Elena pulled out her phone and dialed her driver with shaky fingers.
"Good evening—"
"Where are you?" she cut in, voice tight.
"Ma'am, I'm—"
"Please come right away. I'm sending you the address location."
She hung up before he could say another word. Barely ten minutes later, Raymond's car pulled up. Elena didn't wait. She hurried out and slid into the back seat.
"Good evening, ma'am," Raymond said quietly.
"Please take me home."
"Okay, ma."
But the moment the words left her mouth, fear twisted in her chest. The thought of everything crashing down around her—Harlan's rage, Drake's shadow, her grandpa's life at stake, trouble at home, the weight of the company—made her stomach drop. No, she can't go home tonight; she needs a companion. Besides that she needed protection.
"Please stop the car."
Raymond eased to the curb and turned slightly, but he didn't ask why. He just waited, curious but silent.
Elena's eyes stayed glued to her phone screen. She took a deep breath and pressed the call button for Alexander's number.
The ring cut through Alexander's complaining. He glanced at the unknown number and muttered, "Who is this again?" In an instant, the carefree playboy vanished. His expression hardened. His eyes sharpened.
The war god in him surfaced again.
One hand slipped into his pocket, his posture straightening—calm, alert, curious.
He answered the call.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Elena."
His serious mask cracked the second he heard her voice. The easy grin slipped back on. "Yes, I remember."Need my help with something again?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Elena drew in a small breath, steadying herself. "Don't joke around," she said softly. "You need to be more careful… about your life."
Alexander's expression shifted.
She hesitated for just a second, then asked,
"Do you have a job right now?"
"I— I…" Alexander stammered. He hadn't expected that. Saying no would make him look jobless and small. Saying yes meant he'd have to prove it later. He scrambled for time. "What do you mean?"
"Forget it," Elena said, reading him easily. "It's obvious you don't have a steady job, or the one you have doesn't pay much."
Her words hit him like a punch. Shy? He thought, anger flashing. He pulled the phone from his ear for a second, staring at it hard like he could warn her through the screen, but the words stuck in his throat.
"Hello? Are you still there?"
"Yes!" He forced out a laugh. "What did you say again?"
Elena repeated it slowly. "I said, would you like to work at Carter Group?"
"Oh! Yes— I mean, no— yes." The words tumbled out before he could stop them.
"Come to my office tomorrow morning. You'll be working as my personal bodyguard."
"Me?" he asked.
"Yes, you. Who else? Don't worry, I'll pay you well. Starting at one hundred thousand."
He stayed quiet at first.
"Okay, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
"Not enough?"
"No, it's enough. More than enough," he said quickly.
"Good. See you in my office by 8 a.m."
She ended the call.
Alexander sighed, shaking his head as he stood on the sidewalk.
"This lady… a minute ago you were scared for my life, and the next second you want me as your bodyguard?"
He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched against the night chill. His mind drifted back to his master again, the old man's face hovering in his thoughts like an unwanted ghost.
Anger boiled up fast. He stopped walking, tilted his head back, and shouted into the empty street, voice raw and loud.
"Old man! Next time you show up, no drink for you until you tell me something useful!"
The words carried power he didn't mean to unleash. The air around him thickened. Thunder cracked overhead like a whip, shaking the windows of nearby buildings. Lightning flashed across the sky, turning night into harsh daylight for a split second. The ground seemed to rumble under his feet.
Alexander froze, eyes wide. He looked up at the rolling clouds, heart pounding. "Shit…"
Then his master's face appeared clearly in his mind, floating like smoke in the air.
"You brat," the old voice growled, sharp with irritation. "Your power is terrifying. Why are you shouting like that? Are you planning to tear down my mountain?" The tone shifted, turning stern. "Stop complaining. Unless you want to come back to the mountain and forget about your parents."
"You—" Alexander pointed at the empty air right in front of him, finger shaking with frustration. "Are you even human?"
"And you," Liang Taihe shot back without missing a beat, "are you even a man? Go find a wife. Then we can talk like father and son."
"Who is your son?" Alexander fired back, still pointing at nothing, voice cracking with anger.
Liang Taihe didn't answer. The face simply faded away, leaving only the quiet night behind.
Alexander dropped his hand slowly, staring at the spot where the image had been. He let out a long, bitter breath. "What is wrong with that old man? I told him I'm not ready yet, but he won't listen." He kept grumbling under his breath as he continued walking home, kicking at loose stones on the sidewalk, the thunder still echoing faintly in the distance.
Meanwhile, Elena was still parked on the side of the road, heart racing. She had dialed her friend's number nine times already. On the tenth try, it finally went through.
"Hello?" Nadia's voice came on.
"Nadia," Elena said quickly.
"I'm fine, dear. And you?"
"I'm fine," Elena answered, but the words felt hollow.
"About that personal bodyguard you asked me to help find," Nadia went on, "someone mentioned a martial arts master who just moved to San Francisco."
"Really?"
"Yes, Elena."
"But I already hired one."
"And you didn't tell me?" Nadia sounded surprised.
"I just hired him a few minutes ago, before I called you."
"Hmm. But are you sure he's strong? Is he a real master? You know you don't need some random guy who claims to be Superman just because you have money."
"I know he's good," Elena said. "But don't worry. When he comes tomorrow, I can give him another job."
"Better," Nadia replied.
"The real reason I called… I'm coming over to spend the night at your place. I'm on my way."
"Alright. Just drive carefully."
"Take me to my friend's place," Elena told Raymond.
"Okay, ma'am."
They drove through the quiet streets until they reached Nadia's building. Elena thanked her driver softly and stepped out. Raymond nodded and pulled away.
Nadia was already waiting at the door, arms open. The two women hugged tightly.
"What happened?" Nadia asked, pulling back to look at her. "I got scared when you said you were coming over."
"It's Drake."
"Drake?" Nadia frowned, trying to remember. "Oh, you mean that guy who keeps following you around?"
"Yes, him," Elena said.
"What does he want this time? Haven't you already told him you're not interested?"
Elena stayed quiet.
"By the way, who's this person you hired? I was thinking we could set up a little test match between him and the one I found. So we'd know who's really strong enough to guard you. Who knows he is more than what we might think of him."
Elena looked at her sharply, face serious. "There's no need. Stop trying to convince me. I already told you I'll give him another job tomorrow. He's saved my life twice now. I can't let anything happen to him. Even now, I'm scared Drake might do something bad to him."
"Scared?" Nadia raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think he has backup or something?"
"Enough!" Elena said. "Let's drop it and talk about something more important. My grandpa's life is at stake right now. I need to pull every resource I can to find someone who can actually save him."
She took a shaky breath. "The doctor Drake brought in is one of the top master doctors in San Francisco. He said my father won't last past noon tomorrow. But Drake refused to let him continue because I never agreed to his terms."
Nadia's face hardened. "I knew that boy was no good. Very cunning, with a wicked heart. I knew it the first time I set my eyes on him."
"In that case, let me call my dad," Nadia said. She picked up her phone from the table and dialed right away.