part 1: Chapter 1: Struggling to Survive

The scent of sizzling meat and freshly fried potatoes filled the air of Joe’s Grill, a modest burger joint tucked into the corner of a busy intersection. It wasn’t the fanciest place in town, but it stayed busy, attracting an endless stream of hungry customers. Behind the counter, I hustled to keep up with the chaos, juggling plates of burgers and fries while dodging my coworkers.

“Elena! Table four’s waiting on their double cheeseburger!” barked Max, the manager, his voice sharp over the noise of the kitchen.

“Got it!” I shouted back, forcing a smile even though my feet ached and my back screamed for a break. Max wasn’t exactly a bad boss, but he had a way of making sure no one ever slowed down—not even for a second.

Joe’s Grill was far from glamorous. The linoleum floors were cracked, the neon sign outside flickered every few minutes, and the grill seemed to belch smoke at the worst times. But for me, it was a lifeline. The job didn’t pay much, but it was enough to scrape by, at least for now.

“Excuse me, miss! Can we get a refill over here?” a man called out from one of the corner booths.

I grabbed the pitcher of soda and hurried over, careful not to spill as I poured into their glasses. “Anything else I can get for you?” I asked, trying to sound cheerful.

“Nope,” he said without looking up, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

I plastered on another polite smile and moved on. Moments like that had stopped bothering me years ago. To most people, I was just another face in a red apron and black cap, someone they wouldn’t remember once they left the restaurant.

By the time my shift ended, my uniform was streaked with grease, and I felt like I’d been standing on broken glass all day. I clocked out, grabbed my jacket, and stepped outside into the crisp evening air. The city hummed around me—cars honking, music spilling from open windows, the occasional shout from a street vendor. It all blurred together as I trudged toward the bus stop.

The bench at the stop was cold, and I sank onto it with a sigh, staring at my reflection in the darkened window of a nearby shop. My hair, tied back in a ponytail, was a mess of stray strands, and my eyes looked as tired as I felt. I hated feeling this way—exhausted, invisible, like I was stuck in a life that didn’t belong to me.

When the bus finally arrived, I climbed aboard and collapsed into a seat near the back. The city passed in a blur outside the window, but my mind was elsewhere. I still had another shift ahead of me—my second job at a nearby convenience store. It started at 8 p.m., giving me just enough time to grab a quick bite and change my uniform.

My apartment was above a laundromat, a fifteen-minute bus ride from Joe’s Grill. It wasn’t much—just a small, drafty space with peeling wallpaper and a single window that barely let in any light. But it was mine, and I clung to that fact like a lifeline.

When I stepped inside, the silence felt like a warm embrace. I kicked off my sneakers, letting out a long breath as I sank onto the worn-out couch. My stomach growled, a harsh reminder that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. I grabbed a leftover burger from the fridge, eating it cold as I shuffled through the pile of bills on the coffee table.

Rent was overdue. The electric bill was dangerously close to being cut off. And the minimum payment on my credit card loomed over me like a storm cloud. I dropped the stack of papers with a sigh, burying my face in my hands.

“This can’t be my life,” I murmured into the quiet.

My hand instinctively went to the small locket around my neck—the only thing I had left of my father. I didn’t know much about him, only that he’d left before I was born. My mother never spoke about him, but the pain in her eyes whenever his name came up told me enough.

I opened the locket, revealing a faded photo of a man I didn’t recognize and a single word etched into the back: Always.

“What does it even mean?” I whispered, closing the locket and letting it fall back against my chest.

I couldn’t dwell on it for long. Exhaustion tugged at me, but I had to prepare for my next shift—the one that barely kept the lights on. My dreams of a better life—a stable career, maybe even a degree in accounting—felt like distant stars, impossible to reach.

“You’re meant for greatness.” My mother’s voice echoed in my mind, a memory I held onto even when everything else felt hopeless.

I wasn’t sure I believed it anymore. But somewhere, deep inside, a small, stubborn spark refused to die.

Grabbing my coat, I stepped back into the night. The air was cold, biting at my cheeks, but I didn’t slow down. My feet carried me toward the next chapter of my night, and though I didn’t know it, the next chapter of my life was waiting just around the corner.

I trudged down the dimly lit sidewalk, the sounds of the city fading into the background as I lost myself in thought. The convenience store was just a few blocks away, but tonight, the distance felt endless. The air was cold, biting at my exposed cheeks and hands as I tightened my grip on my coat.

My fingers brushed against the locket around my neck. Who was the man in the picture? What did “Always” mean? For years, I’d dismissed these questions as pointless. After all, my father had abandoned me and my mom before I was even born. But lately, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the answers might hold more weight than I realized.

A loud honk jolted me back to reality. I stepped away from the curb just in time, narrowly avoiding a speeding taxi that splashed icy water onto my already worn sneakers. "Great," I muttered, shaking my foot and continuing down the street.

The convenience store came into view, its fluorescent lights flickering against the glass windows. I stepped inside, greeted by the familiar scent of stale coffee and cleaning supplies.

“Right on time,” Greg, my coworker, said with a smirk as he tugged a hoodie over his head. “Enjoy the graveyard shift.”

“Lucky me,” I replied, forcing a smile as I slipped behind the counter. Greg waved and disappeared into the night, leaving me alone in the store.

The hours dragged as they always did. A few late-night stragglers wandered in to buy snacks or cigarettes, their interactions brief and unremarkable. Between customers, I opened my battered accounting textbook, highlighting key formulas and scribbling notes in the margins.

By the time the clock ticked closer to midnight, the store grew eerily quiet. I leaned against the counter, fighting the urge to close my eyes. My second wind had come and gone, leaving me with nothing but exhaustion.

The bell above the door jingled, startling me upright. A man in a tailored suit stepped inside, his polished shoes clicking against the tiled floor. He didn’t belong in a place like this—too clean, too polished, too important. His sharp features and calculating eyes gave off an air of authority.

“Can I help you?” I asked, my voice steady despite the unease creeping over me.

His gaze swept the store before landing on me. He approached the counter, reaching into his jacket. For a moment, my heart raced, but he pulled out a sleek black envelope instead of a weapon.

“Elena Alvarez?” he asked, his tone formal but firm.

“Yes,” I replied cautiously.

He slid the envelope across the counter. “This is for you.”

I stared at it, my heart pounding. “What is it?”

“Open it,” he said, his expression unreadable.

With trembling hands, I tore open the envelope. Inside was a single piece of paper, embossed with a golden seal. My eyes scanned the elegant script, and my breath caught in my throat as I read the words.

To Ms. Elena Alvarez,

It is with great importance that we inform you of your connection to the estate of the late Victor Callahan. As his biological daughter, you are hereby requested to attend a private meeting regarding the inheritance left in your name.

My hands shook as I reread the letter. “This… this has to be a mistake,” I stammered.

The man’s expression softened slightly. “There’s no mistake, Ms. Alvarez. My name is Charles Hayward, and I’m the legal representative for Mr. Callahan’s estate. I’ve been tasked with ensuring you receive what’s rightfully yours.”

“Victor Callahan?” I repeated, the name unfamiliar yet strangely significant.

“Your father,” Charles clarified.

The words hit me like a freight train. I staggered back, gripping the counter for support. My father? The man I’d spent my entire life resenting for his absence? The man whose identity my mom had always danced around but never fully revealed?

“This can’t be real,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“I understand this is a lot to process,” Charles said, his tone patient. “But I assure you, it’s very real. If you’ll agree to meet with me tomorrow, I can explain everything in detail.”

My mind raced. This felt like a dream—or a cruel joke. But the paper in my hands felt all too real, its weight grounding me in the moment.

“Where?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Charles reached into his pocket and handed me a card. “The address is on here. Noon tomorrow. Please don’t be late.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the store, leaving me alone with the letter and a thousand unanswered questions.

I sat at the counter, the letter still trembling in my hands. My thoughts were a chaotic storm, colliding and swirling in ways I couldn’t untangle. Victor Callahan. The name was foreign, but the weight of it pressed on my chest like an anchor.

My father?

The locket around my neck felt heavier now, as though it had been holding secrets all this time. I reached for it instinctively, running my fingers over the smooth surface. It had been with me for as long as I could remember, a gift from my mom.

“You’ll understand one day,” she’d said when I was ten and curious about the man in the tiny photograph inside.

But that day had never come. Mom had always avoided talking about him, brushing aside my questions with vague reassurances or outright silence. The locket became just another part of me—something I wore but didn’t think about. Until tonight.

I opened it with trembling fingers, staring at the faded photo inside. The man’s features were sharp, his smile subtle. He looked nothing like me, yet there was something oddly familiar about his gaze. Beneath the photo was the word Always, etched in tiny cursive. It used to comfort me, but now it felt like a puzzle piece I couldn’t place.

The sound of the store’s bell startled me, jolting me back to the present. I shoved the letter into my pocket and quickly composed myself as a customer walked in. A man in his mid-thirties with a worn jacket and a distracted air approached the counter, tossing a pack of gum and a bottle of water onto it.

“That’ll be $3.75,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected.

He fumbled with his wallet, muttered a “thanks,” and left. The store fell silent again, but the letter in my pocket burned like a secret waiting to unravel.

Just as I was beginning to calm down, Greg’s voice boomed from the entrance. He shouldn’t have been back; his shift had ended hours ago.

“Elena, you need to see this,” he said, his face pale.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping out from behind the counter.

He held up his phone, and my stomach dropped. It was a grainy video of me behind the register, but something was wrong. In the footage, I appeared to be slipping money into my pocket—a deliberate, incriminating motion.

“What the—this isn’t real!” I stammered, heat rushing to my face.

“Max sent this to corporate,” Greg said. “He’s saying you’ve been stealing from us" and that was how I got fired..

---

The rest of the night passed in a haze. I couldn’t go home—not yet. The weight of the accusations, my firing, and the mysterious letter felt like too much to bear in the silence of my tiny apartment. Instead, I wandered the city streets, replaying the events in my mind.

Why would Max accuse me of stealing? Sure, he was a micromanaging jerk, but he’d never seemed vindictive. And the video… It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Yet, somehow, it was enough to ruin me.

By the time the first rays of dawn lit the sky, I found myself at a small diner. It wasn’t the kind of place I could afford to eat at, but I needed somewhere to sit and think. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu—black coffee—and nursed it for as long as I could.

The locket around my neck felt like a lifeline. I ran my fingers over it absently, its cool metal soothing against my skin.

The letter. The law firm. The name Victor Callahan.

I didn’t want to go. But I didn’t have a choice.

---

Hayward & Associates

By 8:50 a.m., I was standing in front of a sleek glass building downtown, my stomach in knots. This was a world far removed from the greasy floors of Joe’s Grill or the flickering lights of the convenience store. The revolving doors gleamed, and everyone who walked in seemed to radiate confidence.

I didn’t belong here.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside. The lobby was as intimidating as the exterior—marble floors, high ceilings, and a receptionist who barely glanced at me as I approached the desk.

“I’m here to see Charles Hayward,” I said, my voice wavering slightly.

“Name?” she asked, her tone brisk.

“Elena Alvarez.”

Her perfectly manicured fingers clicked across the keyboard. “You’re expected. Take the elevator to the 14th floor.”

I nodded, my palms slick with sweat as I stepped into the elevator. Each ding as it climbed higher made my heart race faster.

When the doors opened, Charles Hayward was waiting for me. He looked exactly as he had the night before—sharp suit, calm demeanor, and an air of authority that made me feel small.

“Ms. Alvarez,” he said with a polite smile. “Right on time. Please, follow me.”

I trailed behind him, trying to steady my nerves. The office was just as intimidating as the rest of the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the city. But I barely noticed. My focus was on the man sitting behind the massive oak desk.

“Elena.”

The voice was deep, commanding, and unfamiliar.

The man stood as I entered, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. He looked older than Charles but carried the same air of authority.

“This is Mr. Thornton,” Charles said. “He’s the executor of Mr. Callahan’s estate.”

Thornton extended a hand, and I shook it, though my grip was weak.

“Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk.

I sat, clutching my locket as though it could shield me from whatever was about to happen.

“Ms. Alvarez,” Thornton began, folding his hands on the desk. “I won’t mince words. You are the sole biological child of Victor Callahan, a man who was both incredibly wealthy and notoriously private. Upon his passing, his estate—which includes multiple properties, investments, and a substantial fortune—was left unclaimed.”

I blinked, my mind struggling to process his words. “I don’t understand. Why me? Why now?”

Thornton exchanged a glance with Charles before continuing. “Mr. Callahan’s will was explicit. In the event of his death, every effort was to be made to locate his rightful heir—you. It’s taken considerable time and resources, but here we are.”

My throat felt dry. “But… he abandoned me. My mother and I never even… He wasn’t a father to me.”

“I understand this is overwhelming,” Thornton said. “But the fact remains: you are his heir. And his will stipulates that you must meet certain conditions to inherit the estate.”

“Conditions?” I echoed, my stomach sinking.

“Yes,” Charles interjected. “The specifics will be discussed in detail, but the core requirement is that you assume responsibility for the Callahan legacy. This includes managing his businesses, maintaining the family estate, and preserving his reputation.”

I laughed bitterly, though there was no humor in it. “Reputation? He didn’t care about my reputation. Why should I care about his?”

I assure you, it’s true,” Charles said gently. “Your mother confirmed this to him shortly before his passing.”

The mention of my mother sent a sharp pang through my chest. Memories of her flooded my mind—her tireless work to keep us afloat, the nights she’d come home too exhausted to speak, the quiet pain in her eyes when I asked about my father.

“Why didn’t she ever tell me?” I murmured, more to myself than to Charles.

He gave me a sympathetic look. “Perhaps she had her reasons. We can discuss that later. What’s important now is that Mr. Callahan left instructions for you to inherit a significant portion of his estate. However…”

“However?” I echoed, my voice shaking.

“These are the conditions.”

Of course there were. I should’ve known.

Charles continued, “First, you must verify your identity through a DNA test. This is standard procedure to confirm any claims to the estate.”

I nodded slowly. That seemed reasonable enough.

“And second,” he said, his tone hardening slightly, “you must prove yourself worthy of the inheritance by competing with the legitimate heirs.”

“Compete?” I asked, frowning. “What does that mean?”

“The details will be explained after the DNA results are confirmed,” he said. “But I won’t lie to you, Miss Alvarez. The Callahan family is… complicated. There will be resistance to your claim.”

Thornton’s expression didn’t waver. “This is a monumental opportunity, Ms. Alvarez. Few would walk away from it.”

I leaned back in the chair, my mind spinning. This was absurd. Me? Running businesses? Living in a mansion? It was laughable.

And yet, a part of me—a small, stubborn part—was curious.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked.

“The estate will go into a trust,” Thornton said. “And you’ll receive a modest sum—enough to ensure you live comfortably, but nowhere near the full inheritance.”

Comfortable sounded nice. But it wasn’t enough.

“I need time to think,” I said finally.

“Of course,” Charles said. “But don’t take too long. The estate won’t wait forever.”

I stood, my legs unsteady, and left the office without another word.

Outside the Office

The city felt different as I stepped back onto the street. Brighter. Louder. As if the world had shifted while I was upstairs.

I fingered the locket again, the word Always echoing in my mind. For the first time, I wondered if it wasn’t just a promise—but a command.

Whatever lay ahead, one thing was clear: my life was no longer my own.