CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THREE – KEEPING THE BISTRO IN SHAPE

The following week passed in a blur of tension and forced normalcy for Jasmine. Each morning, she'd arrive at the Bistro, half-expecting to find it in ruins. Instead, she was greeted by the same familiar sights and sounds - the aroma of freshly baked bread, the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen, and the cheerful greetings of her staff. But beneath the surface, things were far from normal. It started with small incidents. On Tuesday morning, Jasmine arrived to find Miguel struggling with the coffee machine. "I don't understand," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "It was working fine yesterday, but now it won't turn on." Jasmine frowned, examining the machine. "That's odd. Let's check the power." They soon discovered that the entire kitchen was without power. A call to the electric company revealed no scheduled outages in the area. "Must be a localized issue," the technician said. "We'll send someone out, but it might take a few hours." Jasmine bit her lip, thinki