CHAPTER 4
1033 Words
Chapter 4: The First Morning
The aroma of freshly baked bread drifted through the tiny room.
Daniel’s eyes slowly opened.
For a brief moment, he forgot where he was.
The soft rain had stopped sometime during the night, and the morning sun filtered through the small window, casting golden streaks across the old wooden floor.
He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.
The mattress was thin.
The room was cramped.
The roof still dripped from one corner into a small bucket.
Yet…
It was the safest place he had slept in for months.
A knock came at the door.
“Late already!” Lena called from outside.
“At Sunflower Café, sleeping in isn’t free.”
Daniel glanced at the old clock on the bedside table.
Six-thirty.
He had overslept.
“I’ll be down.”
“Hurry,” she replied. “Your debt is about to gain interest.”
A smile, small but genuine, appeared on his face.
⸻
Downstairs, Sunflower Café was already coming to life.
The bell above the entrance chimed as the first customers arrived.
The smell of fresh coffee mixed with cinnamon rolls straight from the oven.
Lena moved quickly between the counter and the tables, greeting everyone with the same cheerful smile.
“Morning, Mrs. Parker.”
“Good morning, dear.”
“Your usual?”
“You know me too well.”
Daniel paused near the staircase.
She knew every customer by name.
Every order without asking.
Every smile seemed effortless.
“Lena,” an elderly man called.
“Is your grandmother feeling any better?”
“Much better,” she answered. “Thank you for asking.”
Daniel watched quietly.
This wasn’t just a café.
It was the heart of the village.
“Lena!” she suddenly shouted, pointing at him.
“There you are.”
Several customers turned to look.
Daniel immediately became uncomfortable.
Lena handed him a neatly folded apron with a bright sunflower stitched onto the front.
“Put this on.”
He stared at it.
“…You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
“I’ve never worked in a café.”
“I noticed.”
A few customers laughed.
Lena folded her arms.
“You’ve already broken one plate.”
“Today, your goal is simple.”
“Don’t break another.”
Daniel sighed before tying the apron around his waist.
It felt… strange.
He had once worn custom-tailored suits worth thousands of dollars.
Now he was wearing a faded yellow apron in a small village café.
Oddly enough…
He didn’t hate it.
⸻
His first task seemed easy.
Carry two cups of coffee to Table Four.
Simple.
Or so he thought.
Halfway there, little footsteps came racing across the café.
A young boy, no older than seven, darted in front of him chasing a paper airplane.
Daniel stopped abruptly.
The tray tilted.
Two cups wobbled dangerously.
“Oh no…” Lena whispered.
Somehow…
He managed to steady them before a single drop spilled.
The café erupted in applause.
The little boy looked up sheepishly.
“Sorry, Mister.”
Daniel blinked.
“…It’s alright.”
The boy grinned before running back to his mother.
Lena walked over, trying—and failing—not to laugh.
“I’ll admit it.”
“What?”
“That was impressive.”
Daniel let out a quiet breath.
“I’ve negotiated billion-dollar contracts.”
She frowned.
“What?”
He froze.
For a split second, he had forgotten himself.
“…I mean…”
“I’ve watched documentaries.”
Lena narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Documentaries about carrying coffee?”
He cleared his throat.
“They’re… very educational.”
She laughed so hard she had to hold the counter.
“You’re a terrible liar, Daniel.”
His smile faded ever so slightly.
If only she knew.
⸻
Far away, inside the towering headquarters of the Ashcroft Group, panic spread through the executive floor.
A large digital screen displayed one message.
HEIR TO ASHCROFT GROUP STILL MISSING.
Dozens of security personnel stood in silence.
A stern woman in a navy suit stepped forward.
“We’ve searched every airport, hotel, hospital, and major city.”
“Nothing.”
The elderly chairman slowly closed his eyes.
“Keep searching.”
“He couldn’t have vanished without leaving a trail.”
But somewhere deep inside…
He hoped Daniel had done exactly that.
Because the people hunting his grandson weren’t just after the Ashcroft fortune.
They wanted Daniel dead.
And for now…
Maple Creek Village remained the one place no one had thought to look.
Yes.
⸻
That afternoon, the lunchtime rush finally came to an end.
Daniel leaned against the counter, exhausted.
“I don’t know how you do this every day.”
Lena laughed as she placed two steaming mugs on the table by the window.
“Practice.”
She slid one mug toward him.
“On the house.”
“I still owe you.”
“You do,” she teased. “But even debtors get a lunch break.”
Daniel wrapped his hands around the warm mug.
It wasn’t expensive coffee.
It wasn’t served in fine china.
Yet somehow…
It tasted better than any he’d had in years.
“You really love this place, don’t you?” he asked.
Lena looked around the café.
The worn wooden tables.
The faded sunflower paintings.
The old clock that ran five minutes slow.
Her smile softened.
“My grandparents built this café with their own hands.”
“I grew up here.”
“They’re gone now… but every corner reminds me of them.”
Daniel remained silent.
He understood that feeling more than she could ever know.
“You’ve never talked about your family,” Lena said gently.
His fingers tightened around the mug.
“They’re… complicated.”
She noticed the sadness in his eyes but didn’t press further.
“My grandmother used to say everyone carries a story they’re not ready to tell.”
She smiled warmly.
“So I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
For the first time in a long while…
Daniel felt no need to defend himself.
No need to hide behind titles or expectations.
Just… Daniel.
Even if that wasn’t his real name.
⸻
- Writer
