1.Hope Shattered

The rhythmic sound of chopping once again filled my ears as I cut the spring onion on the cutting board and scraped it off to the side. I was attempting to go as fast as I could but the fatigue of working overtime was getting to me, this was my fourth day in row working for about 10 hours just for a bonus on my paycheck but on the bright side the restaurant seemed to be closing soon and I was probably on my last order.

I was eager to be done with work and go home but I didn't dare rush the order after all if the head chef found a problem with my food, he would most likely dock my pay, so after finishing the order and giving it to a waiter, I took a long breath and began preparing to go home, untying my hair and taking my apron off I stepped out of the kitchen to take a breath of fresh air and saw the manager closing the restaurant. I offered to finish up with closing to which he nodded and said, "Meet me in my office when you're done."

Anxiety kicked in as I tried to recall what I could have done wrong but I did as he said knocking on the door to his office.

"Come in."

Walking into the tiny office I saw the manager Felix sealing an envelope with care before handing it over to me and saying, "Good work this week, take tomorrow off."

That was .... unexpected, usually Felix is quite cold towards the staff and checking the envelope he had given me quite the decent bonus in addition to asking me to take a day off and apparently the surprise was noticeable on my face as Felix barked in a cold tone.

"Don't look so grateful, the only reason I'm doing this is because you look like you could die any second now."

That sounds more like it, but I was grateful nonetheless and thanked him before heading out, keeping the envelope secure and concealed in the inner pocket of my jacket and began my walk home in a pretty good mood for once.

The money I had just received was no small amount and with it I could comfortably manage to make rent and care for other necessities like food and water and have some money left over which I was most likely going to save up. Not only that but I had the day off I was exhausted, and the idea of some rest was quite appealing although I wasn't entirely sure what I would do with my free time.

As if on cue I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, after struggling to input my password due to the cracked screen I was able to read the notification.

"Records of a failed hero has been updated."

Ah right, I had nearly forgotten about this novel as I struggled to keep up with the frequent releases of chapters due to work and exhaustion, but I suppose tomorrow I could catch up with it now that I had some free time.

With the ideas of some much-needed rest and a plan for tomorrow in mind I began to walk down the empty street in an unusually cheerful mood. All of which melted away when I felt cool steel at the back of my neck and a cold voice saying:

"Hand over the money Ajax."