Beneath The CEO's Terms

a tired glow on the dusty windows, and the faint hum of the refrigerator was the only sound that broke the silence. Even the old jukebox in the corner sat dormant, its once-catchy tunes now forgo

swirled-res

I be pouring drinks behind this

rown dim over the years, buried beneath long shifts and quiet disappointments. She watched as her hands

thought of escaping this place felt like a distant, unreachable goal. Evenly had once been the girl who dreamed of a career, o

with a loud bang, snap

enl

rtled, and turned

bright, confident, and always on the move. Her curly hair bounced with

owing her bag onto a barstool. "Thought you were passed out or som

I was just... thinking. Needed a

lacing the teasing. "You've been doing that a lot latel

he back of the chair. "It's hard to think about

drink?" she asked, tryin

hone. "But first, I came to ask-what's up with that job I told you abo

ye contact. "I applied," she said qui

nally! That's the best t

"You've always believed in me

he bar to touch her hand. "You're not meant to rot in this

rds so many times before-"You've got fire," "You can do better"-but somehow, they didn't feel like truths anymor

er voice a little softer n

hadn't felt in a long time. "Busy! Two new stylists started this week.

end. "Look at you," she said, her voice full of

e low. "And maybe this job is your way out. It'

l support system since her parents passed and life turned uphill. It was hard to be

Tonight, after my meeting. We'll celebrate your new beginning e

silent again. The faint hum of the refrigerator seemed louder in the quiet, and the stale air seemed to p

ybe, tomorrow co

d began preparing the bar, just

already? Thought you

row, as if the world itself weighed heavily on him. Evenly's response was a ca

e shelf. "Well, don't burn yourself out. We've got

't know the kind of exhaustion that pressed into her bones, didn't understand the

id, trying to convince

sying herself with the bottles in front of her. She wished, just once, someone would ask her if she was okay-not just about the work,

ing her hands on her apron, and prepared to continue the dance she kne