Behind the Mask: The Adjudicator (The Continental) x Reader

4

The hotel lobby was quiet - eerily quiet - completely unlike the first night you'd stumbled in there. Judy power walked ahead of you, the strut of her heeled boots reverberating off of the marble walls. You had to do a little jog to catch up.

She walked past the person at the check-in desk, not even sparing a glance in her direction. She was laser-focused, in a complete one-track state of mind. As you walked past the desk you gave a small smile and a nod to the concierge - one that was not returned. Judy told you that something had happened, but you hadn't thought it would be something that would alter the atmosphere so drastically as this.

You followed behind Judy like a lost puppy as she led the way into the lounge. A sudden wave of deja vu overcame you, looking at the bar stool where you'd engaged in painfully awkward conversation with Judy - she'd since apologised for how standoffish she'd been, telling you it was "hard to switch off", which you supposed was fair enough. She had been in the middle of a meeting just moments before.

That was another element of the deja vu - the man she'd been having a meeting with when you first caught her eye, a man you now knew to be Cormac O'Connor (and as much of an asshole as you'd suspected him to be, according to Judy), was sat in the same spot he'd been in that very first night.

She slid a coin with her emblem on across the mahogany table. Cormac looked up, the way his eyes widened and he gulped his food down almost comical.

"...If I knew you were coming I'd have rolled out the red rug-"

"Oh, you weren't expecting me? In the wake of last night's events?"

The way she cut him off made you clench. 'Last night's events' for you had consisted of being rudely interrupted mid-sex by Judy's henchman coming to update her on the coin press situation. You weren't entirely sure why a fucking coin press mattered so much, and certainly not why it mattered more than you having a fulfilling orgasm, but Judy had had to leave for the High Table immediately. Without even a kiss goodbye. Not that she could kiss you but, you know. It's the principle.

You guessed her bringing you today to watch this meeting was perhaps her way of apologising? Spending some quality time with you to make up for you spending most of last night alone. Or perhaps it was her way of justifying what happened last night, by showing you just how important the coin press was?

"Well, I might have had a, um, inkling that you'd...show your face...."

She raised her eyebrow at the attempt at a pun, and he cringed slightly at her reaction. He cleared his throat, eyes searching desperately for something to decrease the tension while Judy gestured for you to take a seat on the plush leather couch. You shuffled over and she slid in beside you.

"You gonna introduce me to your friend?" He nodded at you, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

Judy cleared her throat. "Cormac, meet Y/N. She's my..."

For the first time, Judy's stern, authoritative persona faltered. She looked suddenly unsure of herself, glancing at you apprehensively. Cormac clocked this instantly.

"..I...met her here. Well, just over there technically." She nodded her head in the direction of the bar. "The only good thing your hotel's done for me recently."

"Oh yeah...I remember you." A sudden spark of recognition appeared in his eyes. And...maybe...a glint of mischief? "You're the one who got our...little meeting cut short, right?"

"Oh- I-" The sudden shift of the conversation towards you had caught you off guard. "Yeah, I hadn't meant to be distracting, I'm sorry-"

"Ah, no worries. If I'm remembering right, we hadn't been getting anywhere anyway."

You heard Judy sigh next to you, clearly annoyed that the conversation had gotten off track so quickly.

"No, we weren't...and judging by your nonchalance in the face of your slew of recent failures, I doubt anything will be different this time either."

"God, is she always like this?"

He was looking at you, a hint of a smirk on his face. You couldn't help the small smile that passed over your features and you gave him a slight nod, but you quickly turned and hid your face at the glare Judy shot you.

"Now is not the time for games Cormac. This is between me and you, you leave her out of this."

"Alright, god. It's not my fault you decided to treat this like it's fucking bring your slut to work day. I'm just tryin' to make the poor girl feel a bit more comfortable."

Your eyes widened in shock at what he'd called you. You looked to Judy, expecting her to defend you.

She didn't.

"Comfortable." She sneered. "Of course. People who were born into wealth as you were, they often seek comfort in the face of adversity."

A perfectly manicured brow arched pointedly at his plate stacked high with food.

"Do you think in history's great tales of survival, legendary men who battled their way back from defeat, they did so by comforting themselves? Or was it the threat of starvation, the inevitable raping and pillaging, the eradication of their bloodline, that motivated these men to pull themselves back from the fire?"

He looked at her, then at you, as if you could save him, or at least translate what the hell she was on about. You stared back at him blankly, then lowered your gaze to your hands clasped firmly in your lap.

He'd called you a slut. And Judy hadn't protested otherwise.

You looked back up to Judy, and for the second time in the span of 2 minutes, your eyes widened in shock.

She was undoing the clasp of her mask.

She handed you the porcelain, her disfigured jaw now on show in all its grotesque beauty. Cormac's face had gone almost the same shade as her sharp, white canines.

She picked up an ornate fork, holding it delicately between her fingers. She suddenly struck, stabbing a small piece of bread on Cormac's plate and bringing it to her mouth, chewing it unhurriedly. She swallowed the bite, throwing the fork back down with a clatter, then took her mask and reached up to retie the clasp.

It was stupid how fucking attractive you'd found that. You squirmed slightly in your seat, trying to relieve some of the throbbing. Judy placed her hand on your thigh, squeezing softly. She could definitely read your thoughts.

"Perhaps it's about time you feel uncomfortable, yeah? Because the mess your people made last night has brought the missing coin press to the attention of the High Table."

"...I- uh," He looked for a moment as if he was going to try to defend himself, but he closed his mouth, thinking better of it. "I'll...find it. I got people in the field-"

"You're a shell of yourself. Your own people are stealing from you."

His gaze hardened, deciding to make a final attempt to show some assertiveness and resolve. "I want the High Table's resources-"

"You have three days." She collected her gloves, getting up from the table. "You have three days to locate the coin press and bring those responsible to our feet. If you fail, the High Table will declare Interregnum and suspend your position until we can name a successor. Your gilded cage will come crashing in on you."

You slid out and stood up from your seat, joining Judy at her side. She pressed the pad of her forefinger to the coin still on the table for a moment, then tapped her maroon nail twice on its emblem.

"Enjoy your meal."

She placed her hand on your lower back, pulling you towards her and turning the two of you to leave without sparing another glance in Cormac's direction.

°~•*

IM SO SORRY for how long it's been since my last update omg. it's been a hectic few months with exams and amongst other things I came out to my parents!!! so sorry ive been a bit busy but i hope this chapter was worth the wait guys :)) ill try to update more often i swear🏃‍♀️💨💨