Tess carefully banced the pte of chicken wraps and a tall gss of mango juice as she approached the table where Adeline Calloway sat with her secretary and the Secret Service agents at the next table. Her usual blunt demeanour was tempered by a professional smile, though she couldn’t entirely mask her exhaustion from the long day.
Setting the pte and gss in front of the President, Tess smiled. “I hope you like mango and chicken. This is all that’s left,” she said.
Adeline looked up, her elegant features softening as she exhaled a tired sigh. “Anything would do at this moment,” she replied with a small smile of gratitude.
Tess’s sharp eyes caught the weariness etched into Adeline’s face, a glimpse of the weight she carried as the nation’s leader. It wasn’t Tess’s pce to pry, but she couldn’t help but wonder about the toll of such a demanding role. Shaking off the thought, she stepped back and turned her attention to the other tables, ensuring everyone had water and napkins.
Once satisfied that all her unexpected guests were settled, Tess returned to the counter. She leaned against it with a quiet sigh, letting herself rex for just a moment.
The break was short-lived. Her phone buzzed against the counter, the vibration rattling a stray fork nearby. Tess picked it up, her brow furrowing as she stared at the number on the screen.
She picked up the phone, bancing it between her shoulder and ear as she began stacking receipts from the counter. “Yes, yes, I know,” she said with a hint of exasperation before breaking into a softer tone. “Pack up the pastries and bring them home?”
Her father’s warm ughter rumbled on the other end. “That’s my girl. Love you, Ilya.”
“Love you more,” Tess replied with a chuckle, ending the call and setting the phone aside. She sighed, leaning back in her chair, when she noticed Adeline watching her intently from across the room.
Adeline tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint, teasing smile. “Your lover?”
Tess blinked, momentarily startled, then shook her head quickly. “No, Madam President. My papa.”
Adeline’s smile deepened, and she chuckled softly, her gaze lingering on Tess. She didn’t respond immediately, instead focusing back on her meal. The chicken wrap wasn’t exceptional, certainly not up to the standards of her private chef, but it was comforting. It was leagues better than some of the rushed meals she had during the day.
Tess, unaware of the President’s subtle study of her, got back to work. She opened the register and began counting the day’s earnings, her lips moving silently as she tallied the bills. Her chair had wheels, and with a small push, she rolled over to the window where Mario was finishing up in the kitchen.
“How much is the fish again?” she asked, leaning into the opening to make her voice heard.
Mario looked up, shaking his head with a smirk. “That’s if I even want to cook fish tomorrow.”
Tess sighed dramatically, rolling her chair back toward the counter. “Okay, three hundred it is…” she sang to herself, her voice light and pyful.
Adeline paused mid-bite, gncing up. The President found herself smiling, charmed by the café owner’s unguarded demeanour. Tess exuded a carefree that felt rare and refreshing, unlike the calcuted airs she was accustomed to in her world.
Adeline leaned back in her chair, her gaze still on Tess, and thought, ‘Perhaps this campaign visit won’t be as tiresome as I imagined.’
The café had emptied without Tess noticing, her focus on the register and the occasional banter with Mario. When Adeline approached the counter and leaned against it, Tess barely registered her presence until the President’s calm voice interrupted her thoughts.
“How much is the bill?”
Tess looked up, startled to find Adeline so close, her striking features mere inches away. For a moment, she froze, her mind catching up with the reality that the President of the country was leaning casually on her counter.
Quickly recovering, Tess stood up and gnced past Adeline. The others—the secretary, the staff, and most of the bodyguards—had already left, leaving only two guards lingering by the door. She turned her attention back to Adeline, her nose scrunching slightly as she mentally calcuted the cost.
“That will be two hundred and fifty,” Tess said.
Adeline raised a brow for a moment but then nodded in understanding, remembering that her men had ordered more food than she initially thought. Opening her wallet, she pulled out the cash.
Before handing it over, she looked at Tess again and asked, “Are there any pastries left for us, Ilya? Or will you be taking everything for your father?”
Tess tilted her head to the side, a small grin tugging at her lips. “That’ll be an extra fifty, Madam President.”
Adeline chuckled softly, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Pulling out three hundred, she handed it over with a polite smile.
“Okay, Miss Ilya,” she said, her voice warm and teasing as she leaned against the counter, her eyes studying Tess.
Tess accepted the money, the slight blush creeping up her neck betraying her usual cool demeanour. She busied herself with organising the bills, trying not to be affected by the President’s lingering gaze and informal tone.
“Give me a moment, Madam President,” she replied, her voice steady as she turned to retrieve the pastries. Behind her back, Adeline’s smile deepened, her curiosity about this unapologetically straightforward woman growing by the second.
Tess returned to the counter, pcing a neatly packed box of pastries in front of Adeline. She met the President’s curious gaze with a small, knowing smile. “And for the record, my name is Tess, Madam President.”
Adeline raised a brow, tilting her head slightly. “Then why Ilya?”
Tess leaned lightly on the counter, her smile widening just a touch. “It’s an acronym, Madam President.”
Adeline’s intrigue deepened as she straightened up. “For what?”
Tess chuckled softly, her fingers brushing across the open register as she counted the cash. Without looking up, she replied, “For ‘I love you always.’”
Adeline blinked in surprise before a quiet ugh escaped her lips. “Is that so?”
Tess shrugged, the smile still pying on her face. “Well, it makes people smile when they hear it. And that’s good for business, don’t you think?”
Adeline’s ughter softened into a warm smile as she picked up the box. “Thank you for taking care of us, Tess.”
Tess met her eyes, her tone lighter but sincere. “You’re welcome back here anytime, Madam President.”
Adeline held her gaze for a moment, her own expression softening. Then, with a polite nod, she turned to leave, her guards falling into step behind her. As the door closed with the gentle chime of the bell, Tess exhaled and leaned back in her chair, feeling an odd mix of relief and something she couldn’t quite pce.
‘Well, that was unexpected,’ she thought, gncing at the spot where Adeline had been standing just moments ago.
As the car glided through the quiet streets, Adeline sat back, her hands resting on her p, her posture composed yet expressing the weariness of the day. The dim city lights reflected off the window as she stared at her secretary. “Do a background check on Miss Tess,” she instructed, her tone calm but firm.
Her secretary, a man of meticulous efficiency, nodded without hesitation, already tapping away on his tablet to fulfill her request.
Adeline turned her gaze to the window, watching the quaint town blur past. The streetlights cast soft glows, the occasional chatter of pedestrians faintly audible through the car’s sealed windows. Her thoughts, however, were far from the town.
She couldn’t help but repy the scene at the café, Tess’s casual yet confident demeanour, the way she handled the evening with grace despite the unexpected guests. Her mind drifted further to Tess’s body—the white jeans hugging her thighs and curves with an unintentional allure, the slight lean forward when she’d rested against the counter, and the way her blouse had subtly hinted at her figure.
Adeline let out a small sigh, leaning her head back against the seat. ‘Being the president is really tiresome sometimes,’ she mused to herself, closing her eyes briefly.
Moments like these, where her mind wandered beyond the weight of her responsibilities, were rare. Tess had left an impression—not just because of her charming honesty, but because, for a fleeting moment, she made Adeline forget about the relentless demands of her role.
The car hummed softly as it approached the hotel. Adeline kept her eyes closed, trying to clear her thoughts, but Tess’s image lingered in her mind, refusing to be dismissed so easily.
