His Bodyguard from Soweto

Gunfire and Gold Chains Naledi didn’t flinch when the first gunshot rang out. Most people screamed, ducked, or ran. Not her. She dropped her tray, kicked off her heels, and reached for the Glock tucked under her evening dress. The luxury gala exploded into chaos—women in silk gowns running, men in suits pushing past them, red wine flying like blood. But Naledi's eyes locked on the shooter. Balcony. Black hoodie. Left-handed. “Got you,” she whispered, weaving through the crowd like smoke through fire. The bullet had missed its target—but barely. The target? Kian Van Der Merwe. Billionaire. Tech genius. Head of the VanDer Group. And judging by the way he was frozen in shock, not used to being hunted. Naledi lunged, grabbed him by the arm, and yanked him behind the bar just as a second bullet shattered a champagne glass where his head had been. “You trying to die, pretty boy?” she growled. He blinked at her. Up close, he was irritatingly attractive. Hazel eyes. Chiseled jaw. That expensive scent rich men wore like skin. “I—I don’t know what’s going on,” he stammered. She peeked out from cover. Shooter gone. “Stay down,” she ordered, already moving. Her heels were long lost, and her feet kissed the cold marble as she dashed up the staircase like a ghost in black. --- The rooftop was empty except for a spent shell and a whisper of wind. Too clean. Too easy. Naledi’s instincts screamed: this was a warning, not a kill shot. Somebody wanted to rattle the golden boy. And maybe… pull her out of hiding. --- Back downstairs, the cops arrived. Rich guests gave statements. Kian was swarmed by security. Naledi? She was quietly wiping blood off her lip in the bathroom when a white man in a tight black suit stepped in and said: “Mr. Van Der Merwe wants to see you. He says you saved his life. And he has… a job offer.” She looked in the mirror, chest still rising and falling, eyes burning. “A job?” she muttered. She hadn’t worn a badge in over a year. Not since what happened to Ayanda. But maybe… just maybe… this was the start of something bigger. And maybe the billionaire needed more protecting than he realized.