Chapter 19
The bell above the door of The Gilded Bean chimed one last time as Serenity flipped the sign to "Closed." The sound, which usually brought a sense of relief, felt like a final warning on that day. Her feet throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache that pulsed up to her knees, a souvenir from sixteen hours of standing, sprinting, and dodging her manager’s judgmental stares.
The day had been an utter disaster in slow motion. After Evan’s grand exit, the atmosphere in the café had turned toxic. Henderson had pulled her into the cramped back office twice. The first was for her tardiness, a stern, finger-wagging lecture about "reliability" and "brand standards." The second, however, had been far more humiliating.
"Personal matters are to remain outside those doors, Serenity," her manage
