Tristan moved.
His legs carried him forward before he could second-guess the decision. The glowing timer in his vision was still ticking down, but he had already thrown Lysander’s suggestion out of his head.
Grab a woman, pin her to the wall and kiss her, without her awareness? He had never liked that. In his old life, women of different status, different body built and all, threw themselves at him. They offered their mouths before he even asked. He had never needed to snatch a kiss from someone who would only shove him away afterward. His pride refused it.
So he chose something else.
He reached out, locked his arms around Nadia’s waist, and lifted her clean off the floor in one smooth motion. Her body was lighter than he expected, even with those heavy breasts and full hips. He adjusted his grip and carried her toward the bedroom without saying a single word.
Nadia’s red eyes went wide.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, her voice sharp with shock. Her fists immediately started raining down on his shoulders and chest. "Put me down, you bastard! Put me down right now!"
Tristan didn’t drop her. He only tightened his arms and kept walking.
Behind them, the chaotic fighting stopped cold. Talia and Cora stood frozen in the middle of the living room, their mouths slightly open, staring at the impossible sight of the unwanted stranger, an enemy actually, carrying the oldest and proudest of them away like a bride.
Tristan kicked the bedroom door open with his foot, stepped inside, and finally set Nadia down on her feet.
The moment her soles touched the floor, she spun to face him, her blonde hair was messy, her chest heaving, her red eyes burning.
"What the hell was that?" she snarled. "Have you lost your fucking mind?"
Tristan looked straight into her eyes. His voice came out calm, almost casual, the same tone he once used when dismissing incompetent ministers.
"I brought you in here so we could do what a husband and wife are supposed to do. The three of you were fighting like animals because you clearly have too much free time and not enough to occupy your bodies."
Nadia’s face twisted.
Then without any other word, she lunged.
Her hand shot out and grabbed the front of his open shirt. For a second Tristan thought she was about to pull him into a bite so he lowered his guard. Instead she surprised him, she twisted her body, drove her fist hard into his stomach, and let go.
Pain exploded through his gut.
Air left his lungs in a rough, broken sound. His knees buckled and he dropped to the floor, one arm wrapped around his middle as he tried to breathe.
Nadia stood over him, her eyes cold and furious.
"That,is the first and the last time you will ever try that nonsense with me. Touch me like that again and I will rip your throat out, wandering soul or not." she said in a low and venomous voice.
She glared at him for one more long second, then turned on her heel and walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her hard enough to rattle the frame.
Tristan stayed on the floor, breathing through the sharp ache in his stomach. After a few moments he let out a long, shaky sigh and slowly sat up.
Lysander’s voice slid into his head, dripping with amusement.
"Well... that approach was somehow. Not what I suggested, but surprisingly effective."
"Even though it earned you pain, it isn’t bad." She added then the system chimed in.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete.]
[Settle the fight within 30 seconds – Success]
[Reward Issued with 10,000× Multiplier]
[+50 System Points]
[+$1,000,000 System Cash]
Immediately after, a soft thud sounded beside him.
Tristan turned his head towards the direction of the sound. A black briefcase now sat on the floor where nothing had been a second ago. He reached out, still wincing, and flipped the latches open.
Neat stacks of cash filled the entire case.
He stared at the money for a long moment, then leaned his head back against the side of the bed and closed his eyes.
At least, he hadn’t gotten punched for nothing.
And now he could sleep because there was no noise coming from the living room anymore.
Tristan got up from the floor and went to lay in bed. His eyes closed immediately. He had had more than enough for a day.