Chapter 25: Snuggles and troubles

The next week is both complicated and weird. Tris decided to introduce Lincoln to her family, and tried to explain to them that he is like a coach for her until she can figure out her new powers. It was especially weird when Tobias came home one afternoon and found his wife all bloody and bruised up. He almost stomped toward Lincoln, sure that he was the one responsible for his wife's current state, only to see another woman attacking Tris. It was because of Lincoln that Tobias didn't get hurt. Later that evening, Tris explained that Daisy used her Inhuman power to fight, and injure Tris. Lincoln wanted to measure how long it took Tris to heal. Despite not liking this little experiment of the SHIELD agents, Tobias kept his opinion to himself. At least, until he and Tris were in bed that night. She assured him she was fine, and all this was necessary. He only nodded, but was otherwise unconvinced.

"You still don't get it," Tris says frustrated, as they both sit in bed. She was reading her book, while Tobias read a report on his tablet.

"No, I get it," he answers without looking up. Tris reaches for his tablet, and sets it aside on her nightstand. She turns to look at him, but he just stares at the ceiling.

"Regardless of whether or not I ever go on a mission, I need to know my own strength, and find out what powers were unlocked in Sokovia. One day, my life might depend on it," she says, as calmly as she can. It is still difficult for her to express what she is feeling, what she is needing, but this has to be done, even if he doesn't like it.

Tobias sighs loudly. Deep down he knows she is right, but every time he sees her hurt makes him feel a terrible pain in his heart. He came to love her so much, he was physically in pain when she wasn't there. He turns his entire body to face her, and just stares.

"I just hate seeing you hurt."

"I know. But neither Lincoln nor Daisy would ever put my life in danger. I trust them completely. Lincoln has been an Inhuman the longest, and Daisy is one of the strongest of us. They are the perfect coaches I need to figure things out. They won't go too easy, pushing me to my limit, but rest assured they would never hurt me unless it is absolutely necessary."

Tobias remains silent, still staring at her. While her words sound logical, his heart says that is bull shit, and they should just stop with this ridiculous training. Sensing that he still has objections, Tris tries to spark his own curiosity.

"Tobias, during the battle at Sokovia, I literally started floating. I used my wings, and I don't even know how. The ability is there, I just need to figure out how it works, and how I can control it. Imagine that one day this new found ability could save me, like from crashing to the ground. I don't have a fancy suit like Tony or a magic hammer that can make you fly, like Thor," she tries to explain.

He opens his mouth, wanting to counter, but it is futile. She is not only right, she is damn stubborn. He nods his head.

"But you can't tell me not to be upset about it," he finally says, lying back pouting. Tris smiles. She turns off the lamp on her side, and snuggles close to him.

"I'm not telling you anything. I would be just as upset if the roles would have been reversed. This is a good thing, though. Trust me," she tells him.

She lays her head on his shoulder, his arm holding her tight against him. He reaches out his other arm to turn off the lamp on his side, and the room is enveloped by darkness. Tris wishes she could ease his mind a little, but the training is necessary.

The following morning, Tobias wakes up early and goes to make breakfast for him and his wife. His father had informed him that he needed to see them both early, since, apparently, Stevenson had a new potential client. This time they had even less information on the man Stevenson wanted to add to the company, and that made both Marcus and Tobias nervous. Last time, they got lucky, so to speak. But who is to say it would work a second time.

"Morning, honey," Tris says coming into the kitchen, and getting the orange juice out of the fridge.

"Morning, babe. Did you sleep well?" he asks, kissing her cheek.

"Yeah. Though I missed having you to snuggle against when I woke up," she says chuckling.

"You know, for a badass SHIELD agent you sure are all lovey-dovey in the morning," he tells her with a smug grin on his face.

"Look who's talking," she counters, as she reaches up to get a glass. Tobias helps her, since she couldn't reach the one she wanted, making her groan in frustration. Why did she have to be so petite? "Thanks. As I was saying, you are a lot worse. You aren't just lovey-dovey in the morning, but all day long. You are attached to me like Velcro," she says, pouring herself a glass of OJ. Tobias hands her a second glass for himself, which she fills immediately with the fresh, cold beverage.

"It's not my fault my wife is so darn sexy, and I love her so much," he states. It has become a sweet and endearing habit of theirs to randomly tell each other how much they loved the other. They were both happy, and just decided to make the most of their relationship. Both were well aware that her job might call her back one day, especially with that threat looming over their heads. But for the time being they would be husband and wife, and enjoy it.

Within the hour, Tris and Tobias eat, shower, and get to work. They immediately go into Marcus's office to see what the Eaton patriarch wanted. After exchanging pleasantries, Marcus explains that Stevenson has a new potential partner for the company, but kept details about him and his business a secret. No one from the board knew anything and was just told by Stevenson that it would be a pleasant surprise.

They didn't have much time to speculate about what new scumbag Stevenson might bring into the company, when Marcus's secretary knocked on the door, and reminded him the meeting is about to start.

The three Eatons left Marcus's office and walked together into the conference room, where Marcus sat at the head of the table, with Tobias to his right, and Tris right next to her husband. Soon, everyone was there, except for Stevenson and the mystery investor. Tris noticed the other board members whispering, and wondering who Stevenson would bring, but from what she could understand none of the men here was very excited to meet this stranger. It seems that the fiasco from last time left them wondering if Stevenson was even the right man to find potential new clients or partners for the company.

When Stevenson finally entered the room, he pointedly glared at Tris, whom he deemed unnecessary in a conference room, other than for serving drinks. He was really an old school misogynist, who absolutely hated the idea of a woman having any kind of say in this man's world. Unfortunately for him, Tris wasn't going anywhere, and silently made it her secret goal to get rid of this man. If it were up to her, she would hunt him down like a rabid dog and shoot him between the eyes. But as it so happens, she lived in a country with laws.

Everyone watched the Asian middle-aged man enter the room, who Stevenson introduced as Mr. Yamamoto, a realtor from Tokyo, but who made his primary fortune from selling an algorithm to one of Japan's top software companies. Not wanting to seem suspicious, Tris pulled out a notepad from her purse, and started taking notes while Stevenson introduced the foreigner, and then the latter explained his interest in working with her father-in-law's company. Tris could tell that everyone was waiting for her to say something, since last time she really prevented a disaster, which Stevenson surely managed to come out of as a fooled idealist. Some of the board members believed Stevenson's explanation that he really had no idea what Petrov did, while others looked at him suspiciously.

"Arigato, Yamamoto-san(1)," Tris said, bowing her head. She then proceeded to talk to Yamamoto in his native Japanese, once again leaving the others just speechless.

"Your Japanese is exquisite," Yamamoto tells her, as they continue to converse. At first, Tris was just polite, thanking him for showing an interest in the company, and making sure to make his presentation as eloquent as possible.

"Arigato," comes Tris's immediate response. Telling him that the board will have to look over the balances and several other reports the Japanese businessman brought with him, she also invites him to her father-in-laws estate for dinner tonight. Yamamoto thanks her for the invitation, stating he'll be there together with his wife.

Adjourning the meeting, once again leaving the board members somewhat confused, Stevenson escorts Yamamoto out, happy with the outcome of this first meeting.

"We had questions," one of the board members says, a little harsh as Tris gathers her things.

"Really? How accurate would they have been, given that we just received a small package of information?" she asks a little condescending. Marcus, sensing a storm brewing, immediately jumps in.

"Besides, we don't want to look too eager. The gentleman was very nice in telling us what he expects and what he can offer, but we still need to analyze all this data," he says pointing at the folders in front of them. Thankfully, several others agree with him, and Tris proceeds to tell them she invited Yamamoto and his wife to her father-in-law for dinner.

"I hope you don't mind," she adds, looking at the older man.

"Of course not. I will call Evelyn and tell her about our guests."

"We should come too," the same board member says.

"No. It'll be a casual meeting. No business talk. Mr. Yamamoto seems a serious person, with serious intentions. If everything in these folders checks out, he could be a new partner here. But we shouldn't rush things," she argues.

"I see where Jeff is coming from," the board member mutters.

"If you have something to say to me, then say it," Tris counters harshly. He remains silent, which pisses her more off than an insult.

"Last time, all of you were very eager to jump at the opportunity to include Petrov in your business dealings without as much as a background check. Tell me, when you hire someone to work here, don't you ask for a resume and references? Or do you hire people based on how hot they look?" Tris asks, making a disgusted face.

"I don't appreciate that tone, young lady," he bites back. Tobias is clenching his fists, and wants to jump in, when Tris unleashes on him.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that. I'm not the one who is eager to boost the finances of this company to cover up losses that are my responsibility. I'm not the one who gambled with the company's money, and lost at the track. I'm not the one who lied in court about his income to weasel my way out of paying child support. I'm not the one indebted. I'm not the one who borrowed money from the mob. And I am certainly not your mistress to be pushed around. If you take that tone with me one more time, I will send the mob to you so quickly, you will beg me to kill you before they do."

It was so quiet in the room, you could hear a needle fall to the ground. No one ever heard Tris raise her voice to anyone other than Stevenson, let alone make such a specific threat, followed by allegations. The tone of her voice in itself was deadly, and even though everyone in that room was a grown man, they all agreed, she was scary when you pissed her off.

The man who dared challenge the young Eaton felt his world crumble. Color fled his face, he started sweating, and breathing heavily. He couldn't figure out how she knew all that. Tris knew her attack on him might jeopardize her cover. Until now, everyone knew her as the multi-lingual computer-wiz with business skills. But it became clear to anyone that there was more to Tris Eaton than meets the eye. She was dangerous, and now everyone knew it.

As for Tris, she couldn't back down anymore. She had to go with the flow. If anyone would ask, she would say she had hired a private eye to investigate everyone at the company because some things were just fishy. Fortunately, she had evidence to back her up, and she could always find someone to impersonate a private detective.

"You can't prove," the man starts saying, but Tris interrupts him.

"Don't be so sure. Not to mention, the mob doesn't need much prove," she adds, her tone deadly, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion.

Without another word, the man gets up, and leaves the room, leaving the rest in there just speechless. Sensing an awkwardness settling over his partners and friends, Marcus tries to defuse the tension, but Hamilton asks the inevitable question.

"How did you know all this? What proof do you have? I know Marcus thinks very highly of you, but you have been with our company for a short while. You can't just go and accuse all the board members," he says sternly, feeling that both Eaton men are too lenient with the newcomer.

Tris sits down, and leans against her chair rest. She stares at Hamilton, and then scans the entire room. She takes a deep breath, not wanting to jump to their throats and killing them herself, despite not being too far away from doing so. One of the things Tris despises the most is incompetence, and these men seemed to be heading that way.

"I agree. I am new to this company, and under normal circumstances I wouldn't go around accusing anyone. But here is the difference between what you think is true and what actually is. Everything I said about your partner is true. Or do you think he just left the room pale, and trembling because he got a fever?" Tris asks, glaring at Hamilton. "I don't go around accusing people, unless I have evidence. As for Mr. Stevenson, despite the obvious tension between me and him, my grudge against him isn't personal. I am cautious around him. Why? I'll tell you why. Last time, he brought Mr. Petrov to this company who turned out to be a dubious character. Given that he was wanted for several crimes in Russia didn't make him a favorite candidate for becoming a partner here," she says, leaving the others speechless. They suspected something shady about Petrov, but were never given details about him. "As to all your concerns about my bluntness and yes, even rudeness, I had hired a private detective to investigate this company. I think we don't have to hide amongst ourselves. You all know that my marriage was arranged. Therefore, I needed to know more about this family, and their company. Nevertheless, things have changed since then. What started out as a mission of self-preservation, turned into a mission to save this company. You can choose to either believe me or not, but as long as I can, I will fight for this company. Marcus and Tobias opened their home to me, and they are now my family. To me, that is the most important thing in the world. Anyone who looks to hurt my family in any way becomes my enemy. And rest assured, I will strike a deal with the devil to keep my family safe."

Silence. No one is speaking. Both Marcus and Tobias don't know what to say or if to react at all. One of the board members, Mr. Jones, leans closer on the conference table, watching Tris intently.

"Since you are so honest, and blunt, why don't you tell us why we should trust your judgement, and not Stevenson's?" he asks. He doesn't seem malicious or looking down at her, but genuinely interested to see why they should entrust decision making to this young woman.

"You shouldn't. That's the point. You just rely on others to do your job. None of you, including my husband and father-in-law, bothered to fact check anything put in front of you. At first, I didn't say anything, given that I just started working here. But when Mr. Stevenson decided to expand your business, bringing in dubious characters, I realized just how passive you all are. While it is true, you can't immediately know everything about a potential business partner, like in any relationship you ask questions, get to know the person, and based on that decide if a relationship is viable or not. But that could just be me," she says frustrated with the men before her.

"What do you suggest we do?" Mr. Michaels, another board member who is sitting right next to her asks. Tris turns her head to look him in the eyes.

"Gentlemen, I know that my presence here is disturbing to you. Don't think I don't know what you truly think of me. The trophy wife for the boss's son. The girl who is better off making coffee and looking pretty or better yet at home cleaning, cooking and ready to be fucked once the man of the house is back. But here is something you don't know about me. I have worked with diplomats, businessmen and innovators for a long time. I have learned how the world works, and I have learned to read people. If you think I got my previous jobs because I look pretty or might have sucked some dick then you are wrong. I speak a variety of languages, including sign language, and I was trained to read micro-expressions. How many people do you know that can do that? Let me be clear. I do not seek to change your business. I do not seek to replace any of you. If that's what you think," she says, looking around. Some of them look away ashamed. "The only thing I want is for this company to be successful, and for my family to be happy. But if the board so decides, I am willing to take a step back. Since my husband's secretary is about to take her maternity leave very soon, I will take her place. I will be just another assistant, and the only thing you'll hear from me is 'do you want sugar or cream'," she says angry.

Tris gets up, and leaves the conference room. She walks straight toward her husband's office, and slams the door behind her. She quickly takes out her phone and texts Marcus to side with the board members, saying that while he trusts her good intentions, she might be a little too eager to help. Opening her laptop, Tris types in her password, and accesses the video feed of the conference room. Thankfully, Marcus saw her text, and does as she asked, while Tobias protests.

"Enough! I've made up my mind," he says harshly to his son. But then his gaze softens, and he asks him to check on Tris. Moments later, Tobias enters his office, finding Tris sitting cross-legged on the couch.

"I'm sorry about all that," he says.

"Don't be. It's all part of my plan," she says with a wink. He gives her a curious look, and then sits down. He can now see that she is watching the conference room, and what is going on.

"Might sharing some intel with me?" he asks, using military jargon. Tris chuckles, and proceeds to explain that while it didn't start out this way this morning, seeing the board members' reluctance to trust her, she saw no other way then to cause a scene, and back down. She explains that she will find out all she can about Yamamoto, and if he is like Petrov, she will make sure he gets out of the picture as soon as possible. If, however, the man is legit, she will stand down. "What if partnering up with Yamamoto will cause trouble to the company?" Tobias asks concerned.

"We'll deal with that later. Let us see where this is going."

Tobias isn't quite convinced that this is the right way, but decides to trust her. So far, she had good instincts, and with the surveillance they had on everyone they could plan long term ahead. Plus, something told him his badass wife had a trick or two up her sleeve.

(1) Thank you, Mr. Yamamoto.