"I'm here!" Lyon entered with a bright smile, looking like a snowball in his fluffy outfit.
Noah stood up to greet him, exchanging pleasantries. "Have you eaten yet?"
Jay had just come back from taking out the trash. Seeing an extra person in the shop, he asked, "Has this customer already placed an order?"
Lyon turned to look at Jay and replied slowly, "I'm not a customer. You must be the barista Noah hired, right?"
He gave Jay a once-over with his amber-colored eyes and added, "I look forward to working with you."
Jay extended his hand with a polite smile. "The pleasure's mine."
Lyon stared at Jay's well-manicured nails before placing his hand in Jay's, only to pull it back with a swift motion.
"We don't have any extra aprons here," Noah said, scrolling through his phone to look up some options. "Should I order one for you?"
There was the sound of a zipper, and Lyon replied, "I came prepared. I even brought my own apron, complete with a caramel pudding I sewed myself."
Lyon held up the apron to his chest and asked, "How does it look?"
The pink apron was soft, with two frilly pockets, each embroidered with a cute, sweet pudding.
"It suits you perfectly," Noah answered.
Jay frowned. He wasn't that bad-looking, was he? Sure, he had gained a little weight lately, but he didn't think it was to the point of being unappealing.
Yet, this omega—who he had just met—was already rejecting him!
Seeing the two of them getting along so well, Jay felt a pang of bitterness.
"Really?" Lyon asked, taking off his fluffy outer jacket to reveal a warm yellow sweater underneath. "Jay, can you tie this for me?"
Jay nearly rolled his eyes. He could tie the knot himself without any problem, but Lyon insisted on asking for help.
Still, he respected Lyon's request and did as asked, watching as Lyon's smile deepened while he tied a bow on the apron.
Noah led Lyon around, familiarizing him with the store's layout and explaining the different cakes they sold.
Lyon, with his small head nodding continuously, held a tiny notebook, scribbling down notes quickly.
Noah thought he had explained everything in detail, but life was unpredictable, and things could change at any moment.
Before long, the first wave of customers arrived.
"Don't you have class this afternoon?" Jay asked, looking at his sister, who was followed by her best friend.
Tina looped her arm through her friend's. "It's your first official day at work, so I came to check it out."
Gigi, who was linked to Tina, looked at the three of them with some disappointment. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Will the other barista be coming back?"
Noah quickly realized who she was referring to. "He's taking a break for a while. He'll be back once things settle down."
Gigi nodded. "I see..."
"Come on, let's figure out what you want to eat. You don't have class, and the atmosphere here is great. I can even take some pictures for you."
The voice belonged to a girl with a ponytail, a Sony camera hanging from her neck, though the model wasn't clear.
Lyon spoke up first, "If you need someone to take pictures, I can help."
He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the album. "These are some shots I transferred from my camera. Have a look, tell me what you think."
Though his tone was questioning, Lyon's confidence was unmistakable.
"Wow! The lighting and composition are amazing! I'd trust you with my camera any day," one of the girls exclaimed.
"If you want to take photos, I'd recommend the blueberry yogurt mousse. The side view looks beautiful, with lovely layers, and the low-saturation purple won't overpower the shot."
Noah watched Lyon smoothly pitch the product, his opinion of the freshly graduated omega shifting.
After collecting everyone's opinions, Tina said, "Two mochas, one cappuccino, and one latte—all hand-brewed, please."
"..."
Jay stared at his sister's innocent expression, clenching his teeth so hard he thought they might break.
Oh, so this was how she was going to show her brother some "special care," huh?
While waiting for the coffee to brew, Lyon picked up his camera and began taking pictures of the four girls sitting at the table.
...
Lyon was incredibly patient, offering gentle guidance to help the girls bring out more of their personality in the photos.
As they waited for the coffee, Tina twirled her hair. "Why is it taking so long? Looks like you're still getting the hang of it."
Jay tightened his grip on the tray, silently reminding himself to stay calm.
He had made up his mind: tonight, he wasn't getting up to cook midnight snacks for his cheeky younger sister.
"This pistachio cream is absolutely delicious, so smooth and not overly sweet, and the pistachio flavor is just perfect!"
"Yeah, yeah, and the blueberry and strawberry ones are also really good. Honestly, this café hasn't missed a single time."
"Plus, this guy's photography skills are on point!" Zoe said, giving Lyon a thumbs-up.
"Thank you for the compliments, and we look forward to seeing you again next time."
All four of them nodded in agreement, promising to return.
"Remember to stock up the midnight snack cupboard at home! There are only two squid balls left, and I love those."
Tina said this before leading her friends out, their group leaving with a lively air.
Watching the interaction between Tina and Jay, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were close, probably very familiar with each other.
Wait!
Noah suddenly had a bold thought and pulled out his phone to scroll through Tina's Moments.
But there was no luck.
It read, "Friends can only view Moments from the past three days."
As more customers started to arrive, Noah decided to put the thought aside.
He realized that, apart from the initial clumsiness with packing, Lyon was impeccable in every other regard.
He treated every customer with a warm attitude and a polite smile. Even when faced with difficult customers, Lyon remained calm and composed.
Not only that, but Lyon also remembered every coffee name and flavor Noah had taught him earlier, and was able to recommend the right choices for first-time visitors.
Noah had to admit, aside from his family background, Lyon was genuinely a great person.
"Where do you live?"
Lyon was wiping the sweat from his neck. "I live in that small neighborhood nearby. The apartment is perfect for one person."
Two rooms—one for sleeping and the other turned into a walk-in closet. It was just the right size.
Lyon didn't like big houses. If it were too large, it would feel empty.
Just then, a tall man in black appeared, and Noah froze. How had he appeared so silently, without even ringing the doorbell?
Or had Noah just not noticed?
"You don't need to pick me up. It's just a two-minute walk. Besides, didn't I tell you to transfer to the company?"
Lyon furrowed his brow in displeasure. "Or is it that my mother doesn't trust me and refused to let you transfer me?"
He pulled out his phone and started dialing. "I'm an adult now, I can't stay under her wing forever."
"Young master, you don't need to call madam. I refused the transfer. I didn't want to go."
The man, trained and expressionless, remained firm.
"What's the problem? If it's the salary, I can talk to the company. Your abilities deserve a higher price."
The man didn't respond and wouldn't yield. "Young master, I'm here to take you home."
Lyon knew there were things he couldn't say here.
Reluctantly, he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll head home now. See you tomorrow."
Once they left, Jay muttered, "Is this how the young master experiences life?"
Noah didn't respond, since he had just considered asking if he wanted to go back together. It seemed that wasn't needed anymore.
"We should get going too. Let's head home."
As soon as they entered the house, Lyon lost his temper. "What's going on, William?! Do you not listen to me anymore?!"
William rarely defied Lyon, but when it came to his safety, he would never compromise.
"Protecting the young master's safety is my duty."
"You should be listening to me. Don't go behind my back and do things against my will. Besides, you weren't born just to protect me."
William remained silent. He had been assigned to Lyon's side as soon as he could remember.
"Do you hate me, William?"
Lyon nearly lost it. How did this have anything to do with hating him?!
For some reason, he couldn't control his temper around William.
"I don't hate you! If I hated you, could you have stayed by my side all these years? I'm not a masochist; I wouldn't keep someone I hate close to me."
Despite William's usual impassive demeanor, like wearing an emotionless mask, Lyon could still detect the slight droop at the corner of his lips—a hint of hurt and dejection.
"Protecting you is my duty."
Lyon sighed, realizing that he couldn't win this battle.
"Fine, just come with me," he muttered, resigning to the situation.
At home, William usually slept in the room closest to Lyon's. However, this room was already used as a walk-in closet, and Lyon would never yield on that.
Glancing at the living room's small couch, barely 1.6 meters long, Lyon couldn't bear the thought of having his 1.88-meter bodyguard curled up in such a cramped space.
That was humiliating!
It made it seem like he was poor and living in poverty.
"You can move all the clothes from that room into the living room," Lyon ordered.
There wasn't any need for a guest room anyway. The living room was meant to welcome guests, so it might as well serve another purpose.