bChapter 219 /b

DORA’S POV

bThe /bwhole café waspletely silent as I sat behind the counter, my chin resting in my palm and my fingers absentmindedly drumming against the wooden surface. The soft hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the building, and the emptiness around me felt like it wa closing in. I nced around for what must have been the tenth time that morning. Not a single customer had walked through the ss doors since I opened up, and the silence was starting to get on my nerves.

I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 10:15 AM.

Still a long way to go before my shift ended.

I shifted ufortably on the stool and exhaled. I had been the only staff to show up today, and while I usually didn’t mind being alone, something about today just felt… off. Maybe it was the eerie quiet or the fact that no one had even called in to say they wouldn’t be showing up. I had expected a slow day, sure, but not this slow.

My boss finally emerged from his office at the back. I’d been trying to catch him all morning to talk about the situation, but every time bI /bknocked, he would mumble something about being “too busy right now.”

He looked like he was headed out the door when I quickly stood up.

“Hi sir,” I called out, hoping to stop him before he vanished again.

He paused and turned to face me, giving a tight smile. “Yes, Dora?”

“I seem to be the only staff here today. Even the chefs and cleaners didn’t show up. There’s no way I can handle everything on bmy /bown.”

He furrowed his brow, then walked closer to the counter.

“Why not?” he said, as if the answer were obvious. “Everything is already baked and in the disy case. The ce is clean, and there haven’t been any customers. All you have to do is sit here and sell if someone walks in.”

Easy for him to say. Maybe he was used to handling ces like this alone, but I wasn’t. I didn’t grow up dreaming of working in a quiet café with ino /icustomers or coworkers to keep mepany. I wasn’t even here because I wanted to be.

“Sir, this isn’t what you’re paying me for. I can’t sit in here by myself all day with nothing to do. And you must have noticed, not a single customer hase in since morning.”

He finally let out a tired sigh, brushing his hand over his thinning hair.

“So what, you want to go party with your friends instead?”

I didn’t respond. He knew nothing about me, yet he always jumped to that assumption. Just because I didn’t enjoy wasting away behind the counter didn’t mean I was running off to a party. just wanted something more fulfilling than sitting alone in ba /bcafé with no purpose.

“Fine,” he muttered. “You’re lucky I have somewhere to be. Go ahead and leave, but I expect you back here tomorrow… excusesb./bb” /b

Relief flooded my chest as I gave a nod. I didn’t say anything else. I was too exhausted to argue or thank him.

I untied my apron and tossed it gently onto the counter before walking over to one of the small corner tables where I’d left my bphone /bplugged in. The screen lit up with a few missed notifications, but nothing urgent.

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the café without looking back. The moment the door closed behind me, bI /bbfelt /bblike /bI bcould /bbfinally /bbbreathe/bb, /b

Chapter b219 /b

bThis /bwas bsurprisingly /bgood news for me, being allowed bto /bleave bwork /bthis early, I could bhardly /bbelieve it. A bwave /bof excitement rushed throu bme /bbecauseb, /bbfor /bthe bfirst /btime in what felt like forever, I was finally going to have ba /bbfull /bday to rest at bhome/bb. /bbNo /bbcustomers /byelling, no outs bbeeping/b, no coffee spills just peace.

Honestly, when I was applying for these jobs, I never expected them to be this stressful. I thought, “How hard could bit /bbbe /bto serve patres and keep a smile on my face?” Turns out, it’s a lot harder than it looks, especially when you’re the only one who shows bup /bfor a shift band /byou re running the entire café like it’s your own business. If I had known what I was walking into, maybe I would’ve only applied for bone /bbjob /binstead of juggling two just to cover the rent. But who

Was I kidding? Even one job barely pays the bills these days.

After what felt like a long walk under the unforgiving sun, I finally arrived back at our apartment building. The hallway was quietb, /bbthe /bbpeeling /bpaint on the walls still the same as always, and the smell of someone else’s cooking drifted in from one of the neighbors. bWhen /bbI /bgot to bour /bdoor, I gave it a small knock, just a gentle tap.

A few momentster, my mom opened the door. She looked genuinely shocked to see me standing there, especially this early in bthe /bbday/bb. /bUsually, I didn’t get home untilte evening, and even then, I came in like a zombie barely able to hold a conversation.

“You’re home?” she asked, her eyebrows

din surprise. “Did you forg

omething?”

I scratched at my eyes and yawned,zily dragging my feet inside the living room. “No, I didn’t forget anything. My boss just told me bto /bbgo /bhome,” I said, dropping my bag

“Were you fired?” my mom’s voice jumped an octave higher. The concern in her tone was unmistakable.

“No, I wasn’t fired,” I replied quickly, trying to calm her nerves. “Like I said, no other staff told me I could leave.”

showed up today and business was slowb, /bso he bjust /b

She still looked at me like she didn’t believe me, but before she could respond, I noticed something different in the room. I squinted bat /bbthe /bceiling for a moment. The fan… it was spinning.

Wait.

There was light.

Actual electricity.

The bulbs in the living room were glowing warmly, and I could hear the gentle hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating.

“They fixed the power issue?” I asked, excitement lighting up my face like a child who just found out school was cancelled.

“Yeah, they came to fix it this morning, just a few minutes after you left for work,b” /bmy dad’s voice chimed in from the couch. He reached for the remote and turned the TV on with a calm, casual flick.

A huge smile stretched across my face. This day was really turning around. Not only did I get out of work early and could finally rest, but we had electricity again, after more than a month of darkness and relying bon /bcandles and rechargeablemps. I could bfinally /bbcatch /bbup /bon all the shows I’d been missing, and maybe even take a nap with the fan blowing on me instead of sweating through another afternoon.

But first, I needed to change into somethingfortable. My clothes smelled faintly of coffee and vani, and my feet bwere /bbbegging /bbto /bbbe /bfreed from my sneakers.

I turned to walk towards my room, already fantasizing about curling up under a nket and watching ba /bbcheesy /bbromance /bbfilm/bb. /bbBut /bbthen/b, bjust /bas I took the first step down the hallway, my dad switched to a news channel. The words “LIVE” and “Breaking Newsb” /bwere bstamped /bbacross /bthe screen in bold red letters.

Out of bthe /bcorner of my eye, I glimpsed the screen and froze in my tracks.

b18:10 /bFri, 8 bAug /b

My eyes widened in shock, and I turned slowly, drawn back to the television like a ma.

There she was.

Standing tall, confident, and glowing on live television.

“Olivia?” I whispered aloud, almost questioning if my eyes were ying tricks on me.