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

*UPDATE = Did some minor editing to remove the large amount of brackets I had in this chapter – thank you Llaria6 for your sage advice). Content remains the same*

Sorry again for the lateness in the update (I try…I really do…to update once a week and the earlier I can do it the better…but my kids have other ideas)

Ok so here is another 'filler' chapter BUT it's an important one!

Reasons why:

You finally find out what started the Belikov/Mazur feud (and it's not over something as pedantic as a baklava recipe!)

The format of this chapter will be a bit different – it will still be first person, but the 'narrator' will remain unknown (for now). And it will be in a 'dear diary' format so you can get inside their scheming head, because this person is using the feud for their own agenda…dun dun dun!

You are welcome to guess who you think it could be, but the identity will remain a surprise until I get to the right chapter…

And as for some proper interaction between Rose and Dimitri – please be patient…it's going to happen and when it does it will be worthwhile…I can tell you it will be soon, so hang in there!
_

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

Restaurant Wars

CHAPTER 15

Unknown POV

Dear Diary,

It's all coming together!

In a stroke of pure luck the restaurant I have had my eyes on is now within my grasp. It's unfortunate I'm competing with another chef for its ownership, but I'm not worried as I know I'm twice as talented as they are.

It won't be long before I'm be able to restore my family's honour and name – if it wasn't for the stupid Belikovs and Mazurs the name Heidrich would mean something in the Australian culinary world!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me go back to the day I came across my great, great grandfather's journal - the elusive patriarch of our family who, I later found out, I was named after.

I had returned home after gaining my culinary qualifications and was considering my next move – should I remain and work in Berlin or explore the world?

One weekend mama sent me to my great aunt Ida's to help her box up the old estate which had been in our family for generations but was now being sold to pay off some large debts the family owed.

As I was cleaning up the dusty attic, I found a journal that belonged to my great, great grandfather - Alberich Jeschke Heidrich. Intrigued, I took the large journal home with me.

Before reading it I asked my family about Alberich, to gauge what they knew and how they felt about him. Even though he was respected, there seemed to be some reluctance to discuss him in detail. I had to beg great aunt Ida before I was even given a morsel of information. She finally confided that Alberich was never the same after he returned home – he seemed damaged and unhinged – and had refused to tell anyone in the family the reason behind his change.

This assessment only made me more curious about my namesake and that night I started reading the journal.

My name wasn't the only thing I shared with my ancestor – he too loved to cook and was a well-known chef back in the day. He spoke about his hopes and dreams and how he wanted to go beyond the 'German borders' and learn all there was to learn about cooking.

He somehow managed it, by making his way to Sydney, Australia. On his boat ride over he met two other men – Elif Mazur and Nikolai Belikov.

The three men, being foreigners in a foreign country, leant on one another for support and companionship as they had left their families in their respective countries. It wasn't long before they became great friends and helped each other open their own restaurants in the same neighbourhood. That was another thing all three had in common – they were great cooks and wanted to bring their native cuisine to this new country.

As the years passed, Elif and Nikolia made enough money to start migrating their family over, while Alberich was in no rush to let go of his independence – in fact he was happy with the current set-up of him sending money back home and keeping his family at a distance.

It was also around this time that World War I broke out and even though the three men were all the way in Australia and not fighting in the actual war, they had family and friends who were. With Germany and Turkey on one side and Russia on the other (with the Allies), it didn't take long for things to become strained between the friends.

They naturally had differing opinions on the war and what was happening but the main source behind the building tension was that Elif and Nikolai where in agreement that the German-Austria side where in the wrong and therefore the instigators of the war, which naturally didn't bode well with Alberich. The closeness between the two families wasn't only on the political front – Elif's sister, Fairuza and Nikolia's brother, Anatoli (the first members of each family to have migrate to Sydney after their brothers) had fallen in love, much to Alberich's displeasure for he only had eyes for Fairuza and was determined to make her his wife.

Alberich felt rejected and neglected – not only was he being pushed out of the friendship but the woman he fell in love with was now set to marry another (it hadn't taken long for Anatoli to propose). He felt betrayed, he felt alone, he felt desperate…

I could empathise with him – I know first-hand what it feels like to love someone and have them reject you. And it was wrong to push him aside for his political beliefs – everyone is entitled to their opinions. So I understood perfectly why he did what he did next – in fact I couldn't help but be impressed by his cunningness and manipulative skills.

…He started off small – whispering a twisted truth to Elif here, murmuring a little lie to Nikolai there. Then came the rumours and fanning of discourse. While tarnishing the close bond between Elif and Nikolai, Alberich was figuring out how best to end Fairuza's engagement so eventually he could marry her. And then the perfect opportunity fell in his lap.

When the war finally ended, people rejoiced everywhere and a big celebration was held in the restaurant district. Lots of drinking and dancing took place that night, with Alberich keeping a close eye on Anatoli's drink, making sure the Russian was laden with the hard stuff as often as possible. The night ended with them making their way to a nearby hotel that was actually a bordello, where Alberich paid the madam double to make sure Anatoli was found with not one but two naked girls.

The next day, a worried Elif and a frazzled Nikolia had turned up outside Alberich's door (he had made his way home after leaving Anatoli at the hotel). Alberich played the concerned friend and relayed the location he last saw Anatoli. Joining his friends in the search, all three men made their way to the bordello and were led up to a room to find a semi-naked Anatoli encircled by two very naked ladies.

Nikolia was disappointed and saddened by his younger brother's antics. Elif, on the other hand, flew into a rage, violently waking up the hungover Russian to declare the engagement was off and that if he ever saw Anatoli near his sister he would kill him personally.

Anatoli, still recovering from his drunken stupor, watched his upset brother and enraged friend leave his room. When he finally noticed the naked girls, who had awakened and were quietly watching the scene play out, he understood their reaction. He beseeched Alberich for help, telling him it was all a misunderstanding and that he couldn't remember how he got to the hotel. Alberich gave Anatoli a sympathetic ear and false hope, saying he would straighten things out with the others. He of course did the exact opposite and took this opportunity to further drive a wedge between the two friends.

Fairuza had missed the celebrations – she had been out of state visiting an old friend who had just had a baby. Returning on the night of a heavy storm she was shaken to her core as her brother told her what had happened in her absence and the subsequent ending of her engagement. Devastated and heartbroken, she rushed out of the house and took off on her horse. Alberich had been with Elif at the time and assumed her hasty departure was to see Anatoli and hear what happened because she was a fair and just woman and always gave the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, the roads were not safe and with the heavy rain, certain sections were flooded.

It took two days to find her body but by then she was well and truly dead. Alberich was devastated – this was never the plan. He wanted her alive and by his side. Now he didn't care what happened to Elif and Nikolai and since he had barely been on their radar, his withdrawal into his own world wasn't questioned. He watched from afar as Elif mourned his sister's death and lied to his family back home around the circumstances for her demise. In his mind her death was not accidental and he considered one person fully responsible for the sad turn of events – Anatoli Belikov.

Meanwhile Alberich observed Anatoli, who was already consumed with shame and guilt, fall into a deep depression when he found out that the woman he loved had died because she had been in haste to see him that night to hear his side of the story. He couldn't help but blame himself for her death and two days after her funeral he committed suicide.

Now it was Nikolia's turn to grieve and lie to his family back home (after all suicide would have been considered a big sin by his religious family). And when Nikolia turned to his dearest friend for comfort Elif rejected him. What had started as love and comradery between the two families had now turned into deep hatred and scorn.

Thinking about his family back home and realising there wasn't anything left in Sydney, Alberich sold his restaurant and never looked back. It had taken Elif and Nikolai close to 3 months before they realised their 'German friend' had left the country and it wasn't long before the letters stopped coming, letting Alberich conclude his role in their life was forgotten.

Alberich returned to Germany with enough money to open a small café and married a simple girl from one of the old villages outside of Berlin. He went through the motions – raised a family, had lots of kids and died alone. His biggest regret, he confessed in his final entry, was that he had failed to make a name for himself in Australia…

My great, great grandfather's struggle moved me and just like that I knew what I was going to do next – I was going to move to Sydney.

It didn't take me long to finally get the opportunity to work at what should have been my family's restaurant. Alberich's old restaurant had passed through numerous hands over the years, though for the last few it had been left empty, until an upcoming chef bought the place and a new restaurant was established. When I had heard through the grapevine of its opening, I had practically rushed out that very same day and applied for a job. My great, great grandfather must have been keeping an eye out for me, because I was able to get the job right away!

I want this restaurant!

I want to finish what Alberich started and have our name become as famous as the Mazurs and Belikovs. I have spent the last year getting to know the Mazurs and Belikovs intimately and neither suspect my true intentions. I not only want to regain the restaurant that should have rightfully stayed in my family but destroy the Mazurs and Belikovs for treating Alberich the way they did. They didn't deserve his friendship and they definitely don't deserve the accolades and fame they have achieved over the years. If it weren't for him, neither family would have been able to open their restaurant in the first place – it was Alberich who had helped them financially and even though they eventually paid him back, if it wasn't for that initial loan and faith, neither would have survived in Australia for long.

I've especially kept a close eye on their sous-chefs (Rose and Dimitri) and though others in their family appear to be blind, I can clearly see that something is going on between the two. I was there that night at the after-party and it was obvious that something was going to happen between the two. The last thing I need is for the two families to merge – it didn't happen back then, it wasn't going to happen now!

I'm a patient person – I didn't come this far to rush through my plans. I just have to channel my great, great grandfather and figure out what I will do if things progress with Dimitri and Rose…but the doesn't seem to be something I need to worry about just now, since neither has made a move to progress things between them.

Life will not rob this Heidrich of happiness, love and fame like it did with my great, great grandfather.

No, this Heidrich was going to grab destiny by the balls and make sure the Mazurs and Belikovs suffer for their cruelty and pretence.

I was going to make my great, great grandfather proud – one way or another!

Soooo, what did you guys think?

Pretty sad reason behind the feud, right?

Any idea on who 'unknown' is?