Chapter 110: Good news

Tom clenched his fists as he watched Adrian walk away from the car and felt the refusal settle in the wrong way.

The easy win was gone. If he let the man leave with nothing but a money offer hanging in the air, Stella’s mood would stay sour and the maintenance mission would collapse with it. Tom picked up his phone and typed quickly without smoothing any part of the message or softening the meaning.

’I wonder how it would feel if this recording found its way onto Instagram this afternoon. I know the right hashtags to add and it will become viral.’

He sent it and raised his head.

Ahead of him, Adrian stopped walking.

The change was immediate. One moment the man was leaving with his pride still fastened in place. The next, he was standing still in the middle of the room, staring at his phone in hand. Obviously, the weight of the threat was finally landing where money alone had not.

Tom saw the calculation run through him from a distance. Of course he would think of how the damage would hit his image, office, donors, the kind of damage that could not be smoothed over with a quiet payment.

After a few seconds of standing rigidly, Adrian turned and walked back to the car.

He opened the passenger door, lowered himself into the seat again, and shut it with less temper than before. It was with control, this time. Controlled fear under sophistication.

"What if I get her a bigger ambassadorial deal?" Adrian said sharply.

Tom turned his head slightly. "I’m not interested in guesses."

"It’s not a guess." Adrian’s voice stayed low but still sharp. "There’s a cosmetics company she’s wanted for a while. Bold You. I can push the signing her way. Four times the benefit package of the deal that was terminated."

Tom peered at his face. Adrian didn’t flinch, he held his gaze. Tom could tell It was not generosity. It was self-preservation dressed as a solution. Still, for Stella, the value was perfect.

"You will get it done before evening," Tom said.

Adrian’s mouth tightened. "I will."

"Good."

"Delete the recording." Adrian said.

Tom let out a short, dry breath. "I’m not stupid. You bring proof first. Until then, nothing happens to the recording."

Adrian held his gaze for a second longer, his jaw clenched then unclenched, then he nodded. After that he got out of the car without another word and walked off for good this time.

Tom inhaled and exhaled deeply then started the engine.

As he drove, the mission timer remained visible at the edge of his vision, counting down through the rest of the day. He hoped the pressure would be enough. More than that, he needed it to be enough.

"Should I..." The thought of calling Stella crossed his mind more than once on the way home, but he put it aside. He had told her to trust him. Until the promise was solid, a check-in would only be empty comfort.

~~~~~~~~

When he got home, Sienna was in the living room.

She was seated with one leg crossed over the other, her phone in hand. Thanks to the body language analysis skill that Tom had acquired, he could tell she had just gotten into that position as he walked in. She was presenting the picture of someone who had decided not to care. The moment Tom walked in, her eyes lifted, held his for half a second, then returned to the screen with intentional nonchalance.

Tom didn’t know she was retaliating for the morning. But he wasn’t bothered in finding that out.

He stopped just long enough to acknowledge her. "You’re back."

"I live here," Sienna said, not looking up again. "That still counts for something, doesn’t it?"

Tom blinked not understanding the attitude but responded anyway; "I didn’t say it didn’t."

"You didn’t say much at all this morning either." Her thumb moved over the phone like the conversation was only mildly worth her attention. "Drove out like the gate was empty." she snapped then immediately the words left her mouth, she pressed her lips tightly together, regretting she had actually said what was in her mind instead of playing it elegantly.

Tom’s mind was still half on Adrian, half on the ticking mission so he said simply; "I had somewhere to be."

"Of course you did."

He gave a short nod, already angling toward the hallway. "I’ll be in my room."

Sienna’s mouth tightened more as he passed. The second he disappeared down the hall, she lowered the phone and stared at the space he had left behind.

"Really?" She huffed in exasperation. She swallowed then scoffed again;

"Why am I even annoyed?" she muttered under her breath. "It’s a contract. He can be cold to me."

The words did not help much. They sat weakly against the sharper thought underneath them; that maybe he was treating her like this because of the midnight call she had denied. That possibility clung longer than she wanted it to.

~~~~~~~~~

Afternoon settled in without word from Adrian.

Tom tried to wait and failed. With nothing useful to do but remain ready, he changed into lighter clothes, cleared space on the bedroom floor, and dropped into push-ups.

The first thirty set was steady, he was improving greatly. The second set started burning through his arms, though. He switched to squats, then sit-ups, counting under his breath just to keep his head from circling the same worry again and again. Sweat gathered along his spine and at his forehead. He wiped the one on his forehead with his wrist, before it would drop into his eyes then dropped back down into another set of push-ups, and forced his body to stay busy while the phone remained silent on the bed.

He was on his way up from the floor from another thirty set when his phone rang.

"Adrian..." He muttered eagerly but when he saw the caller ID, he gulped slightly disappointed.

Stella.

Tom stared at the screen for a second. He still had no confirmation in his hand. Picking up too early risked facing her without the result he had promised. Then he answered anyway.

Stella did not bother with hello.

"What did you do to Adrian?" she asked.

Tom stilled. "Why? What happened?" his lips parted as he prepared his mind for more trouble.

"I just got a call from Bold You," she said, and there was unmistakable energy under the control in her voice. "They’re signing me as their ambassador. There’s an official appearance and contract signing on Monday... That fast."

Tom let out a heavy breath and sat properly on the floor, the tension in his shoulders loosening totally.

"That’s good news." He said quietly.

"How did you do it?" Stella asked curiously.

"I used what I had to get what I needed."

"That is not an answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting for now." He steered the moment before it turned into a full interrogation. "You sound happy about this one."

"I am." Stella’s breath eased over the line. "It’s worth more than the deal I lost. A lot more."

"Good. I’m glad you’re in a better mood."

"I am. Thank you." A quieter note entered her voice.

"I told you I’d handle it." Tom said calmly, a small smile of victory dancing on his face.

"Yeah, you did." She paused. "I’ll call you back. There’s something else I need to tell you."

The call ended abruptly.

Before he could wonder what, the System opened in his vision.

```

[RELATIONSHIP MAINTENANCE MISSION COMPLETE]

Target: Stella Marchetti

Objective: Put Stella back into a good mood.

Status: Completed

[REWARD RECEIVED]

• +10 Stability

• +5 Loyalty

• +5 Affection

• $50,000

```

Tom looked at the update and his smile grew bigger. He was happy that he was actually that useful.