The News

~Isabel~

"Fifteen minutes, Isabel," I muttered to myself.

That was the remaining time I had to sign off.

Counting down one minute at a time was the only way I could get through the end of a shift.

I was moving through the packed café, balancing a tray of hot coffees in my left hand. My fingers burned under the mugs as I kept ducking elbows from people crowding the walkway.

Almost everyone at the counter was waving fancy cards for overpriced pastries, wearing clothes that cost more than my tuition.

Then my phone buzzed in my apron pocket.

I knew better than to check it while working, but I glanced down anyway. Just a habit. One second. That’s all it took.

My tray tilted.

I jerked my wrist back fast, trying to catch the mugs, but coffee sloshed right over the edge.

It splashed all over a blonde girl’s white dress.

“Oh no, no! You ruined my dress!” she screamed.

She glared at me from the display case, and we both watched the dark stain spread across her dress.

Shit. What have I done?

Every conversation stopped dead. The whole place went quiet, and everyone turned to stare.

“Look what you did!” she yelled again, twisting to the tall guy behind her. “William, look! She ruined my dress!”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my face burning so hot. I wished the floor would just open up and swallow me.

“It was an accident, Juliana. You bumped into her yourself.”

His voice was calm, like none of this mattered to him at all.

I looked up my hands were shaking so bad the rest of the cups rattled on the tray.

He stepped into the light, and my mind went blank. I forgot to breathe. Crisp white shirt, dark trousers, hair perfectly neat, not a strand out of place. A gold watch glinted on his wrist, the kind of thing I’d only ever seen in magazines.

But he didn’t look at me. He looked right past me, bored, like I was nothing more than a mess to clean up. To someone like him, spilling coffee was just a tiny, annoying thing in his perfect day.

“She should’ve been paying attention!” Juliana snapped. “Sorry doesn’t fix my dress!”

“Let’s go to the bathroom and try to get it out before it sets,” he said, steering her away. He never looked back. Not even once.

I hurried to the kitchen, my face still on fire. I finished the rest of the shift on autopilot, wiping machines, stacking mugs, sweeping up crumbs. I didn’t go back out front until my manager finally nodded.

“Go home. You’re done.”

I pushed out the back door into the cool air, leaned against the rough brick wall, and pulled out my phone to see what was worth that mess.

Five missed calls from Mom. One text.

‘I got married!’

I read it three times. The noise of the street faded until all I heard was my own heart beating loud in my ears.

Married? Mom had always chased “the one,” but this? No warning. No mention of anyone. Just a text out of nowhere.

Another popped up right after.

‘His name’s Arthur Sterling. Booked your flight. You leave for London in two days.’

I stared until the words blurred.

“You okay, Bel?”

Dave, another server, held the door open, looking worried. I stuffed the phone back in my pocket and forced a smile.

“Yeah. Just tired.”

An hour later I was home, sitting on my tiny bed. The springs creaked when I moved. The whole room smelled like hairspray and cheap shampoo drifting up from Aunt Joey’s salon downstairs.

This cramped little place, with beat-up furniture, a cracked window, and paint peeling at the corners, had been my only safe spot since I was twelve. That was when Mom decided having a kid got in the way of her plans.

My phone rang again. She wasn’t going to wait for an answer!

I swiped it. “Mom?”

“Bel! Thank goodness you picked up!”

Her voice was all sweet and bright, the way she always sounded when she wanted something. In the background I could hear ice clinking in glasses and soft music playing.

“Did you see my message? Can you believe it? I’m a Sterling now!”

“Sterling? As in Arthur Sterling? The billionaire?” I asked. “Mom, you’ve only been in London four months. How do you even know him, let alone marry him that fast?”

“It’s fate, darling! He’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Solid, smart, and he wants to take care of us. No more this tiny place, Bel. No more scrubbing floors or serving coffee.”

I closed my eyes, my stomach twisting tight. “I like my life here. I love Joey. I have a plan. I worked three jobs for three years to get into Oxford. I don’t need anyone saving me.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Isabel. It’s boring.” The sweetness dropped out of her voice. “I know how much you have in the bank. You’re three thousand pounds short. The school won’t hold your spot past the end of the month. Arthur checked.”

A shiver ran through my body. “He looked at my private account? That’s none of his business.”

“Because he wants to help! He got you an internship at his company. It pays enough to cover tuition and more. You’ll live with us at the estate. You have to get on that plane. It leaves soon.”

Soon? My mind went blank. How can i leave my life here in such a short time.

“I can’t leave Joey. She stayed, Mom. She was there when you weren’t.”

“Joey will be fine. Arthur’s going to put money into her salon. But only if you cooperate. Think about your future. Do you really want to wait tables forever?”

I looked at my hands...knuckles rough...nails chipped from cleaning. My back ached...my feet hurt...I was so worn out I could barely think straight sometimes.

Then I thought of that guy from the café. William. The way he’d looked right through me like I didn’t even exist.

“Who would I work for there?” I asked.

“Arthur’s son. He’s intense. But really smart. You’ll work under him. Best start you could ask for.”

“I’ll think about it,” I whispered.

“Don’t take too long. A car will be at your door at 4 PM tomorrow. Pack your things. Love you, Bel. This is for the best.”

The line went dead before I could say anything else.

I sat there staring at the wall until my bedroom door opened…