Averyn Marylyn is a young part-time barista working in a cosy cafe owned by a French woman in bustling London. The cafe, a favourite haunt for soldiers, becomes a hub of activity, especially when the prestigious Colonel Calliax Andres becomes a regu...
"A man deliberately insulted you? Why? What happened?" Kaiser asked after hearing what Averyn had said.
The only thing Averyn had been dealing with was Calliax. He would take every chance to annoy her, but she couldn't do anything about it. She had never felt so disturbed by such a trivial thing. She wondered why it had to happen to her. Ever since she met him, her peaceful life had never been the same.
Averyn closed her book, lost the desire to study, and began to focus on the conversation. "Yes! It was so annoying! He mocked me and even teased me just because I spilt some coffee on him. It was an accident, but he took it seriously, even though I apologized to him numerous times already," she confessed. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
Both Kaiser and Melissa were stunned to hear this from her. She never usually complains this much about her part-time job. This meant that the man wanted to get on her nerves on purpose.
"What? Is that so? But if you already apologized to him, wasn't he supposed to let it slide since it wasn't a big deal?" Kaiser asked. Melissa agreed, nodding. "Kaiser is right. Why would he get so worked up just to annoy you?" she said.
Averyn let out a heavy sigh, swiping her hair back to her forehead out of frustration. "I just don't get it at all! He must be out of his mind despite being a soldier."
The moment they heard the word 'soldier' coming out of her mouth, Kaiser and Melissa gasped. "Wait? He was a soldier?!" both of them exclaimed simultaneously.
Upon seeing their surprised expressions, Averyn was puzzled. "Yes, he is. Why?" she asked.
"Averyn?! You know you're not supposed to mess with a soldier, right?" Kaiser said, making Averyn frown.
"But why? I didn't do anything wrong? Plus, I did apologize, right?" Averyn defended herself, saying it wasn't entirely her fault.
"A soldier, could it be the British Army?" Melissa asked. Averyn nodded. "Yes, I remembered Zayden telling me that he is known as The Black Dragon or something. I don't care about his nickname or anything." Kaiser's jaw dropped. It was as if Averyn was digging her own grave. "Averyn... could that be? The well-known Black Dragon of the British Army?" he asked for confirmation.
Melissa caught on right away. "You mean Calliax Andres? That Lieutenant Colonel from the army?"
Averyn didn't recognize his name right away but then slowly nodded. "I guess so?"
Melissa held her shoulders. "Averyn... He's dangerous, you know? Have you not heard about him at all?"
She was clueless. "No? I haven't?" Kaiser realized that Averyn was not from the capital. "Mel, she's not from here. Of course, she's never heard of the rumour."
Melissa slowly let her go. "Oh... that's right. Averyn is from Bournemouth, right?" She realized that Averyn wasn't originally from the capital. "Yes? I'm from Winton. Why does that matter?" Averyn asked.
"You see, Averyn. Here in London, the man you spoke of is well-known. He's ferocious. He once executed a citizen just because he was messing with him," Kaiser explained.
Averyn seemed unfazed by the story. "So what?"
"So what, what? It means you're messing with the wrong person, Averyn!" Melissa exclaimed, disbelieving at how indifferent she was about Calliax.
She remained stoic. "Ah, well? I don't care about who he is. In my opinion, he is just a jerk despite being a well-respected soldier."
Kaiser and Melissa were shocked by what they had just heard. If Calliax were present, the speaker would already be dead. "Don't get on his nerves," Kaiser warned his friend. "Otherwise, you'll regret it."
"What do you mean? Why would I die?" she asked.
"Just trust us. It's for your safety," Kaiser replied. "You don't want to mess with him. You don't know who he is or what he's capable of."
"Okay, I won't. But why are you guys so scared of him? He's just a soldier, right? He can't hurt us, can he?"
"You might be right, but here in London, he's feared by many. He's ruthless," Kaiser explained.
Melissa nodded in agreement. "Listen to Kaiser. He's right."
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As the sun rises on a new day, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the air. Calliax, on his way to work, stops by Beau De Tulipes Café - a cosy spot that has become a frequent stop on his daily routine. The café opens early enough for the early risers to grab a cup of coffee and start their day in the right way.
As Calliax steps inside, his eyes wander around the café, scanning for his favourite person. Adaline, the friendly barista, greets him with a warm smile and asks for his order. In his usual cold tone, Calliax requests "the usual."
Suddenly, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he asks Adaline if the girl with the brown hair is working today. "The girl didn't come to work today?" He asked. Adaline turns back with a confused look and asks which girl he's referring to. "Which girl?" She asked him back. "We do have plenty of female workers here." She said.
Calliax coughs softly, clears his throat, and asks again, "I mean, the girl with the brown hair?"
Adaline realizes that he's talking about Averyn, a part-time worker who only works on weekends. She smiles softly and tells Calliax that Averyn didn't come to work today. "Oh, you mean, Averyn? No, she didn't come to work today. She only works on weekends, sir." She answered.
Calliax nods and looks away, his interest in Averyn now clear. Adaline thinks to herself, 'All acting tough' and continues to make his order as he requested. The café buzzes with activity, and customers come and go, but for Calliax, the café has taken on a new meaning. But, at least he got something today for sure. Her name. He finally got to learn her name, which is a piece of important information for him.
As he contained his smile upon learning the little cat's name was Averyn, he thought to himself, "So, the little cat was Averyn, huh?". After some time, he got his coffee and marched away to his workplace while Adaline observed him silently.
Something came to her mind - why did the man suddenly show curiosity about Averyn? Is he a good guy or a devil in disguise? She couldn't help but wonder. Of course, she cared about Averyn and was worried about her safety. That's why she wanted to keep an eye on him the next time he came to the cafe or each time he faced Averyn.
