1 Chapter One

[ "D-darling... listen to me... leave..."

"B-but-"

"Now!"

"N-no... father!" ]

Ruby Collins jolts awake, forehead dripping with sweat as she tries to calm down from the nightmare she just had. With her breathing ragged, she decides to go and grab a bottle of water. Inside a really small freezer, she grabs one bottle and immediately gulps it down.

This kind of dream isn't foreign to her. It's actually a norm for her now.

Leaving to the bathroom right beside the kitchen, she takes a short shower. While splashing water on her face using the showerhead, she looks at her reflection in the mirror.

Ruby is a 21-year-old living inside a very small apartment. She works under Bob Webb, a 47-year-old man who owns a donut shop.

"Watch, keys... ah, my ring." Ruby mumbles to herself before reaching towards her drawer. She then wears the ring on her finger before locking the door.

The ring was given by her mother. It's been a long time since she saw her so the ring is the only thing that reminds Ruby of her mother's presence.

"Good morning Mr. Webb!"

"Ah, Ruby. Have you eaten yet?" Bob asks as he pushes the door open. Ruby lets out an awkward chuckle, not wanting to lie to Bob but at the same time not wanting to make him worry.

"Goodness, you young lady..."

"I'm sorry... I don't have enough money to get breakfast."

"You know you can always have breakfast here, you know? Come inside, I'll serve you a nice meal." Bob said while inviting her inside the kitchen. Ruby smiles before following him at the back. All these years of working under him, Bob has treated Ruby like his own daughter. He had always looked after her and paid her well even if the shop didn't earn that much.

It's not a big company and the usual customers they get are children who just want to get snacks. They're lucky to get a group of friends that would order boxes of donuts, but that's just on a lucky day.

"Eat up, you're gonna need more energy today."

"Are we restocking ingredients?"

"Yep! A good Monday for a restock." The man said before ruffling the girl's hair. Ruby stabs the chicken on her plate with her fork and sends it to her mouth. The aroma just fits well with the texture. Ruby had always known Bob was a good baker, but he's also an expert when it comes to cooking normal meals.

***

"Thank you, come again!" Ruby says to the customer that just bought a box of sweets. She peeks from the counter and checks if the truck bringing their order would be here yet. They're not usually late. There were times they did encounter problems on the road and they got stuck for an hour trying to fix the vehicle, but it's not this late.

She shakes her head before sitting back down.

After a few minutes of waiting, a group of men suddenly entered the place. As she was about to greet them, a man showed his ID to her.

"U-uhm, welcome Mr. Hanson?"

"Kindly call Bob Webb out, we want to have a conversation with him."

"O-oh, is there any way I can help?" The girl asks only for Ken Hanson to take out a device containing Mary Barker's email. Ruby takes the device and reads the content of the letter. Ruby's eyes widened as she realized that the owner of the place wants her property back.

"W-what are they using this place for?"

"Something more important than your donut shop, I assume. Now please, kindly start packing before we finally destroy this place." Ken says. Ruby tried to stop them by standing in front, blocking their way.

"W-wait! This shop has been up for years! I've been working here since I was 17... this place means a lot to me!" The girl begged, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back her tears. The men were pushing past her as she begged.

Bob rushed outside to see the commotion and rushed to Ruby.

"Mr. Bob Webb, kindly take your valuable things out before we do."

"H-hold on a minute, why weren't we given a warning? This is too sudden... there are still customers!"

"Unfortunately, those are Mrs. Barker's words. She wants you out today, no exceptions." Ken said. Bob averted his gaze at Ruby before letting out a long sigh.

***

Ruby stood outside, fiddling with her ring. She couldn't understand what was going on. Bob's brother, Mark Webb, stepped in to save them. Bob needed help transporting the clean donuts and he couldn't safely take 18 trays back.

Ruby looked at the shop as the assigned men took off their signs and everything inside the place.

"Ruby? Dear, don't be too sad. The shop was old anyways."

"But... didn't you love that shop, Mr. Webb?"

"I did, Ruby. Every time I walk in there, I already feel at home. But... well... good things always end somewhere." Bob said while patting Ruby's head. He then counts a few yurkas and places them on Ruby's palm.

"I doubled it... it's your last day after all, isn't it?" Bob asks as he lets out a short chuckle. The girl felt tears well up at the corner of her eyes. This man had welcomed her when she had no one. This man had treated her the way she deserves to be treated.

"Thank you..."

"Oh do not treat this as our last encounter. You can always find me, ya know? I'll take a break for a bit and maybe find new places to put up another donut shop! Maybe this time, I can have my own property." Bob said before letting out a chuckle. As positive as he sounds, Ruby knows that he's downhearted with this event.

Ruby placed her head against his chest as Bob pats her back.

"I promise, Mr. Webb. We'll find another place for a donut shop."

"You will always be my first employee." He says before ruffling her hair.

***

After Ruby and Bob bid their farewell, it was finally time to go home. She knew she had to find another job. She can't live without one, especially since she has a lot of things to pay for.

Without the shop, her life is going to be 10x harder.

It wasn't exactly easy before... but at least she had Bob with her. It was almost as if she lost a father. The feeling is heavy and just reminiscing about the times where Bob taught her how to use the cashier area for the first time made her tear up a little.

Ruby pushes the door open before crashing on her small bed.

[ "Remember Ruby, if you're going through a bad time. Just recite a few words. Tomorrow will be different... tomorrow will be different..." ]

"Tomorrow will be different... tomorrow will be different..."