Tristan stepped directly into Nadia’s path, blocking her from walking ahead.
"Don’t, Nadia." he said in a low but firm voice low but firm.
"Don’t what?" Nadia asked eying him scornfully.
"Whatever you’re about to do, stop." he said, rushing out in an urgent whisper.
Nadia’s red eyes flashed. She peered at him in silence for a split second as she wondered inwardly how to deal with him. Then she lifted her chin and she raised her voice without hesitation, loud enough for nearby customers to hear.
"I don’t even know you, mister and you’re standing here disturbing my work. Will you move or I have to call the police on you?"
Several heads turned at that. A few people at nearby tables paused their conversations to look at the man blocking the waitress. Tristan felt the weight of their stares settle on him. A mild heat of embarrassment crawled up on his face but he did not step aside. He had already accepted the mission. Failing it because of public embarrassment was not an option.
Nadia noticed that he was momentarily taken aback. She hissed at him then tried to walk around him, using the opportunity. She never expected him to still be planning to stop her. She had reached the table she was going to server when Tristan made his decision. He rushed forward and deliberately bumped into her shoulder and arm.
The tray turned over sharply. Glasses slid and the liquid spilled across the table in a wide splash, soaking the table and splattering onto the sleeves and shirts of several of the men sitting there.
"What the fuck, man?"
"Are you daft?" Voices rose in anger immediately, the anger directed to Tristan.
Nadia froze for half a second, then her jaw tightened hard. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the empty tray and turned away from the table without a word. She walked straight back to the counter, leaving Tristan standing in front of the angry group.
One of the men stood up, his clothes wet with the spilled alcohol.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped. "You blind or just stupid?"
Another joined in, tone rougher. "You better pay for all of that, you dimwit."
Tristan wiped a few drops from his sleeve and spoke up calmly.
"My footing slipped. I’m sorry. I’ll pay for the drinks that were spilled." he said politely.
"You sure will, you fucker with no eyes for where he’s going." One of the men snapped.
"You’ll pay for those and the next round as well," the first man said, stepping closer. "Don’t think a simple sorry fixes this."
Tristan’s patience, already stretched thin from the earlier events of the day, reached its limit. The thought formed clearly in his mind; he was not going to stand there and be spoken to like that by men who had no idea who they were dealing with. He was used to dominating men in higher positions than them.
The Dominance he had accumulated stirred at that thought.
When he spoke again, his voice was quieter but carried a weight that had not been there before.
"I already apologized. I already said I would pay for what was spilled. That is the end of it. You will stop talking to me in that manner and sit down."
The effect was immediate.
The man who had been leaning forward paused. The others, who had been ready to add their own complaints, fell silent. A short, uneasy quiet settled over the table. No one challenged him further.
The System chimed softly in his mind.
[Acquired Dominance has been activated and used.]
Tristan noted the notification silently, then turned away from the table and walked back toward the counter.
Nadia was already removing her apron. When he approached, she spoke without looking at him.
"Outside. Now."
She walked past him and headed for the door. Tristan followed, his own anger now twinkling in his eyes.
The moment they stepped out onto the quieter stretch of the pavement beside the shop, Nadia turned on him with a look that could kill.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" she snapped.
Tristan kept his voice low but hard, aware that people were still entering and leaving the shop nearby.
"I was protecting those men from you. Did you even consider the consequences of what you were about to do?"
Nadia let out a short, sharp breath. "Protecting them from me? Don’t be dramatic."
"You mixed something into their drinks. Were you trying to kill them?" he shot back.
She clicked her tongue, clearly irritated by the question.
"They wouldn’t die, you nosy person. They would just spend a few days in the hospital emptying their stomachs nonstop. That’s the lesson they get from looking down on me. Nothing more."
Tristan stared at her in shock.
"That’s your idea of a lesson? Did you not think of the consequences? Do you realize that could still get you arrested? You could lose this job. You could end up with a record." His voice was slightly raised now, laced with exasperation.
Nadia’s response was immediate and dismissive.
"Then I’ll find another job. And if it’s jail, I’ll serve the time and come out. It’s not complicated."
The casual way she said it made something in Tristan’s chest tighten with pure exasperation. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly.
"Is this how you’ve been living? Handling everything with this level of recklessness?" he asked.
"It’s my life, Not yours. Go and live yours the way you deem fit and leave me alone." Nadia shot back.
Tristan dropped his hand, looked at her for a moment while Nadia stood there, glaring at him, her chest heaving up and down in anger. Then he shook his head;
"Well, for today, you don’t get to live it recklessly. If you want to do something like that again, you’ll have to go through me first."
Nadia’s eyes narrowed at him as if he had grown two heads then after a second, a cold little smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
"I’d love to see you try. Maybe when I deal with you in the same reckless way, you will learn to mind your fucking business."
She turned without waiting for a reply and walked back into the shop.
Tristan stood there for a brief moment, his jaw clenched then he followed her inside. He had no intention of letting her out of his sight for the rest of the mission.