Chapter 69: Now what?

Stella’s face went white the moment she recognized him.

"Adrian?"

For a whole five seconds neither of them moved. The wet seat, the disordered gown, the lingering smell of sex and oil in the closed car, all of it became suddenly, dangerously relevant. Stella looked at Tom with naked panic. Tom felt the same drop in his chest, too.

Then the System cut in, in Tom’s head.

```

[EMERGENCY MISSION]

Protect Stella Marchetti from being exposed.

[REWARD]

+5 Authority

+10 Presence

Crisis Management Skill Book (Lv. 1)

[PENALTY]

-50 Authority

```

Tom did not read it twice.

He was already moving. He wouldn’t allow Stella to be exposed like this, in this manner.

He shifted into the front, opened the driver’s door, and stepped out in one controlled manner, shutting the rear door firmly behind him before Adrian could get a clearer look inside.

The night air at the fueling station felt colder after the heat of the car, and the tension inside the car actually made the air hit colder. Tom didn’t bother to adjust his shirt even though his hands were aching to do that. He knew that would sell him out that he had been doing something.

He schooled his expression; he parted his lips slightly, his eyes opening slightly too, as he pretended to be surprised he was seeing the man. Actually, he was surprised, shocked even.

Afterwards, he turned fully toward the man waiting by the vehicle.

He let Adrian speak first.

"Ah, Tom. I knew that was you" Adrian called out without wasting time as Tom turned around.

"I saw the car when I came in for fuel then I saw you walked out from the convenience store" he said.

Tom gave a short nod. "Yeah. It’s me."

Adrian glanced toward the Mercedes, then back at him, perfectly composed. "We couldn’t wait for you to come back to the table earlier. Stella wasn’t feeling well, so we left."

Relief moved through Tom so cleanly he almost felt it in his shoulders. Adrian’s tone carried no edge of suspicion, no implication that the woman in the car behind him might be the same fiancée he had escorted out of the restaurant. As far as Adrian knew, the evening had ended exactly as presented.

"I absolutely understand. Give her my regards, please." Tom said.

"I will." Adrian replied then slipped a hand into his jacket and brought out a card between two fingers.

"Actually, I was hoping to catch you. I was on my way to check on Stella at home when I realized I needed fuel. Convenient that I ran into you." he said and Tom’s brows raised, wondering what for.

"I wanted to invite you to a wine evening tomorrow. Private. Men only. A few friends of mine like to argue more than they like to listen, and I need someone present who actually knows what he’s tasting." Adrian explained.

There it was, not friendship, not sudden fondness, but utility. Tom could tell Adrian just wanted a credible ally at the table, someone whose palate could support his own opinions when the room grew competitive. Yet, Tom took the card without drama.

"Tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes. Details are on the back. Bring yourself and that honest tongue of yours." Adrian said with a bright smile.

"Sure." Tom said, with a small smile.

They exchanged a brief ordinary goodbye and Adrian returned to his own car, and only when the vehicle had pulled away from the pumps and disappeared toward the main road did Tom allow himself to breathe properly again. He waited until then.

He opened the rear door and got back in.

Stella was still there, rigid against the seat, the earlier heat stripped out of her expression and replaced by cold calculation. She had heard every word.

Tom studied her for a second. "What are you going to do about that?"

Stella did not answer immediately. Her fingers tightened once around the bottle of water she was supposed to drink, then loosened as the decision settled.

"I’ll fix it," she said. Then she brought the bottle to her mouth and gulped some.

After that, she took out her phone. She dialled, lifted it to her ear, and when the line connected her voice came out controlled, and entirely different from the woman who had been shaking in his lap minutes earlier.

"Sean. I’m done with my rehearsal..."

Tom left her to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time he pulled away from the fueling station, Stella was already gone from the car, absorbed back into the machinery of her own cover story. Tom did not follow the details. She had said she would fix it, and nothing in her expression had suggested she needed his help to do so.

He drove toward home calmly, not letting his mind wonder how Stella would handle her situation.

The System chimed once he was back on the main road.

```

[EMERGENCY MISSION COMPLETED]

Target exposure prevented.

[REWARDS ACQUIRED]

+10 Authority

+10 Presence

Crisis Management Skill Book (Lv. 1)

```

The book appeared in his inventory as a compact digital weight, unmarked except for its title. Tom glanced at it only long enough to note it for later. The road home demanded the rest of his attention.

When he turned into the driveway, the house looked ordinary under the full exterior lights. Ordinary, until he saw the figure waiting near the entrance.

Sienna stood with her arms crossed. She was no longer in the outfit she had gone out with. She was putting on comfy clothes: a big round neck top and shorts.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her chin lifted so high it almost looked funny. The moment the Mercedes stopped, her eyes locked on the driver with unmistakable fury.

From the distance, Tom could see she was fuming.

Tom put off the engine and sat for half a second longer than necessary, the residual tension from Adrian’s near discovery still clinging under his skin as he tried to understand what, exactly, he had come home to.

"Now what?