Chapter 13 - The Bitter Pill
Across town, in the sweltering heat of a poorly ventilated diner kitchen, Adrian scraped burnt grease off a heavy griddle. His expensive manicures were a thing of the past; his hands were now calloused and blistered.
Without his corporate reputation, his trust fund, or his mother’s dwindling social grace—Eleanor had moved into a small assisted living facility, blaming him for everything—Adrian had been forced to take whatever work he could find to pay off mounting legal debts.
A small, grease-smudged television sat on a shelf above the prep station, tuned to the local news.
"Local billionaire and philanthropist Emma Hayes cut the ribbon today on her new housing initiative," the newscaster announced.
Adrian paused, the metal scraper going still in his hand. He looked up. There was Emma on the screen, looking radiant, confident, and genuinely happy. She was holding a healthy, laughing baby boy, while a nanny stood nearby holding a baby girl.
Adrian stared at the family that could have been his. He had been handed a life of unimaginable wealth, loyalty, and love, and he had thrown it out into the snow because of his own arrogance.
May you like
"Hey, Sterling!" the shift manager yelled from the front. "We need more fries down!"
Adrian looked away from the screen, his chest hollow. "Coming," he muttered, returning to the grime of the griddle as the broadcast moved on without him.
