Chapter 3: Side Character x Mafia Boss (3)

The glass door of the café slowly swung open.

Five men marched inside, their presence instantly changing the entire mood of the room.

Lyra looked toward the entrance, her breath catching in her throat.

Standing in the absolute center of the group was a man whose very presence made the air feel twenty degrees colder. He was unbelievably tall, at least 6’4" (193 cm). His black hair was slicked back neatly. Few Tattoos were visible around his arm.

His icy grey eyes scanned the café, completely devoid of any human emotion. His jawline was perfectly shaped, and his handsome face looked attractive. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit beneath a long black overcoat that draped around his frame. Black gloves covered his hands, and the glint of a silver watch caught the light as he moved.

He didn’t need to shout, and he didn’t need to say a single word. Everyone in the room just knew- this was not a man you wanted to provoke.

Lyra gulped hard, her hands gripping the edge of the counter. Yep... that’s definitely the male lead.

Ding!

[Host, identified target.]

[Male Lead: Alastair Voss.]

[Identity: Head of the notorious Voss Mafia Family.]

Lyra nearly nodded in pride despite her fear. Alastair Voss. Now that’s a cool name for a Male Lead.

Before she could admire his terrifying appearance any longer, another glowing blue notification box popped up

[Warning!]

[Story Error Detected.]

Lyra frowned, feeling a headache brewing behind her eyes. "What now? Isn’t he supposed to be here?"

The System spoke, its tone sounding surprisingly serious, even for a machine. [According to the original plot, the Male Lead and Female Lead should not meet until three days later. Current timeline indicates an early, unplanned encounter. Please fix the story error immediately.]

Lyra stared blankly at the screen. "...Excuse me? You want me to stop a Mafia Boss? Aren’t you the one who messed up the timeline?"

[Correct.]

"So shouldn’t you be the one to fix it?"

The System let out a synthetic bcough. [That is exactly why I recruited you, Host.]

A beat of silence followed.

Then, the System added... [Hehe.]

Lyra’s left eye twitched violently. "...Did you just ’hehe’ at me? Are you giggling at my imminent death?"

The System stayed silent, effectively ignoring the question.

"You are easily the most useless, sarcastic system I’ve ever had the misfortune of working with," Lyra muttered, her teeth gritted.

[Complaint rejected.]

Lyra let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Just don’t blame me if I die."

She looked toward the far end of the counter. The Female Lead, Elena, was standing there, peacefully wiping down clean coffee cups, completely unaware of the disaster approaching the door. An idea suddenly sparked in Lyra’s mind.

She rushed over, putting on her best ’worried employee’ face. "Um... Elena?"

Elena looked up, her smile sweet and guileless. "Hm?"

"Could you help me go get the fresh coffee beans from the storage room? I think we’re running low."

Elena blinked in pure confusion, glancing down at the counter. "But... Lyra, we already have a full bag of fresh beans right here."

Lyra glanced down at the bag sitting perfectly fine right next to Elena’s hand. She realized she’d been caught in a pathetic lie. "...Oh."

She quickly forced a frantic smile. "I-I mean... the other ones! The ones at the very, very bottom of the shelf. They smell... infinitely fresher. Trust me."

Elena looked doubtful, tilting her head. "...Really? I thought these were the same."

Lyra desperately clasped her hands together, practically begging. "Pretty please? I’ll owe you the best dessert in the city after work."

Elena hesitated for a few seconds, looking at the door, then back at Lyra’s desperate expression, before finally nodding. "Alright. I’ll go check."

She disappeared into the back storage room.

Lyra let out a long sigh of relief. Phew... Crisis avoided.

She turned back toward the front counter, ready to handle the customers herself and froze mid-turn.

Alastair Voss was standing at the VIP table, looking directly at her.

Those cold grey eyes hadn’t moved away once.

Lyra felt a thousand goosebumps run down her arms. Why is he staring at me? Did he hear my terrible excuse? Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me he didn’t hear me rambling about ’fresher beans.’

She immediately lowered her head, grabbing a rag and pretending to clean the spotless counter with intense determination. I am a hardworking employee. I am one with the coffee cups. I am an invisible speck of dust. Please don’t notice me.

Just then, the café manager rushed out of the kitchen, his face ghostly pale and dripping with sweat. "Elena!" he hissed, looking around frantically. "Go take the VIP table’s order! Hurry! Don’t keep them waiting for another second!"

At that exact, disastrous moment...

Elena walked out of the storage room, carrying a bag of beans, just as the manager reached the front.

"Oh!" Elena said, seeing the manager’s panic. "I’ll-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Lyra lunged forward, physically stepping in front of Elena.

"I..." Lyra took a deep breath, "I’ll go."

She forced a bright smile that looked a little too tight. "You just stay here and handle the beans, Elena. I’ve got this section covered."

Elena looked confused, glancing between Lyra and the manager. "But-"

"It’s totally okay!" Lyra laughed nervously, practically shoving the notepad into her own pocket. "I’ve got this!"

Inside her head, she was praying to every deity she knew. Please... as long as these two don’t have a ’meet-cute’ today... the plot might still be salvageable.

Unfortunately, the universe was not on her side.

[Ding!]

[Current Mission Difficulty has increased.]

[Good luck, Host. You’re going to need it.]

Lyra took a deep breath, smoothing down the front of her green apron with slightly trembling hands, before forced herself to walk toward the VIP table. She repeated her new survival mantra in her head like a prayer.

Stay calm.

Take the order.

Leave.

Don’t get killed.

Easy... right?

She stopped right beside the dark polished wood of the table and forced a flawlesscustomer-service smile onto her face.

"Welcome to Moonlight Café," she said, her voice soft and polite. "What would you like to order today, gentlemen?"

Her gentle voice echoed clearly through the quiet café, drawing the immediate attention of the men sitting in the booth.

Alastair, who had been focused entirely on reading through a few confidential documents on his tablet, paused. The rhythmic tapping of his fingers stopped.

Slowly... very slowly... he looked up.

Their eyes met for a brief second. His icy grey eyes were completely unreadable. He didn’t say a single word. He just stared.

Lyra felt her heart skip a beat, a chill running down her spine. Why on earth is he staring at me like that? Please don’t stare. Stop looking over here. You’re literally my future murderer!

Despite the internal screaming, she maintained her awkward smile, trying her absolute best not to panic or run away.

One of the scarred men sitting right beside Alastair cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Our boss will just have a black coffee. No sugar." He then quickly listed down the remaining orders for the rest of the bodyguards.

Lyra’s fingers moved rapidly, writing every single item down on her notepad. She nodded politely. "Got it. Your order will be ready very soon."

She didn’t wait another second. Turning around on her heel, she walked back toward the safety of the counter as calmly and naturally as possible. Only after she had put a safe distance between herself and the VIP table did she quietly let out the massive breath she had been holding in her lungs.

Behind her, completely unnoticed by her, Alastair’s intense gaze remained fixed firmly on her retreating figure, watching the sway of her white dress until she completely disappeared behind the counter partition.

One of his subordinates noticed the unusual distraction and smirked, leaning in slightly. "Boss..." he grinned mischievously, nudging his companion. "That waitress was exceptionally pretty, wasn’t she? What if I ask for her number after her work shift ends?"

The arrogant smile hadn’t even fully formed on the subordinate’s face before Alastair slowly turned his head to look at him.

No words were spoken. Just one piercing, deathly cold glance.

The man’s grin disappeared instantly, the color draining from his face. He sat up perfectly straight, sweating. "...I suddenly remembered I am fatally allergic to women. And dating."

The other bodyguards silently looked away, staring intensely at the ceiling or their laps, pretending they hadn’t heard a single thing.

A few minutes later, Lyra returned to the front counter after handing the official order ticket to the kitchen staff. Suddenly, a familiar digital sound chimed.

Ding!

A translucent notification box popped up right in front of her face.

Affection Level: +1

Obsession Level: +2

Lyra froze mid-motion, a coffee cup nearly slipping from her hand. "...Huh?" Her face turned completely pale. Wait... what? Did he already meet the female lead when I wasn’t looking?

Panic swelling, she immediately yelled inside her mind, System! What just happened? Explain this right now!

The System quickly answered in its usual robotic tone.

[Host, please remain calm. The Male Lead only caught a brief, passing glimpse of female lead. This small, insignificant increase is not considered a major plot deviation. According to our historical data calculations, he will most likely forget about her existence very soon.]

Lyra let out a huge, dramatic sigh of relief, leaning against the counter. "Oh, thank goodness. I almost thought the entire storyline was already ruined on day one."

This time, when the kitchen bell rang and the tray of hot coffees was placed on the counter, Lyra didn’t hesitate. She immediately pushed the tray toward a nearby co-worker.

"Hey, can you please take this to Table Seven?"

The worker blinked in confusion, looking at the tray and then at her. "Huh? Isn’t Table Seven your assigned section today?"

Lyra smiled awkwardly, waving her hands. "I just suddenly remembered I have... very important, highly urgent coffee-related work to do back here. Please?"

The worker looked confused by her sudden intensity but shrugged anyway. "Okay, sure."

As the other employee walked over to serve the mafia group, Lyra hid behind the massive espresso machine, secretly peeking through the gaps toward Alastair. Thankfully, the dangerous man didn’t even glance in her direction this time. He was back to looking at his tablet.

Good. Let’s keep it exactly that way, Lyra thought. She honestly didn’t want him remembering her face or her name. Maybe it was because she knew the dark future... that one day, those exact same powerful hands would be the ones to end her life.

Suddenly, a warm hand landed softly on her shoulder.

"Ah!" Lyra nearly jumped straight out of her skin, letting out a small gasp as she spun around rapidly.