Tristan walked back to the counter and stopped directly in front of Nadia. He fixed his gaze on her and did not look away, making her know that he would be watching her every movement like a hawk.
Nadia glared at him at the beginning, then deliberately turned her attention elsewhere.
She reached into her bag, pulled out the small bottle she had used earlier, and checked it. Her jaw tightened as she realised that it was empty. She shot Tristan another sharp, dirty look before returning to mixing drinks for the remaining customers, her movements were a little stiffer than before now.
She served two more tables while he remained in the same spot, watching her carefully. The shop continued its normal rhythm around them until a large woman in a green long gown approached the counter. Her presence alone made a couple of workers straighten up. This was clearly the manager, Tristan could tell.
Laura stopped when she noticed Tristan standing at the counter. She had seen him as she got into the doorway. He should have made his order known and gone to take a seat so it was strange.
"Why is a customer loitering around the counter instead of sitting down?" she asked Nadia, not harshly but firmly.
Tristan stepped forward before Nadia could speak.
"I’m not a customer, ma’am." He began then glanced briefly at Nadia as he continued; "She’s my wife. She’s not feeling well today, so I’m here to keep an eye on her." he said to the manager in a polite voice.
Laura’s eyebrows rose. She looked at Nadia.
"I never heard you were married." she said, surprise lacing her words.
"Don’t-"Nadia opened her mouth, ready to deny it immediately. However, Tristan spoke over her again without raising his voice.
He didn’t need to raise his voice by the way, he had quietly activated the Charm he had been holding. Seeing the effect of the dominance earlier, he knew he had useful items at his disposal.
"Yeah, you wouldn’t know. It was a quiet registration. We didn’t make a big announcement." he said with a small smile to seal the lie
The effect settled over Laura almost at once. Her expression softened. The sharp edge in her posture eased as her attention drifted more toward Tristan than the woman behind the counter.
"Oh... I see," she said, a small smile appearing on her face as she glanced briefly at Nadia; "Your husband is quite charming, Nadia."
Nadia let out a short, disbelieving scoff and started to speak.
"He is not-"
Tristan cut in smoothly as if she hadn’t said anything at all, keeping Laura’s focus on him.
"It’s good to finally meet you. Nadia has a reliable manager, she used to talk about you a lot at home. Positively,of course." He chuckled.
Nadia’s lips parted, still in disbelief that this was actually unfolding. Her manager was a kind but very disciplined woman so why was she smiling with a stranger claiming to be her husband and potentially disrupting her work?
Laura’s smile widened slightly under the influence of the Charm. She introduced herself properly, clearly pleased by the compliment. Tristan nodded then continued smoothly, his tone becoming persuasive now;
"So, Laura, since you’re such an understanding employer, would you allow her to go home early today? She needs proper rest."
"I can only make sure she gets better soon when she’s at home."
At that point, Nadia’s voice cut in, sharp with anger.
"Who do you think you are to be making decisions for me?"
Tristan glanced at her briefly, then back at Laura.
"Please don’t mind her. We argued this morning. I tried to get her to take her medication and she refused. She hates anything that looks like medicine."
Laura chuckled at that.
"Ah, I understand. She definitely looks like one who won’t like anything medications." She waved a hand. "Go on, Nadia. Go home with your husband. Let him look after you properly. You can make up the hours another day."
Nadia stared at the woman as if she had grown a second head. Laura was the manager who would never allow a worker take time off without enough evidence that it was necessary. The words she wanted to say seemed stuck for a moment under pure disbelief.
Tristan turned to her with a mild, almost pleasant expression.
"See? You were worried about your boss for nothing."
Laura added with a smile, "Nadia, You’re so lucky with this one."
Nadia’s only response was another tight scoff. She yanked her apron off, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the shop without looking at either of them. Tristan muttered a thank you to Laura then followed Nadia.
~~~~~~~~~~
Outside, Nadia moved quickly down the street with anger visible in every step. Tristan matched her pace.
"Where are you going?" he asked. "We should head home." he added without waiting for a response to the question.
At that, Nadia stopped so abruptly he almost walked into her. She spun around and before he could realize what was happening, Nadia’s hand shot out to grab the front of his shirt near his neck, and pulled him slightly forward.
"Listen carefully, Keep your nose out of my business, or you will regret it. I will see to it..." she said in a very cold voice.
Tristan didn’t flinch at the coldness or the threat, he met her eyes without pulling away.
"Sorry, wife. But today I have to be in your business." he said calmly.
For a brief second, genuine surprise flickered across Nadia’s face at how calmly he held his ground. Then her expression settled into a sharper form.
She released him and gave a short nod.
"Very well. If you’ve decided to be so nosy and want to stay in my business, be my guest. I will see how long you last." she gnashed.
"Until the end," Tristan replied, still calmly.
Nadia’s nostrils flared as she glared at him then shebturned and started walking again. This time she took a different route, leading him away from the main street. After a few minutes she turned into a narrow alley. At the end of it stood an old, quiet building with faded walls and no obvious activity around it.
She walked straight toward the entrance without slowing down.
Tristan stopped for a moment at the mouth of the alley, his eyes scanning the building. He hesitated for a moment thinking that he had no idea what she was leading him into.
"I have come too far to achieving the mission to turn back now, anyway." he thought to himself then followed her inside.