The Bodyguard’s Vow

Lydia POV The sound of whispers always follows me now. It follows me across the long glass hallway of Hollis West Enterprises. It follows me into every room. It curls around my feet like smoke, heavy and dirty, reminding me that I do not belong here. Everyone stares at me as if I stole something. Maybe they truly believe I did. The elevator doors glide open. Soft music plays. It does nothing to calm me. I clutch the files in my arms so tight that the edges cut into my palms. The building feels cold. My mother designed this place to look powerful and perfect. She never knew it would swallow me whole. Or maybe she did. This morning is supposed to be important. My first official board meeting. My first step into the life my mother left behind for me. A life I never wanted. I breathe in. I tell myself I can do this. I tell myself I belong here. My heart does not believe me. When I step into the meeting room, the air is thick with irritation and tension. Long table. Crystal water glasses. Men in suits who look like their smiles are knives. Only one woman sits among them. Kelly. Kelly Hollis West. My half sister. She looks stunning, like she was born to sit in that powerful chair near the head of the table. Blonde hair pinned back. Red lipstick perfect. Her eyes sparkle with irritation the moment she sees me. “You are late,” she says smoothly. “I am two minutes early,” I answer, my voice soft. She smirks. “Late to me.” A few board members laugh under their breath. My cheeks burn. I take the empty seat near the end of the table. They all look annoyed that I am here at all. Kelly taps her pen. “We will begin.” She talks about numbers and predictions. She uses business terms like weapons. I try to follow but my stomach twists from anxiety. I should be in my bakery. I should have my hands covered in flour. Not shaking under fluorescent lights. One man raises his hand. “Miss Hollis West,” he says. “Do you have anything to add?” Kelly does not look at him. She is looking at me. Testing me. Waiting for me to embarrass myself. I swallow hard. “I believe we should focus on the employees too. My mother always cared about them. She believed the company should feel human. Not just profitable.” There is silence. Then someone scoffs. Kelly gives me a sugary fake smile. “Cute. But this is not a charity. It is a corporation. Try to keep up, Lydia.” Laughter fills the room again. My hands shake under the table. I stare at the notepad in front of me, trying to breathe. My mother wanted me here, but I feel like a stranger wearing her crown. The meeting drags on. Kelly leads. They follow. And I sit there like a ghost. When it ends, they all walk past me without a glance. Kelly stops at my chair, leans in close. “You cannot handle this,” she whispers. “Just step down and give the company to someone who deserves it.” She does not wait for my reply. She never does. I leave quickly before my tears betray me. I rush into the elevator and press the button for the lobby again and again with trembling fingers. As soon as the doors close, I let the tears fall silently. My reflection looks small. Weak. Lost. I wipe my face. I refuse to cry in front of them. I will not give Kelly that victory. When the elevator opens, I walk straight outside. The busy street air is sharp and loud. Cars honk. People rush past without noticing me. I breathe again. The bakery. That is where I can think. Where I can remember who I am. Flour smells better than fear. By noon, I am in my small kitchen behind the bakery counter, kneading dough with shaking hands. The warm ovens help my heartbeat slow down. Soft music plays from my little speaker. Here I do not feel like a failure. Here I know every step. Every recipe. A few regular customers come in. They smile warmly. They ask how I am. I lie and say I am fine. Everyone believes lies when they come with a smile. After the last customer leaves, I close the bakery, locking the door. The street outside grows quiet. Evening light stretches across the road like a warning. I take out the trash at the back door. The alley is dim. Cool air brushes my hair. I rub my arms. My chest feels tight with unease. I cannot explain it. But I have felt watched for days. I pull out my phone to call a car. My battery is at two percent. “Perfect,” I whisper, annoyed. A black van turns into the alley. My heart stops. Two masked men step out fast. I stumble backward. “Leave me alone,” I scream, but my voice cracks. One grabs my arm. I hit him with my bag. It does nothing. The other grabs my waist. Panic claws through me. I dig my nails into his hand. He curses. I scream again. Then everything moves too fast. A tall figure appears like he dropped from the shadows. His hand wraps around one man’s throat and slams him to the ground. He kicks the second man and sends him crashing into the wall. They run back to the van, cursing and limping, and speed away. I collapse against the brick wall, gasping. Tears fall without permission. My legs feel weak. The man who saved me turns to face me. He is huge. Muscular. Wearing a black suit that looks like armor. His eyes are the coldest gray I have ever seen. He stares like he is reading every fear I ever had. “Miss West,” he says. His voice is deep. No emotion. “You should have let me drive you.” I blink up at him, trembling. “Who are you?” “Xander Cole,” he replies. “Your new bodyguard.” Bodyguard. Right. Kelly mentioned something about “extra security” but she said it like a joke. I thought she meant guards around the building. Not a man who fights like a storm. I try to stand. My knees buckle. Xander reaches out, but stops before touching me, as if physical contact might burn him. “You will not walk anywhere alone again,” he says. His tone leaves no room for argument. I do not even want to argue. I am trying to remember how to breathe. He steps closer, towering over me. “From now on, you do not decide what is safe. I do.” I shake my head. “I am not a prisoner.” “You are a target,” he replies. “Someone wants you gone.” My stomach turns cold. The masked men. The threatening letters I kept hidden. The stares at the company. “Come,” he says. “I will take you home.” He touches my elbow lightly and the world steadies a little. But as he leads me toward his car, I see something on the bakery door. A red smear. Words written in something thick and dark. Give up or die My blood freezes. My throat tightens. Xander sees it too. His jaw ticks with rage. He steps in front of me, blocking the message with his body so I cannot keep staring. He looks at me. His eyes are full of danger. “This is only the beginning,” he says quietly. Fear races through my heart. If this is only the beginning, what will come next? The alley suddenly feels smaller. The world suddenly feels darker. And I am trapped in it. Xander pulls me closer. “Stay behind me,” he commands. I do not argue. I cannot. Because right now, my bakery is no longer the safest place in my life. It is the first battlefield. And someone wants me destroyed. The car door opens. A phone starts ringing inside. Xander freezes. The caller ID flashes one name. Mason Gray My ex. The last person I ever wanted to see again. My heart stops. Why is he calling my bodyguard? Before I can speak, Xander answers the call with a hard voice. “What do you want with her.” I stare at him, stunned and shaking. Xander knows Mason. And Mason knows everything. The phone speaker cracks with Mason’s chilling voice. “I want exactly what is rightfully mine.” My breath catches. Xander’s hand tightens around the phone. And the world becomes even scarier.