"Thank you for coming, please enjoy your coffee and stay here."
A radiant smile continuously brightened Samara's face as she surveyed her coffee shop, bustling with customers. Seeing each person find comfort and fondness in their coffee filled Samara's heart with joy.
Her café's initial journey hadn't been smooth, but through her own unwavering efforts, without anyone's help—not even her husband's—Veridian had flourished into a resounding success.
"Boss, our shop is full again!" one of Samara's staff exclaimed, beaming.
"It means people keep coming back for our coffee's unique blend. Serve them well," Samara replied with a smile, just as they both spotted a figure entering through the doorway—a person Samara knew would only disrupt her day.
"That man truly won't leave you alone, Boss. Even knowing you're married with a child, he refuses to back off," her staff member murmured softly, prompting a slight sigh from Samara.
"Go on, get back to your work," Samara instructed. By then, Henry Tobias, a businessman who relentlessly pursued her, had approached.
"Hello, Samara, it's a pleasure to see you again today," he declared with a wide, insincere smile.
"Are you going to order coffee?" Samara asked him plainly.
"If it's made by you, I'll order. If you'd like, I can even invest in Veridian to help it grow bigger, Samara. But of course, you'd first have to divorce your useless husband."
"I don't need your investment, Mr. Tobias. Veridian is thriving on its own, and don't call my husband useless because he is not. If you're only here to disrupt my day, as you always do, please leave my Veridian," Samara snapped, which only made Henry smirk.
"Come on, Samara, I'm offering you a good deal. Why stay by the side of a husband who is merely an employee at Veritas? I know your husband works for a billionaire pharmaceutical company, but he's just an employee while I'm the CEO of my own company," he boasted. Samara wanted to laugh but restrained herself.
"My husband may be a mere employee at Veritas, but he surpasses you in many ways. My husband is handsome, my husband is dashing, and above all, he is tall, not of average height like you," Samara declared with a smile. Several customers nearby struggled to suppress their laughter upon hearing her words.
Annoyance, tinged with humiliation, flashed across Henry's face.
"What good is your husband to you if he only earns minimum wage? I'm better than him in terms of money!"
"You're being quite judgmental on that front, Mr. Tobias, especially since you know nothing about my husband. Can you just leave my shop? You're disturbing my customers," Samara said, dismissing him. She didn't anticipate Henry grabbing her right arm.
"Mr. Tobias, let go of my arm!"
"You're making this too difficult, Samara. You wouldn't lose out with me. I'd still accept you even with a child; it's no issue for me. Your husband has nothing to boast abou—"
The customers at Veridian, and Samara herself, gasped in shock as someone grabbed Henry's hair, pulling him away. This forced him to release Samara's arm.
Henry grimaced, clutching his head before shooting a furious glare at the person who had pulled his hair, now standing protectively beside Samara.
"Mommy!" a little girl cheerfully greeted, immediately asking Samara to pick her up.
"How dare you pull my hair!" Henry shouted, scandalized, his finger angrily pointing at Elijah, who regarded him with an emotionless gaze.
"You are the freaking one who dared touch my wife. I can make your life shorter, just like your height, if I want to," Elijah warned, his voice chilling. Samara instinctively clutched his arm.
"Don't mind him, darling, he's leaving anyway, right Mr. Tobias?" Samara said to the irate Henry.
"We're not done yet, I'll be back for you!" he snarled before storming out of Veridian, to the applause of the customers.
Several female students stared openly at Elijah's handsome face, prompting Samara to pull her husband into her office within the shop.
"Is that midget always bothering you, darling? I can make him crippled so he can't come here to Veridian anymore," Elijah murmured tenderly to Samara, who lightly tapped his muscular chest.
"Mind your words, Veronica can hear you," Samara scolded, turning with a smile to their princess.
"How was school, sweetie? Did you have fun?"
"Yes, Mommy! I played with Jericho—"
"—again? Princess, you always play with that kiddo, I don't like it," Elijah interrupted, complaining to his daughter. He received a pinch from Samara on his side.
"Not that overprotective side of yours again, Elijah," Samara chided, leading their daughter to a long sofa and seating her there.
"Stay here, sweetie, your daddy and I just need to talk."
"Okay, Mommy!"
Samara immediately approached Elijah, pulling him away from their daughter's sitting area.
"Stop being so overprotective of our daughter. Jericho is her playmate, her friend."
"But I don't like any male species coming near my princess. I hate it, darling," Elijah complained childishly, making Samara sigh.
"Tone down your possessiveness over our daughter; that's not healthy. Jericho is a good kid, and he won't take Veronica away from us. Tell me, you didn't give Jericho a dirty look, did you?" Samara asked. Elijah avoided her gaze.
"I didn't."
"Really? Because if I ask Jericho and find out you gave that child a dirty look, you won't be sleeping in our room for one wee—"
"—I did, okay. Just a spare glare, darling. I hate not sleeping beside you," Elijah admitted instantly, pulling Samara into a hug.
"It's hard for me not to be a possessive father to our princess, understand me, darling," Elijah murmured, a slight complaint in his voice. Samara smiled, hugging her husband back.
"I understand you, but Jericho is just a child. Don't glare at him anymore, okay?" Samara said. Elijah nodded in agreement.
Anyone seeing Elijah in this state would be astonished, for they would witness a completely different man. Elijah reserved his soft spot only for his wife, Samara, and their daughter, Veronica.
Samara had met Elijah through his ruthless nature as the mafia boss of Senza Pietà. Samara was a former associate who handled information gathering, discreet communications, and even managed legitimate front businesses before she and Elijah fell deeply in love.
Life hadn't been easy for Samara then. She initially hated Elijah for his demeanor, yet they ended up together, happily married, with one beautiful daughter.
When Samara left the organization, with Elijah's full consent, she established her own business: Veridian, a coffee shop inspired by their daughter. Although Samara couldn't entirely escape the dangerous life they led, she trusted Elijah implicitly to ensure their daughter's safety.
They kept their profiles low to avoid attracting attention, which was why others only knew Elijah as an employee of Veritas.
"Love me, darling."
"I'm hugging you now, aren't I? My husband is like a child," Samara commented, laughing softly, as Elijah embraced her even tighter.
Samara was content with their life now, embracing her role as a mother and the true boss to her clingy husband.