Chapter 1
After my boss's unattainable first love came back to the country, I ended up as her personal bodyguard.
She held his arm, looked me up and down, and spoke to him in a cloyingly sweet tone.
"Nate, your female bodyguard is so cool. Can you assign her to protect me?" she asked.
Then she turned to me with a cold smirk, lowering her voice.
She sneered, "Don't think I don't know what women like you are thinking.
"Stay away from Nathan, or you'll regret it."
I was confused.
I was just a paid employee. Nothing more.
I figured she was totally delusional.
*****
Soon after Nathan Reed's unattainable first love came back to the country, I got switched to a new post.
One second, I was Nathan's elite close-protection bodyguard.
And the next, I was assigned as Sophia Quinn's personal bodyguard.
Nathan sounded kind of resigned. "Sophia just got back home. She's feeling insecure and extra sensitive."
He hesitated for a moment before adding, "You're the most reliable. Nobody can match your skills, and you always pay attention to little things.
"Stay with her for a few days. Once she's done with all the wild ideas, I'll switch you back."
I stood at attention and nodded.
"Understood, Mr. Reed. I'll make sure Ms. Quinn is safe," I replied.
Inside, I saw right through the act.
The "insecurity" and "sensitiveness" were just a cover.
At last night's welcome-back party, the moment Sophia laid eyes on me, she held Nathan's arm like I'd come to steal her man.
"Nate, your female bodyguard is so cool. She's gorgeous, totally stylish, and her presence is just so commanding," she gushed.
"Can you assign her to protect me? I just got back and I'm really scared, you know?" she added, her voice sugar-sweet.
Nathan let out a soft laugh.
He gave her hand a gentle pat. "Claire's a true professional, and honestly, I really can't manage without her on my side.
"I'll arrange someone else for you, guaranteed to be first-rate. How does that sound?"
Sophia pouted, playing the cute card, her tone oozing sweetness.
"Nate, level with me. Are you keeping Ms. Chapin by your side just because she's top-notch?" she pressed.
She checked me out, her eyes lingering on me, clearly judging every inch.
She added, "Honestly, she's so pretty. If I were you, I wouldn't be eager to hand her over, either.
"Besides, everyone knows that in novels, it's always the female bodyguard who gets close to the hero first.
Nathan's brows furrowed, his voice turning cold.
"Sophia, Claire is a highly paid professional I brought in, so cut it out," he said.
Sophia's eyes instantly filled with tears.
They stayed on the verge of spilling, making her look especially miserable.
"But the way she looks at you isn't innocent at all. She stares like she's totally obsessed, so focused and tense. As a woman, I can feel it," she complained.
She continued, voice wavering, "Nate, if you don't love me anymore, I'll go.
"Why do you need a gorgeous bodyguard sticking to you around the clock? Are you trying to torture me?"
I subconsciously touched my face. Years of bodyguard training had left me with a permanent poker face.
And the way I looked at Nathan?
That was just professional vigilance—habit, not flirting.
Even a random stray dog passing by got the same threat scan if I was on duty.
And yet she managed to turn all that into her own personal melodrama.
Nathan rubbed his temples, clearly exasperated.
"So what will it take for you to believe Claire is just my bodyguard?" he asked, sounding at his wit's end.
"Just transfer her to me," Sophia replied without missing a beat, sounding utterly certain she had Nathan all figured out.
"If she's staying right where I can see her, I'll trust you. Otherwise, you've definitely got something to hide," she insisted.
As she said that, tears started filling her eyes again, like she was about to break down right there.
Nathan's brows snapped together.
Recently, Nathan had started getting weird, unsettling threats.
He knew my job was more important than ever, and he couldn't let me leave him.
But there was no way Sophia was backing down any time soon.
After a moment of tense silence, Nathan finally relented, sounding reluctantly agreeable. He said, "Seven days.
"Claire can stay with you for seven days, but after that, she's coming back to work for me."
At that, Sophia's mood did a complete one-eighty. She beamed, chirping sweetly, "Okay."
When she looked at me, I caught a glint of victory and a silent warning.
And just like that, I got shipped off to be her personal bodyguard.
It was fine by me.
As long as the paycheck landed in my account, triple overtime was nothing to sneeze at.
It didn't matter who I was protecting. A job was a job.
But I seriously underestimated Sophia's knack for causing chaos and the wildness of her imagination.
Her "novel syndrome" was already in full-blown late stage, way beyond anything I'd bargained for.