Beyond His Cold Smile

Chapter 2: The Rude Customer and the Wallet

Fenella finished her last transaction, watching the customer walk away with a quiet nod and a soft, polite smile. Just then, Aurora stepped to her side and leaned in to whisper.

“Here he comes again. Make sure he brings his transaction here.”

Fenella turned around—and locked eyes with him instantly. She gave him a ready, pleasant smile. But Xavier suddenly froze, then quickly looked away. A flicker of irritation crossed Fenella’s mind, though she kept her expression calm.

“Open lane here, Sir,” she called out clearly.

Xavier hesitated, pulled back, and turned to walk away.

Fenella shot a sharp look at Aurora. “Don’t you ever make me call that rude guy ever again,” she said firmly.

Aurora laughed at her irritation. They had worked together for years; she knew Fenella was almost never bothered by customers’ behavior. She teased her instead.

“Okay, okay. Next time I’ll just grab his cart myself. Sounds fun?” Aurora said, bending to tidy the scattered baskets on the counter.

Moments later, Aurora did exactly what she said. She met Xavier halfway across the aisle, took hold of his cart gently, and steered him straight toward Fenella’s counter. He was caught off guard, but followed anyway.

The moment Fenella looked up at him again, Xavier’s breath caught in his throat. He stepped back abruptly, ran a hand through his hair, and turned to leave once more.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered without glancing back.

Everyone at the counter stared in shock as he walked away. But Fenella stayed perfectly calm and unbothered. She called out to him evenly, “Shall I keep your items ready, Sir?”

Xavier stopped in his tracks. He turned back and met her eyes. “Yeah… sure.”

While he was gone, Fenella got straight to work scanning his things: mostly expensive bottles of liquor, premium toiletries, plus a few snacks and bars of chocolate. A few minutes later, Xavier returned carrying more large chocolate bars and several bags of assorted snack combos. He handed one bag to her; she scanned it, then passed it back to him without lifting her eyes to look at him.

Throughout the whole transaction, Xavier stood staring at her, utterly confused. How could this woman not glance at him even once? She was completely focused on her work, as if he were just any ordinary customer.

He was used to people gazing at him with awe and admiration wherever he went. He could not understand why Fenella seemed to ignore him entirely. On impulse, he tore open the bag of snacks she had just scanned and started eating them right there beside her counter, hoping to catch her attention or throw her off balance. Still, not a single glance came his way.

Fenella remained completely unaware of his little game and the thoughts behind it—but everyone else at the counter noticed. Staff and nearby customers watched, captivated by the gorgeous man eating snacks as if he were filming a commercial right in front of them.

At last, Fenella looked up. Xavier’s eyes traced over her features; the bright store lights fell softly on her face, showing him how truly beautiful she was.

“That will be two hundred fifty dollars, Sir. Will you be paying by cash or card?” she asked calmly.

A slow smirk tugged at Xavier’s lips. “Can I have a tissue, please?” he said instead.

Fenella handed him one. He wiped the cheese powder from his fingers, then reached into his back pocket and held out his whole wallet to her. Fenella took it automatically—only to realize what she was holding. She looked up at him, confused. Xavier simply picked up another snack and kept eating, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

She held the wallet back out toward him politely. “Sir, I think you’ve given me your entire wallet.”

“I know,” Xavier replied, completely unbothered.

The whole checkout area went dead silent. Every eye turned to Fenella, waiting for her reaction, as she stood there frozen in shock.

Fenella glanced back at Aurora, but the moment their eyes met, Aurora looked away—leaving her alone to deal with this impossible customer. She turned back to Xavier, fixed a polite smile in place, and waited for him to finish eating. For several long seconds, they looked at each other.

Fenella’s thoughts: Come on, just take it already. Get this over with. This is so awkward.

Xavier’s thoughts: What is she thinking right now? Does she even know who I am? What does she really think of me?

Finally, Xavier crumpled the empty snack bag and reached for another tissue to wipe his fingers. He glanced around for a trash bin, but Fenella simply held out her hand for the crumpled bag. Confused, he handed it to her. She passed it to the bagger with a quiet, polite request to throw it away, then turned her gaze back to him and held out his wallet once more. Xavier only looked from the wallet to her—he had absolutely no intention of taking it back.

Fenella sighed and lowered her hand. She glanced again at Aurora, who still refused to meet her eyes, then at Jenny, who mouthed silently, “What’s happening?”

She looked back at Xavier, who stood watching her with an unreadable expression.

“Sir, your wallet. Would you mind taking it back so we can proceed with the payment, please?” she asked, a hint of irritation edging into her voice, though she kept her smile in place.

“Then process the payment,” he answered, dead serious. “You’re the one holding the whole thing right there.”

Fenella stared at him one last time, then opened his wallet. The first things she saw were his licenses, IDs, bank cards—and a thick stack of cash tucked inside. She looked up at him, but he stayed silent, still perfectly calm and unbothered.

“Are you paying cash or card, Sir?” she asked again.

Xavier just shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

A flash of irritation rose in her chest, but she kept her smile steady. “Very well. You’re paying cash then.”

Just then, a woman standing nearby, dressed in a short dress, high heels, and heavy, over-the-top makeup, snapped at Fenella sharply, her voice cutting through the quiet.

“Why are you acting like you’re his wife? Digging money out of a man’s wallet like that!”

The woman leaned far over the counter, deliberately pushing her chest forward and hiking her dress higher to show off her legs, doing everything she could to draw Xavier’s attention.

Xavier glanced at her once, taking in her entire appearance, but said nothing and showed no interest.

Fenella met her gaze calmly and replied with perfect, polite respect, “Would you like to trade places with me then, Ma’am?”

Xavier burst out laughing, not out of cruelty, but from genuine, bright amusement at her quick, sharp answer. The woman’s face burned bright red; she turned and stormed out of the store without another word.

Fenella counted out the change neatly, handed him his wallet, and waited. Xavier took it and slipped it back into his pocket as the transaction was finished. He just stood there, watching her, still utterly captivated by the woman who refused to be impressed by him, no matter what he did.