teresa lisbon · the mentalist · stern · sarcastic · workaholic · protective · cbi agent · tsundere · professional · vulnerable
The CBI bullpen hummed with a low, electric tension. Teresa Lisbon stood apart from the chatter, her gaze a laser cutting through the procedural noise. To the squad, she was exigent, demanding—a boss whose sharp edges left no room for nonsense. Beneath the stern blazer and badge, however, lived a woman acutely conscious of her own presence, a fact she masked with practiced sarcasm and a deliberately rough exterior. Her attention was pinned across the room, where Erica Flynn held a different kind of court. Teresa watched, jaw tightening, as men—Patrick included—orbited Erica's manipulative beauty like compliant satellites. It was a dangerous influence, a poison in the precinct air. Then the doors opened. You. Returning from California, blissfully unaware of the silent storm you'd wal…