Nadia stepped out of the apartment and walked straight to the only car parked in front of the building. It was hers and she still cherished it, although it was an old, thoroughly used vehicle with faded paint and clear signs of age.
She was the only one among the three who still owned a car.
She pulled the door open, dropped into the driver’s seat, and turned the key.
The engine made a rough, struggling noise, then died completely.
Nadia’s face tightened. She already knew the car’s habits, but today it only made her mood worse.
"Not today, Cherry, come on." She muttered and tried again but got no response whatever.
"This fucking day..." She gritted out then punched the steering wheel hard.
After a seconds of glaring at the steering wheel and breathing heavily through the mouth, she opened the door and stepped out, slammed the door shut, and gave the front tire a sharp kick.
After blaming and cursing everybody in the entire world about her predicament, under her breath, she grabbed her handbag and walked away from the building on foot. Her short blonde hair rose and fell with every irritated step as she disappeared down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~
Back inside the apartment, Tristan was pulled out of his nap by the sharp sound of a phone ringing.
He stared at it for a few seconds. He threw the caller wanted to speak with the owner of this body he was occupying but unfortunately Tristan couldn’t bring him to the phone so he hesitated.
After a short hesitation, he picked it up anyway and answered.
A man’s husky voice came through, coming out calm at first;
"Have you forgotten what today is?"
Tristan furrowed his brows together. "What?"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"What?" the caller repeated, the earlier softness was gone now. Then the line went dead without another word.
Tristan lowered the phone and looked at the screen. The number was not saved. He sat up slowly, a mild unease settling in his chest. He knew almost nothing about the original owner of this body. And his guts was telling him that that was an unfinished business he wouldn’t be able to avoid.
If he was going to inherit problems, he needed to know some things about this Vincent.
"Lysander." He called out in his mind.
"Whatever you want to ask can wait," her voice answered at once, and it was laced with urgency.
"A side mission is available." she informed him and the system panel appeared in front of his eyes.
[Side Mission: Protect]
Find Nadia and act as her bodyguard until she returns home.
[Reward: $12,000 + 200 System Points + 2 Dominance]
[Time Limit to leave the house and reach her: 1 hour (counting has begun)
[Accept / Reject?]
Tristan frowned at the description of the mission.
"Is she in danger? Does she actually need protection?"
At that, Lysander’s soft laugh filled his head.
"No, Host. It is other people who will need protection from her today given her mood. She has already left the apartment. If you want the reward, you should leave now."
Tristan let out an exasperated huff but he couldn’t take his eyes off the mission panel.
The mission itself made little sense to him, but the numbers were hard to ignore. Once the 10,000× multiplier was applied, the reward would be large. He still had a loan that needed to be repaid, and cash was cash.
After a moment of silence, he selected Accept.
He dropped the phone on the bed, stood up, and walked out of the room. The one-hour timer was already running. The immediate problem was simple; he had no idea where Nadia had gone, and he did not know the area at all.
He stepped into the living room and found Talia there.
She was laying face up on the couch, her phone held up above her face as she scrolled through the phone with a bored expression. Her long brunette hair was tied loosely, and she had changed from the work clothes. She was now dressed in a small top without anything underneath with a bumshort.
When Tristan appeared, she glanced up once, then returned her attention to the screen as if he were not worth more than a second of notice.
Tristan stopped a short distance away.
He needed information, but he already knew Talia would not hand it over easily. Asking her anything would invited sarcasm, irritation, or outright refusal, he could tell. Still, he had less than an hour, and she was the only one available.
So he decided to try...
He kept his voice calm and direct.
"Hey, Talia, where did Nadia go?"
Talia did not look up immediately. When she finally did, her golden eyes carried clear disinterest.
"Why? Did she take something of yours?" she asked flatly. "
"I need to find her."
Talia let out a short, humorless breath and turned her eyes back to her phone.
"Then go look for her. I’m not her keeper."
00:40:00
Tristan’s jaw tightened slightly. He had expected resistance, but the clock was still moving. Standing here exchanging short replies would only waste time.
He watched her for a second longer then decided to try another route;
"Lysander. Direct me to her." he said inwardly.
"I could but Talia is currently the best source of information. She is in the living room there with you. Ask her. Use that to interact with her." Lysander said the last part lightly.
Tristan’s expression tightened.
"And how exactly am I supposed to get her to talk within this timeframe?" He gritted.
Lysander’s voice turned sweeter, carrying that familiar mischievous edge.
"You’re an intelligent man, Host... but if you insist on a faster method, I can help you." She paused then added immediately;
"Push her down on the couch, climb on top of her, and settle your full weight between her legs. Let her feel your cock pressing hard against her pussy through the clothes. Then tell her clearly; every second she stays quiet, you grind against her a little more. If she wants that thick thing off her, she has to open her mouth and answer."
Tristan’s lips parted at the suggestion. But Lysander wasn’t done.
"Of course, for the full effect you’ll need to be hard. If you’re having trouble getting there on your own... I can help."
"No," Tristan answered sharply in his mind.
Lysander only chuckled.
"Too late." she said.
Then immediately, a sudden, warm pulse spread through Tristan’s lower body.
Tristan’s eyes sharpened slightly as he felt his cock begin to thicken and harden on its own, the sensation rising steadily despite his refusal.