“They’re old. Half of them can’t even taste the difference.”
The words weren’t shouted. They were whispered—smug, cruel, and careless—and they were said within earshot of a man they never should have underestimated.
He wore no suit, no entourage, just a plain button-down shirt, holding a warm slice of apple pie. The same pie that made his family’s name famous. From the outside, it looked perfect: golden crust, cinnamon glaze, nostalgic aroma.
But with one slow cut, the filling oozed out—watery, artificial, wrong. He took a bite, and everything stopped. I know that recipe.
That isn’t it. That’s not apple pie. That’s betrayal in a crust.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t storm out. He just pulled out his phone and started documenting.
Because this wasn’t just a bad batch. This was a cover-up. And someone was about to get exposed.
A fake ingredient, a fake supplier, a fraud so big it stretched across multiple states, all hidden beneath a pie no one thought the boss would ever taste. But he did. And now, he’s coming for everyone involved.
Jackson Hart tugged his baseball cap lower as he stepped through the front doors of the Golden Hearth Bakery and Grill in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The soft smell of cinnamon and brown butter floated faintly in the air, but something didn’t sit right. The glass display case had fingerprints across the front, and the marble counters bore streaks of caramel.
Behind the register, a teenager leaned against the pastry rack, scrolling on her phone, oblivious. For most customers, it would have been nothing. But Jackson wasn’t most customers.
He was the man whose family name sat etched in every Golden Hearth location across the country. From a single pie stand at county fairs to a national brand with over 600 locations, he’d built this from scratch. But this particular franchise, the one in Scranton, had been flashing yellow on his regional reports for weeks: margins too high, costs too low, and yet, no complaints.
It didn’t add up. “Just a slice of classic apple pie,” Jackson said, keeping his tone casual. He handed over a ten and noted how the cashier barely looked up, shoved his change across the counter with one hand.
No smile, no eye contact, and certainly no “Welcome to Golden Hearth,” the greeting every employee was trained to give. Strike one. He carried his tray to a corner booth.
The white ceramic plate held a neatly cut slice of apple pie. On the surface, it looked like what he’d spent twenty years perfecting. But the smell was off.
He slid his fork cleanly through the pie. The filling slowly slumped outward. Jackson leaned in.
No texture, no sliced fruit, just a glossy, oversweetened goop the color of canned syrup. He took a bite. The sweetness was sharp, chemical, the aftertaste metallic.
It wasn’t just off-brand; it was fraudulent. Tucked partially under the napkin was a small printed label, likely meant for internal kitchen use. It read: “Product: Apple Pie Filling.
Liberty Orchard Imports.” His eyes narrowed. Liberty Orchard wasn’t on the company’s approved vendor list. Every franchise owner knew this.
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