Disclaimer: I do not own VA and thank Richelle Mead for writing such an awesome series.

Ok – have a small favour to ask (because my OCD is kicking in…)
One of my other series, Romitri Forever currently has '49' reviews, so I'm one shy of 50 (which I would really like).
The thing is, 2 of those reviews were AN from me (as I don't like AN uploaded as chapters) so really I have 47 reviews.
I would be forever grateful if my lovely readers would help me get my goal – only need 3 reviews to get to 50…and my OCD will be sated for achieving a nice round number (my series Fantasies is at 20 – its low but I don't mind cause it's a nice round number).

So…pretty please…if you have read the series and haven't commented…leave me some love…
And if you haven't read the series…well do read and help me achieve peace :P

Thanks to those who left a review for this current series – always nice to read that people enjoyed your work…

Any who…on with our tale…

Two rival restaurants and chefs – what happens when love joins the menu?

Restaurant Wars

CHAPTER 6

Janine POV

I felt ridiculous!

I looked like one of those female spies from the 60s – head wrapped in a scarf with large sunglasses – trying to look inconspicuous but probably standing out just as much as if I were wearing a neon sign. But Olena insisted we hide our identities encase someone followed or happened to catch us.

Ironically we met at the same café as our last meeting – probably because it was far enough away from our businesses we felt relatively safe that no one we knew would come here. Plus it felt strangely right to use it as our base of operations (so to speak). After having ordered our coffee and light snacks, we bypassed the small talk and went straight into mission mode.

"Originally I thought it would be a good idea for Rose to attend the welcome party with the rest of the family, but I think she needs to meet Dimitri without our husbands present. If she realises who he is before she gets to know him, well… I can't see her saying more than two words, and they won't be pleasant ones. I'm sure your son would be the same with her – if he were to realise she was a Mazur. With this in mind, I will find a way to delay Rose so she misses the welcome party but can make it to the after party in the club. I think for this 'operation' to work, their first meeting needs to happen without any outside influence, and the fact that they haven't met properly since they were kids should also help…What do you think?"

Olena sat there in what I could only assume was deep thought – it was hard to tell with the stupid glasses on her face!

"Yes, I agree. Roza and Dimitri need to meet without us being there, though I don't know how we can keep our other kids from ruining this. After all the invite was extended to the whole family…and even if we aren't there, the others will be and they may let them know their backgrounds before they even get a chance to really talk".

Damn! She was right… I had forgotten about our other kids and the possibility of them complicating things. But then inspiration hit me.

"I think we may need to involve some of them in our 'operation'. Best to involve the sibling they are closest to – this way they can push them in the right direction and be their confidante as things progress. You and I know that no matter what relationship we have with our kids, these two will be reluctant to come to us in fear we would reveal things to our husbands. Who is Dimitri closest to?"

Olena didn't even hesitate to answer.

"That would be Vika, my youngest".

I nodded and revealed who I would want as my 'helper'.

"For Rose it would be Eddie, my second eldest. The next time we have our meeting, we need to bring them with us and tell them everything. And pray that once they know what exactly is at stake they won't blow the operation by blabbing about it to their fathers".

We spent the rest of the hour we had allocated for the meeting hashing out the finer details, including how we would convince Eddie and Vika to join us. We arranged another meeting in 3 weeks since the competition was starting soon and our families would become busy, splitting their time between the restaurant and the competition.

Once I left the café I did something I hadn't done in a very long time – I called my daughter and asked her to join me for some shopping!

My relationship with Rose has always been strained. You would think being the only girl I would have showered her with affection and jumped at the chance to do girly activities with. But since I myself wasn't the type of woman who enjoyed activities like high tea or spas, I found it hard to develop the traditional 'mother-daughter relationship'. This was probably why I was closer to my boys and Rose became a daddy's girl. I was more than happy to take the boys to soccer games while Abe would spend time with Rose in the kitchen teaching her how to cook. Do I wish I had a better, closer relationship with my daughter? I do…but the past can't be changed.

Naturally, Rose was on high alert. She could probably count on one hand the number of times I had initiated a mother-daughter shopping trip, so was suspicious straight off the bat. The funny thing was that she wasn't wrong to suspect I had ulterior motives for this impromptu shopping trip. I wanted to help her find the perfect dress for when she finally met Dimitri. Olena had told me his favourite colours were black and red, so it shouldn't be hard to convince her to buy a dress in one of those colours – I was fairly certain those were her favourite colours too.

Luckily, today was one of Rose's days off. Normally Abe had to force her to take a day off once a fortnight, but what with the competition in less than a week, he convinced her to take another day off sooner citing that she needed some downtime to be 'rested and ready' – God only knows when the both of them would next have a proper break!

So we met up in the CBD for an early lunch before heading out on our hunt for 'the dress'. It seemed silly to put so much emphasis on one silly dress, but Olena was quick to point out that first impressions mattered, and if we could find that 'one dress' that would capture Dimitri's attention then everything else would fall into place. I could see her logic, but I was still not convinced. Surely it would take more than a dress to make someone fall in love?

It wasn't until we hit the fifth store that we found 'the dress' – a burgundy stretch-knit sleeveless maxi dress featuring a plunging V-neck with shirred bust, M-slit and crisscross adjustable straps in back. It was perfect for the welcome party (not that she would be attending) and the after party. A perfect combination of glamour and sexy, I could imagine Abe and her brothers having heart attacks at seeing her in this dress. Even Rose looked anxious and unsure in the dress.

"Are you sure anne? Don't you think it's…too revealing? Will baba even let me leave the house in this? I mean…I can't even wear any underwear or bra under the dress…"

She hissed the last part in a scandalised tone and I couldn't help but stifle a giggle. My daughter was loud and brash, but put her in something remotely sexy and she wanted to curl up under a rock. Seeing her in this dress opened my eyes to the revelation that my baby girl had grown up into a beautiful, curvaceous woman and I was saddened at the thought that her life seemed to revolve around the restaurant. Would she ever find a companion? Her partner in life? Have kids? See the world?

I love my children, but the dedication and zeal that Rose has always had (when it came to the family business) had always made me both proud and nervous – someone this young to be so focused in this day and age was rare, but what worried me was how she seemed to by-pass every other aspect of life for this endeavour. She barely dated, had no friends or social life and every spare moment was spent either bettering her cooking skills or making the restaurant more profitable. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if she died a spinster.

"You look beautiful Rose. It's perfect for you. This is the dress you will wear to the party" I decreed, stopping her from further objections.

We bought a chain Louise GM Louis Vuitton and a pair of follies lace Dentelle Louboutin. Yes, in the end we spent a small fortune that day (I too had to buy myself a dress and accessories) but it was worth it – not only to see Rose's smile but to increase the probability of bringing Rose and Dimitri together.

After all I wanted loads of grandkids.

LITTLE HELP: Please suggest a good, sexy song that would be perfect to dirty dance to in a dark, thumping club – as Rose and Dimitri finally meet in the next chapter!

Thanks for being patient…And feel free to give some love via reviews!