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𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

For a moment, Lily just sits there, her breath catching in her throat. Disbelief and exhilaration swirl inside her, an electric mix of emotions that crackles through her veins like the tense calm before a storm. She can hardly believe it— the taste of victory sits on her tongue, rich and comforting, like that first sip of coffee on a frosty morning when the warmth seeps into every frozen corner of one's being.

This is it. She has done it.

The thrill is short-lived, however, cause Lily knows she's not finished. Not yet. The interview still looms ahead—a bridge not yet crossed. But the fact that she's been chosen from the nameless souls who have yet to take the remaining numbers from the flyer feels monumental. Like a fragile seedling daring to push through the cracks in concrete.

Tall, Dark, and Coffee's wooden floor groans beneath her feet as Lily weaves between the haphazard arrangement of tables, eyes scanning the café for her best friend. The familiar, comforting scents of espresso and vanilla hover in the air, grounding her jittery excitement. Across the room, she spots Paddington, lazily wiping down a table, lost in her own world, humming softly under her breath.

"Paddy!" She calls, voice lifting as she hurries over.

Paddington glances up and her dreamy expression shifts to wide-eyed astonishment as Lily all but flings herself at her.

"L'ho fatto! I think I've finally got it this time!"

"Huh?" Paddington pulls out her airpods, blinking. "Got what?"

"I landed a job interview!" Lily beams with pride.

Paddington's face lights up in instant joy. "Dios mío! Are you serious? That's incredible!" She envelopes Lily in a bone-crushing embrace that speaks volumes without words. "Tell me everything, Querida! How did it go? What's the job? Where is it?"

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure." Lily hesitates, fingers tracing the worn edge of the table. Her eyes flicker to the flyer board, noticing that another number has been taken from the ad. "The flyer that was put up on the noticeboard an hour ago was rather cryptic, and so was the interviewer. He asked for confidentiality. And the address is more like a warehouse than a legitimate office."

Paddington deflates like a punctured balloon. "Liliana Sicily Alarie, you cannot be serious right now. A warehouse? Confidential? They are definitely plotting to kill you. Santo cielo! Your murder's going to wind up on Buzzfeed unsolved. You aren't going, are you? It's too dangerous."

"I am going." Lily squares her shoulders. "I just had a pre-interview over the phone, and I passed it. This is what I've been waiting for, Paddy. I must go."

Paddington regards her, torn between exasperation and concern. She heaves an almighty sigh, knowing that once Lily's mind was set, it was like trying to stop a comet hurtling through space. "Fine. Suit yourself. But promise me you will call the moment you get there and the moment you leave. If I don't hear from you in an hour, rest assured I'm sending the entire police department after you."

She shoves another muffin into Lily's hands. "On the house. For good luck—or maybe it's the last Choco chip muffin you'll ever eat. Might as well enjoy it."

Lily chuckles, tucking it safely into her purse. "Thank you, but I'm not about to die, Paddy. If I do, though, bury me in a velvet suit."

Paddington winks mischievously. "Consider it done, Querida. I'll even throw lilies into your coffin and inscribe a tribute to your stubbornness on your gravestone." Her tone turns serious. "I meant what I said earlier, Alarie. Let me know as soon as you get there!" She shouts as the coffee shop door swings shut behind Lily.