The Wall |The Bear|

|Richie Jerimovich fic|

Lita Howard's ambition as a chef was her driving force, a flame that burned brightly even when the world around her seemed uncertain. She had always prided herself in the rhythm of a kitchen. To the outside world, she projected confidence and composure, but beneath the surface, she knew she was a risk-a problem, as some would say.

She had stumbled into The Beef, a small yet iconic restaurant in Chicago run by Mikey Berzatto. It wasn't glamorous, but it gave her a sense of purpose-a place to sink her knife into something real. But when tragedy struck the restaurant crumbled, everything changed.

The restaurant fell into the hands of a new owner, Mikey's brother, Carmy someone whose presence alone seemed to stir the kitchen's heat in a way that unsettled Lita and... Richie . She was no stranger to change, but this man's approach to the restaurant was different. It seemed to replace the very man who helped her.