𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ━ shawn hunter¹

3│I AIN'T GONNA SPRAY LETTUCE NO MORE

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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ɪ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ
sᴘʀᴀʏ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴜᴄᴇ ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ꒱


❝ I QUIT MY JOB AT THE DINER ❞

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Growing up with New York's elite society, Barron Capelwood was accustomed to the finer things in life. Being the eldest son of an affluential banker, he had inherited the family home upstate as well as their more modest (though equally well-furnished) living space that was located in the hubbub of the city. His brothers, Sam and Greg, had become roommates in the city apartment while the larger, expansive home had become solely his.

Needless to say, it was quite the surprise when he'd discovered exactly where Daly Byrne was living in the run-down apartments of Rainbow Falls. He'd known little about what had become of her after his father had forced him out of the country and had spent many nights during his months in Europe wondering about the path her life had taken. He would have never guessed, however, that the woman who'd gone from the glitz and glamor of an up-and-coming Broadway actress would end up in the dingy apartment complex. (His main guess had been that, if she had left the acting scene, she would've fallen back on her brother and hot-headed nephew for support, though he understood why she hadn't.)

Still, Barron would've preferred anything to the settlement he'd found her living in the minute his GPS had announced his arrival at his destination the first time he'd visited her home. Despite the unfortunate outward appearance and location, however, the interior hadn't been as bad as he'd feared, though it was much worse than it should have been. On his way up to the second floor, the walls had been thin enough in the other apartments that he'd heard the lives of other families' goings-on, including everything from yelling arguments to loud volume turned up on a TV.

Thankfully, Daly's apartment had maintained some semblance of decency and he could tell she'd done her best to provide a suitable upbringing for her (their) daughter regardless of the environment. He tried not to focus on the surroundings as he reconnected with the woman he'd loved but he'd noticed the conditions she was living in each visit and thought that she deserved far better than this.

He knew it wasn't her fault; she was doing the best she could with what she had, as she had always done. During the time they'd been dating, she'd told him how school had been difficult for her and couldn't keep her interest, the only thing she'd been remotely good at was the drama club extracurricular she'd signed up for in high school. This had spurred her interest in theater and she'd decided not to pursue a college degree. Instead, she'd paid for her own acting classes— as her immigrant parents didn't approve of the ups and downs of the industry— to make her way for the bright lights of Broadway. After a few difficulties all starting actresses had, she'd landed the main role of Madge Kendal in The Elephant Man and from there, her career took off.

A knock on his office door drew him from his thoughts. After he gave permission to enter, the visitor turned out to be Dolores, his assistant. She had been a wonderful find in the pool of applicants he'd had for this job; many of them had just been wanting the position for the experience or something to add to their resume. Dolores, however, had been brisk and businesslike without the simpering and easily intimidated attitude that other applicants had shown. Now, she'd been working for him for four years and he'd gladly leave the entire business to her when he was ready to retire, should she accept it (or if Juliet didn't want it.)

"Here are the forms you requested, Barron," she said, right to the point as always. The brunette placed the stack of papers on his desk.

He sighed. "Paperwork. The best part of the job."