Eight Years as His Bodyguard

Chapter 7

Before Ava could break free, a heavy slap struck her face.

The taste of blood instantly filled her mouth. She swayed, her head swimming, desperately suppressing the hatred in her heart.

Before she could recover, Eric's low voice sounded in her ear. "My bodyguard was out of line. I'll take care of it."

With that, he snatched the object from Stella's arms and flung it into the pool.

The weighty glass shattered as it sank to the bottom. Ava jerked her head up, her feet rooted to the spot.

Something inside her seemed to shatter, too, the pain radiating outward from her core.

Ava feared water, yet her feet carried her helplessly toward the pool's edge.

But the moment she steadied herself by the water, a kick sent her tumbling in.

As she plunged, Eric's vicious taunt reached her ears. "You want that trash so bad? Then go find it yourself."

She wanted to, but the 6'7" pool left her flailing the moment she hit the water.

Her hands thrashed wildly, her throat burning from choking, her lungs squeezed like sponges. Her body felt like a sieve, water flooding in endlessly. She couldn't even find the butterfly's fragments.

As she let herself sink, the agony of losing Daniel seemed to fade. The light piercing the water felt like his embrace.

Her slack fingers brushed against shards as she reached the bottom.

Ava opened her eyes—it was the butterfly's wing.

The surrounding water had long turned crimson. Her tears welled up, swallowed by the water.

"Daniel, I'm so tired. I want to find you. Don't reject me for being tainted, alright?"

No answer came. She closed her eyes.

Even unconscious, her hand clutched the sharp fragment, blood slowly staining the wing red.

Ava dreamed. For years, she searched every corner of the underworld but never found Daniel.

Someone there told her that Daniel refused to see her. That's why she couldn't find him. So she kept vigil by the bridge day after day, until her afterlife ended. Until her time in the underworld ran out.

The loneliness seeped into her bones. When she awoke, she was still weeping.

But before her tears could fall, someone wiped them away.

"What did you dream? Crying like this." Eric's face appeared before her. Bare hatred flashed in Ava's eyes.

The man's lips curled with amusement. "You hate me?"

She lowered her gaze and shook her head softly. "I wouldn't dare."

Those words sparked a nameless fury in Eric, yet it vanished like a punch into cotton.

He gripped her chin. "Ava. If I told you to die right now, would you just take it? That same pathetic obedience? You'd go to such lengths for a worthless piece of glass, yet can't muster even a shred of emotion for me?"

A mocking smile played at Ava's lips as she responded, "Eric, don't tell me you're actually in love with me?"

The hospital room fell silent. After a brief, stunned pause, Eric turned away with a laugh. "Ava, would you ever fall for a dog? Let alone a dirty mutt from the slave quarters."

The words didn't cut. She just pulled her chin free from his grip. "I know my place, don't worry."

Her reply only deepened the scowl on Eric's face.

He didn't visit again in the following days, only ensuring meals were delivered punctually.

Ava had no time to question his whereabouts, her attention fixed solely on monitoring the evidence's whereabouts.

The day before their Elyndor trip, with the chip's location unchanged, she prepared to check herself out for the final move.

But just after completing discharge formalities, Eric had her rushed to the Harris estate.

As she reached the entrance, Eric's derisive voice carried through. "This project is mine. Just a dog. My people can easily take it down."