Fourteen months later, Brooklyn, 6:17 AM
The roar of the coffee grinder was Lily Thorne's new version of a morning bell.
"Two espressos, one oat milk latte, one croissant heated—no, wait, cancel the croissant." She operated the order screen swiftly, her fingers sliding across the cold glass.
"Saving on breakfast again?" Her colleague Maya passed behind her, handing over a banana muffin wrapped in a napkin. "Leftover from yesterday. Don't faint during the morning rush; I don't want to handle the queue alone."
Lily smiled gratefully and stuffed the muffin into her apron pocket. Her stomach was indeed cramping—she'd worked the evening shift at the library until eleven last night and only ate half a can of tuna when she got back to her apartment.
"Lily, is my matcha latte ready?" A woman in yoga pants tapped the counter impatiently.
"Right away, Mrs. Webster!" Lily turned to steam the milk, her wrist expertly swirling the pitcher. The foam had to be like velvet, the temperature precisely 65 degrees—Mrs. Webster's strict standard. She was the most demanding customer in the area, and also one of the most generous tippers.
After the morning coffee wave from seven to nine receded, Lily had twenty-three minutes of break time. She sat on the small stool in the staff area, pulled out her phone, and checked her bank balance: $1,247.86. Rent of $850 due tomorrow, electricity $67, phone bill $45, metro card needed topping up...
She took a bite of the muffin and opened her laptop. Three windows were open on the screen: the NYU online course platform (she had two classes left to graduate), the prototype design for Bloom, and a gallery receptionist's shift schedule.
"Working on your app again?" The shop owner, Mr. Lee, sat opposite her with a cup of tea. "Seriously, Lily, this idea of 'recording beautiful moments'... who would pay for that?"
"Instagram lets people showcase perfect lives." Lily clicked on the prototype. A simple white flower icon rotated on the screen. "Bloom helps people treasure real moments—a child's laughter, a rainbow after rain, a book that changed your thinking. Private, real, no likes needed."
"Sounds like a diary."
"It's an intelligent diary. It analyzes your emotional patterns, reminds you to revisit happy memories during low points, suggests little activities for joy that suit you..." Lily's eyes lit up, the special glow she had when talking about Bloom. "We already have 127 beta testers. Marcus says our retention rate is amazing—"
"Marcus, that programmer friend of yours?" Mr. Lee raised an eyebrow. "Is he paying you?"
Lily's smile faded a little. "Not yet. But we have an agreement, fifty-fifty shares."
"Shares don't pay the bills." Mr. Lee patted her shoulder, his tone softening. "I just don't want to see you burn out. You're working three jobs, going to school... you're only twenty-two."
"Twenty-two and a half." Lily corrected, closing her laptop. "And I'm fine. Really."
What she didn't say aloud was: Bankruptcy was like a fire, burning away all the excess, but it also let her see clearly what she truly needed—not a Monet painting, not a champagne-colored gown, but the scent of morning coffee, the kindness of strangers, and the possibility of creating her own future.
Her phone vibrated. A group message from the library: Someone called in sick for the 7-11 PM shift tonight, overtime pay at 1.5x rate.
Lily replied almost without hesitation: "I can do it."
Her account balance flashed in her mind. She needed money. A lot of it.