Chapter 2 Bitter Tips

The café's warmth was a lie, a deceptive glow that seeped through the fogged windows like a siren's call, drawing in the oblivious patrons with promises of comfort and caffeine-fueled bliss. Inside, the air hung heavy with the scent of fresh-ground coffee beans and buttery pastries, but for Aria, it was just another layer of suffocation in her endless grind.

She slipped through the staff door at precisely 6:54 a.m., her boots scuffing softly against the worn linoleum. Six minutes early, her small rebellion against the chaos of her life. But rebellion meant nothing here. The bell tinkled overhead, a mocking chime that announced her arrival like a death knell.

Monica Kane was already perched behind the counter, a predator in a pencil skirt and crisp white blouse. Her blonde hair twisted into an impeccable chignon, sharp as the edge of a blade, and her red lips curved into that perpetual sneer. She didn't look up from the ledger, but her voice sliced through the quiet like a whip.

"Late again, Aria?" The words dripped with venom, even as the clock on the wall ticked indifferently in Aria's favor.

Aria's heart stuttered, but she forced her lips into the smile she'd honed like a weapon-soft, unassuming, the kind that concealed the shadows under her eyes and the faint yellowing bruise peeking from beneath her sleeve. It was the smile Gregory had beaten into her, night after night, until it became her armor.

"Good morning, Monica," she murmured, her voice a fragile thread, barely audible over the hum of the espresso machine.

Monica's eyes flicked up then, cold and appraising, like she was sizing up a stain on her pristine domain. No greeting in return. Never a greeting. Just the weight of her gaze, heavy as chains, pinning Aria in place.

"Refill the pastries," Monica snapped, her manicured fingers flicking dismissively toward the glass display case. The motion sent a ripple through the air, stirring the sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls and danishes. "And for God's sake, try not to manhandle the croissants this time. Customers don't want your clumsy fingerprints all over their breakfast. Or worse, your incompetence ruins the presentation."

The insult landed like a slap, sharp and stinging, but Aria had learned to let it glance off her. She nodded, chin dipping low, her dark hair falling forward like a curtain to hide the flush creeping up her neck. Her hands, callused from double shifts and desperate grabs for stability, clenched at her sides before she forced them to relax. Which battles were worth fighting? None, not here. Not when her rent was due, and the alternative was the streets or worse, crawling back to Gregory's fists.

She moved to the back, the kitchen's fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like angry hornets. The trays of pastries waited on the cooling racks, golden and flaky, mocking her with their perfection.

As she arranged them-careful, so careful not to crush a single edge, Aria's mind wandered to the boy from yesterday, the one with the ice cream-smeared grin who'd waved at her like she was a hero. A tiny spark in the gloom. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep her hands steady, to push through the humiliation simmering in her veins.

Outside, the first customers trickled in, their laughter a distant echo. Aria straightened her apron, plastered on her smile, and stepped back into the fray. Another day in the cage, but she'd survive it.