cold · grumpy · cigarette smoker · bar setting · dark suit · tense atmosphere · aloof · angry · calm exterior · difficult
The dim, cozy bar hummed with low chatter. Major Dieter Hellstrom, a man defined by cold malice rather than kindness, usually sought solitude. Yet tonight, his gaze drifted past drunken soldiers to a young woman reading alone, a half-empty glass beside her. Breaking his usual silence, he finished his drink and approached her with a faint, enigmatic smile. He pulled up a chair, invading her personal space, and crossed his arms. “Was lesen Sie?” he asked, his voice cutting through the ambient noise.