Natale Gentile strolled confidently into her favourite boutique, confident that she would soon be walking out with yet another beautiful outfit or accessory.
This particular boutique, owned by the internationally renowned Vongola, was one she had been frequenting for years now, and it had a clientele of similar social standing to her, so she had no need to worry about the rabble pestering her.
Brushing back a strand of platinum blond hair, she took slow steps forward, looking long and hard through at the clothes on display, which were as amazing as usual.
"Good evening madam."
Natale looked up at the unfamiliar voice, slightly startled.
The voice was young and slightly accented, but cultured.
The man standing next to her couldn't have been older than twenty, but he carried himself like someone much older, with a confidence Natale envied.
His lips were stretched into a sweet smile, and his soft, shoulder-length brown hair was tied back into a neat ponytail.
"Is there anything in particular you are looking for today?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side in question.
"Just browsing," replied Natale, studying the young man.
He wore a dark grey, pinstriped waistcoat over a crisp, pastel orange dress shirt. His pants were the same shade as the waistcoat, and paired with the outfit were shiny black dress shoes and a neat black tie tucked into the waistcoat.
Natale often rather disliked young people – they were always so arrogant – but this young man appeared to be one of the few that she didn't mind.
The bell over the door chimed just then, and the young man's eyes flicked over for a moment before returning to Natale.
"If you find yourself needing any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask," he said, bowing his head slightly, before politely excusing himself to go greet the other customer.
However, while he was showing the other customer their new spring collection, the bell chimed again, and Natale looked over to see that someone absolutely frightful had just entered the store.
He had messy silver hair, and stormy grey-green eyes. He was wearing a tank top that exposed two tattoo sleeves, and both of his hands had several rings on them.
When his angry, glaring eyes met hers, Natale instinctively took a step back, clutching her purse closer to herself.
Letting out a snort, he looked away and continued walking...right into the back room.
Alarmed, Natale looked over at the young employee she had been talking to earlier, wondering if he had seen.
But he was still helping the other customer.
Natale watched and waited for him to finish for a minute.
And when he was done, he seemed o see her staring, as he approached, looking somewhat concerned.
"Are you alright, madam?" he asked, tilting his head to the side questioningly.
"A-a-a-" she stuttered, pointing toward the back room, and the employee's brows furrowed in confusion.
"A delinquent just walked into your back room!" she exclaimed.
The young man's eyebrows rose to his hairline, his expression showing shock.
He started walking towards the back room, his body tensed as if ready for a confrontation.
And at just that moment, the delinquent from before came out, except he looked completely different.
His long silver hair was tied neatly back, and he was now wearing an outfit similar to the brown-haired employee Natale had just been talking to. Except that his waistcoat didn't have pinstripes, and his dress shirt was a deep red.
His rings were gone too, and his scowl had smoothed out into a welcoming smile that, nevertheless, seemed vaguely threatening in Natale's eyes.
"I apologize for being late, Boss," said the former delinquent, who now practically looked presentable. "There were a few things I had to take care of first."
The young brunet had immediately relaxed upon seeing the man, and now there was a fond smile on his face.
"No problem at all, Hayato. I know how busy you've been lately," he said, and Natale's jaw dropped to the ground.
The delinquent, Hayato, had called the young brunet "Boss."
Which meant that this child was the one that had taken over after the previous manager had retired?
Natale would have been more impressed at his achievement, if only he hadn't hired that...hoodlum to work at such a respectable establishment.
Suddenly, the brunet's head whipped towards her, almost as if he had read her thoughts.
"Do you have a problem with my employee, madam?" he asked, his formerly friendly voice suddenly with an edge to it.
Furrowing her brows, Natale felt her lips twist downwards into a frown.
"I do, in fact," she said, looking down her nose at the two of them. "I don't think the owner would be very pleased to know you are employing someone like him at this fine establishment."
The manager's eyes widened in shock and anger, as if he couldn't believe what she had said.
The aforementioned hoodlum, however, only smirked.
"Hey genius," he said. "The guy you're talking to is the tenth head of the Vongola. He is the owner."
Natale stared at him, trying to process what he had just said.
She stared.
And she stared.
And she stared.
And when his words had finally sunk in, the blood drained out of her face.
She looked back and forth between the silver-haired delinquent and the young brunet, who were now bickering about how "You don't have to tell that to everyone that comes in here, Hayato!"
They seemed to have completely forgotten she was there.
And she took that as a chance to make her escape, her facing burning in embarrassment.
Well, looks like she was never coming to this particular store again.
SkyGem: Ahahaha! That was a fun one to write! Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, yeah? Ciao!