Dinner Is on the House

At Voss Table, the food is unforgettable. The dreams are worse.When Darian Voss purchases a failing Chicago restaurant, he expects a calculated experiment in brand expansion. Instead, executive chef Selena Marr discovers crimson traces hidden among ordinary ingredients-evidence of Velvet Red, a mysterious Dryackmine derivative that makes every flavor richer, every sensation warmer, and every pleasure dangerously difficult to forget.Soon, Voss Table becomes the most coveted reservation in the world. Celebrities, executives, politicians, and influencers compete for tables months in advance while diners report the same impossible dream: an endless banquet hall stretching beyond sight, and something enormous eating at its farthest end.Beneath the flagship restaurant, forgotten service tunnels lead Darian, Selena, and CFO Adrian Cross toward Molvara, an ancient Veyrathi whose hunger has no limit. What they discover changes everything Darian thought he knew about Dryackmine. Books were never the only doorway. Humanity consumes stories with the mind-and food with the body.As Darian's fortune crosses one billion dollars, the restaurant empire grows faster than anyone can control.Every reservation feeds the phenomenon, while every satisfied customer brings the banquet closer to reality.And beneath every perfect meal, something is learning how hungry humanity truly is.