"Professor, Sam here was claiming that there was something wrong about the soup," The girl beside Sam explained politely "It didn't suit her taste and Miss Adeline of course was hurt because she was the one who put up this event"

The professor turned to look at Sam and the first thing he noticed was her green eyes which, despite the commotion, were as calm as a lake water that cannot be stirred. She was young but her composure and the way she brought herself tonight was displaying a perfect aura of cleverness.

​​

"Sam, you know it is impolite to criticize someone's effort," The professor spoke to Sam gently. He was not taking sides but it was natural for him to talk through Sam's mishap first.

"Professor I'd rather throw and open criticism than to give a lie of praise," Sam reasoned "Besides my grandmother told me, it's impolite to lie about someone's work. For how would they learn if people keep praising them?"

"Very well," The professor was amazed by Sam's mature thoughts. Even the other professors agreed upon her words.

"Blatant arrogance!" Sabina shouted her insult "Professor, for how can a lowly commoner criticize a socialite's work when she knew nothing about being one?"

"Sabina, watch your words please," Their professor warned. Sabina's face was already a mess that was ruining her pretty face. She dressed up with so much glamour tonight that her rude words doesn't seemed to match the words her tongue uttered.

"But Sabina has a point professor," Adeline interjected "I had been organizing great dinners for how long as I could remember and Sam, oh god! This might even be her first formal dinner yet she dared to insult my work? She's only a body guard. How can a body guard know? This is exactly one of the reasons why we shouldn't let commoners join our circle, they just cannot relate to our lifestyles and even dared to fuzz about it?"

"Of course both of you had a point," Their professor was trying to calm the two raging prominent students when a female professor came to their view and tasted the soup. It was a culinary professor and she too wondered what was wrong with the soup that only one student complained. She put a good amount in her mouth, tasted it before she turned to Sam.

"I had tasted nothing wrong with the soup," She said "Care to tell how a delicious soup like this can go wrong in your taste?"

Sam leveled the professor's gaze intently, "The vinegar used wasn't of good quality or probably not the quality that I was used to"

The culinary professor tasted it again and realized it was the balsamic vinegar that Sam was talking about. With the professor's cooking experience, she can already tell the ingredients used in one course.

"They used a balsamic vinegar, it the most expensive vinegar" She told Sam with suspicious eyes "How can the most expensive vinegar be of low quality? Certainly Miss Adeline and Miss Sabina is right, you are probably not used to the taste of an expensive vinegar that's why it went wrong on you"

"Yes you are right professor, it is the most expensive vinegar but it isn't the highest quality in its kind" Sam blurted without wavering.

"Not the highest quality of its kind?" The professor's brow arched on Sam's insistence "From someone of your kind, how can you say that?"

Sam turned to the previous professor who had took charge. "Is it okay to call the chief? I just had some questions."

"You can call the chief all you want but once you cannot prove yourself I'll have you being suspended for creating a commotion like this" The culinary professor chided Sam that only brought an evil smile to Adeline and Sabina's lips "This is a very formal event that had been traditionally held every year. You had ruined it just for a soup"

Sam didn't anymore answered but waited until the chief came out. Soon a middle aged man with a lump body came in and greeted them.

"Chief Kelly at your service. I had been running this hotel's kitchen for many years." He started "I heard my soup had raised some concerns"

"It was a delicious soup chief but our little commoner classmate here said it was of low quality" Adeline rushed her words to give the chief some head's up.

"Hello chief Kelly" Sam greeted "I apologize for disturbing you. The soup is good but I just want to ask about the balsamic vinegar that you used for it. Where did that vinegar came from?"

The chief stared at Sam proudly. "The vinegar was something the hotel owner processed themselves. They also owned a vinegar processing company and I could assure you it is of good quality"

"O my, that's good" The culinary teacher gasped "Since they processed it on their own, certainly they used the best one for their food"

"Yes" The chief agreed proudly. He then looked at Sam and noticed that she wasn't an ordinary guest but his pride was too high that he doubted his instinct.

"You see Sam? You go ahead and apologized now!" The culinary teacher exclaimed as Adeline and Sabina grinned "You'd better leave now since you are ruining this party and then I'll deal with you on Monday"

Sam didn't move but went to ask the chief again "Chief you said the hotel owner had a vinegar processing company, may I know the name of that industry?"

"South Vinegar" The chief answered Sam "This brand is popular among the folks here in City smile and the whole southern region"

Hearing his words, Sam's facial expression changed and that intimidated suddenly the chief as if Sam's aura suddenly drowned his. He swallowed a lump on his throat when Sam's eyes dug deeper into his.

"There we have it. You said it yourself" Sam spoke gently, in a voice like she just captured her prey under her sharp claws "The vinegar is popular in Southern region and only in the southern region I am right?"

"Yes. What's wrong about it?" The chief tried to not to blink under Sam's gaze as if one move will make him crumble.

"It's only popular in the southern region because it didn't work well in the other regions especially in the Capital where the high class socialites resides, right?" Sam words cut sharp into the chief's ears. For once he regret having told the girl about their own processed vinegar "It only meant, the high class socialites don't like it. Do you have any idea why?"

"I…I…I know of course—"

"No you don't. That's why you are working here for many years in this hotel and was not able to apply in hotels in the capital because your knowledge wasn't enough to suit in their standards…." The girl cut him abruptly and his knees trembled "I'll tell you why your vinegar is not popular in the capital. The reason was because, the high class elites chose to buy vinegars from the North. Northerners traditionally processed balsamic vinegars and their process takes years and the time spent for making one makes a good quality of balsamic vinegar…"

Every student that was present dropped jawed at Sam's knowledge. The first professor who came in was very impressed with the business class student, he shook his head with reverence at the girl.

The chief and the culinary professor didn't say a word, ashamed of themselves.

Adeline, Sabina and friends on the other hand was gritting their teeth.

"…..You're welcome" Sam spoke again, throwing the words at the two culinary experts as if they had said thank you to her for her brilliant explanation.

"There's something Miss Adeline and Sabina have missed…" Sam added another insult that only angered the girls more "I am just a body guard that's true. But not anyone else body guard but the great Ziggorioh Montreal's bodyguard. You see my boss always eats at fine dinner with good quality food and he always brought me over to eat with him…."

"… but oh I wonder, has he not brought you to good restaurants Miss Sabina? Or perhaps that was a long time ago that you forgot the taste of the food a class A socialite eats..."

Sabina's face cannot be painted with that.

"By the way thank you for the soup but I have lost my apetite… I shall take my leave…." Sam then turned to the culinary professor "By the way professor, I'm sorry I can't be at school on Monday to meet you. My boss probably will transfer me to a better school whose professors are more knowledgeable"

With grace, Sam left the room sophisticatedly, as if nothing happened and everyone cannot believe that two prominent student, a culinary professor and a longtime chief had fallen in a single blow just because of a soup.