pavs, but for two hundred.
That opportunity came sooner than expected. One morning, a sharp-suited woman approached the stall, flanked by two colleagues. She watched Raj serve plates with calm efficiency, her eyes assessing every detail. After a bite of Italian Masala Pav, she smiled faintly. "I'm Anita Rao, event manager for Zenith Finance. We're hosting our quarterly corporate gathering next week. If you can handle five hundred employees, the contract is yours."
The words dropped like thunder. Five hundred. For a moment, Arjun nearly dropped a tray, Imran froze mid-step, and even Meena's composure flickered. But Raj's gaze remained steady. "We'll deliver," he said simply, his voice carrying the weight of certainty.
The system pulsed in his vision:
[Special Mission Generated: Corporate Feast.]
Serve 500+ guests successfully.
Reward: Business Tier Upgrade – Catering Division (Level 1).
The week that followed was a storm of preparation. The farmers he had allied with sent vegetables and grains in bulk, proud to see their produce fueling something greater. The supply chain system optimized deliveries, ensuring nothing was wasted. Meena drilled the accounts with military precision, ensuring costs remained under control. Arjun trained Imran relentlessly, turning the boy's nervous energy into steady speed. Even Rohit, despite his pride, stepped up—handling logistics, moving crates, and managing set-up with surprising discipline.
On the day of the event, the Zenith Finance courtyard shimmered with lights, tables lined neatly, banners fluttering in the breeze. Raj's cart had been transformed into a mobile kitchen, its polished wood and golden sign standing proud among the sleek décor. Suited employees gathered with curiosity, some skeptical at first. "Street food? At a corporate gala?" they muttered.
But then the food began to flow. Plates of masala pav with international twists, gulab jamuns glazed in exotic sauces, spiced fries dusted with herbs—it was a symphony of flavors, served with speed and precision. Laughter replaced skepticism, curiosity turned to delight, and soon the air buzzed with praise. "This is the best food we've had at an event!" someone exclaimed. Another raised his plate and shouted, "Raj's Fusion Eats should be a chain across the city!"
Raj moved like a conductor, his team synchronized behind him, each person performing their part without hesitation. The Golden Frying Pan sizzled like a heartbeat, steady and powerful.
By the end of the night, five hundred satisfied employees left singing his name. Anita Rao shook Raj's hand firmly. "You didn't just meet expectations—you raised them. Expect more calls from me. This city has been waiting for food like yours."
The system blazed with triumph:
[Special Mission Complete: Corporate Feast.]
Reward Unlocked: Catering Division (Level 1).
– Event Orders Available
– Large-Scale Production Support Enabled
Raj's chest swelled, not with pride alone but with vision. Three stalls were no longer the limit. With catering, his empire could step into halls, festivals, and gatherings, reaching thousands in a single night.
But across the city, in the shadows of his crumbling stall, Shankar smashed a plate against the wall, shards scattering like his shattered pride. "Corporate contracts?" he spat. "Let him think he's rising. I'll drag him down before he touches the sky."
Raj, wiping sweat from his brow as his team packed up, whispered to himself, "This is no longer a stall's dream. This is an empire's march."