Bound by Fate

Chapter 13: The New Bodyguard

At breakfast, Lily Thompson eyed the delicious-looking dessert on the table. She swallowed hard, her desire to indulge clear in her expression.

Ethan Blackwood, noticing her struggle, smiled indulgently. But then, she abruptly pushed the dessert away. Raising an eyebrow, he gently asked, “Little One, don’t you like this? Should I have the chef prepare something else?”

“No…” Lily clung to his waist, burying her face in his chest to avoid the tempting sight. Her voice was firm as she declared, “I won’t eat dessert anymore!”

Ethan, having forgotten the manipulation he had used, was puzzled by her determination. He gently lifted her face to look at him, his fingers brushing over her soft cheek as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lily held onto him tightly, her lips pouting. “If I don’t eat dessert, you won’t disappear!”

Ethan’s hand faltered at her words, and he murmured softly, “Silly girl…” He hugged her close, his eyes filled with an endless tenderness.

“Ethan, you’re not allowed to disappear…”

As he stroked her silky hair, a warmth spread through Ethan’s chest, a feeling he had never experienced before. It made him want to hold her tighter, to never let her go.

“I won’t disappear, silly. I’m right here.”

Lily’s lips curved into a pure, joyous smile, one that came from the deepest part of her heart. “You’re the best, Ethan!”

Ethan leaned in to kiss her cheek, his lips curling into a soft smile. “If you want the dessert, go ahead and eat it. I promise I won’t disappear.”

Lily looked at him with doubt in her eyes, her pout unwavering. “No!”

Ethan sighed, knowing he was happy that he mattered so much to her, but at the same time, he couldn’t bear to see her deny herself something she loved. Gently, he offered, “How about I feed you?”

Lily gazed at the dessert he held out to her, struggling with herself. Finally, she shook her head resolutely, tightening her grip on Ethan’s arm.

Ethan sighed deeply. “Little One…” He began to regret choosing dessert as the thing to test her love with. Maybe he should have picked Nate instead!

“Little One, I’ll let you hold onto me. I promise I won’t disappear, okay?”

Lily’s voice was small as she asked, “Really?”

“Really.”

Seeing him nod affirmatively, Lily glanced at the creamy white frosting one more time. She licked her lips, unable to resist, as her gaze fixed on him. Of all desserts, she loved cream cake the most. The sight of the fluffy white cream made her want to devour it all, no matter how much she ate.

With one hand holding onto Ethan tightly, she finally extended her tongue and licked the tempting cream, her eyes never leaving his.

Ethan stiffened at her touch, and Lily immediately clung to him, her eyes welling up with tears as if he was about to disappear.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured her softly. The truth was, he was only flustered by the effect her innocent actions had on him. Ever since Lily had run into his room that night, she had been sleeping beside him, and he had wanted nothing more than to make her his. But he was also terrified of scaring her, leaving him in a frustrating predicament.

After a while, Lily seemed reassured, though she noticed something different in the way he looked at her—something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Feeling a bit uneasy, she asked, “Ethan…”

Ethan suppressed his desires, giving her a reassuring smile as he continued to feed her dessert.

Finally, Lily patted her full stomach, signaling that she had eaten enough. Ethan gently wiped her mouth as Nate Foster walked in.

“Sir, the person you requested has arrived.”

“Bring her in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Following Nate was a beautiful woman in her twenties. She had long, wavy black hair tied back into a high ponytail, and her flawless face was set in an expressionless mask. Her tight black outfit accentuated her curvaceous figure, and her entire demeanor radiated a cold, unapproachable aura. However, when her eyes met Ethan’s icy blue gaze, they flickered with unease, though she dared not look away.

Lily, her eyes clear and curious, looked at the woman before tugging on Ethan’s sleeve and bluntly asking, “Ethan, why is she scared of you?”

Ethan glanced down at her with a smile. “Because I’m a bad guy.” Only this little fool would think of him as a good person, unafraid of him at all.

Lily pouted in disagreement. “That’s not true! You’re the best!” Somewhere along the line, her view of him had evolved from seeing him as a good person to the best person.

In her excitement, the teddy bear on her lap rolled onto the floor. Ethan bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her. It was a simple act between them, but to the woman standing before them, it was shocking. In their world, Ethan was seen as an untouchable figure of power and authority. She had once glimpsed him from afar and had felt he was beyond reach. To see him now, bending down to pick up a stuffed toy for a naive girl, was something she found hard to comprehend.

“Little One, do you like her?”

Huh? Lily tilted her head in confusion but obediently answered, “I don’t dislike her.”

“Would it be alright if she stays with you when I’m not around?”

“No!” Lily pouted in defiance. “You promised you’d always be with me!”

Ethan didn’t get angry. Instead, he calmly explained, “But I have a lot of work to do, and there will be times when I’m too busy.”

Lily’s pout deepened as she looked at him. Though she wasn’t happy, she nodded, her fingers fiddling with the teddy bear’s hand.

Ethan turned his gaze to the woman, his expression losing all the warmth he had shown Lily. His cold eyes made her tense up instinctively, her heart racing.

“Your name?” he asked curtly.

“Selene Frost,” she replied.

Ethan nodded slightly. “Your job is to protect her. I don’t want her harmed in any way.”

Selene understood the implication: if anything happened to the girl in his arms, her fate would be a miserable one. No one doubted Ethan’s ruthlessness.

Ethan dismissed her with a gesture, and Selene respectfully withdrew. With Ethan around, no one could harm the girl, so she had no need to worry.

Ethan carried Lily back to their room, noticing her sulking expression. “Little One, I’ll always be with you when I can,” he promised, knowing that the bodyguard was only there for emergencies, so he wouldn’t have to worry when he was occupied.

“But I want to be with you all the time!” Lily knew he had a lot of work to handle and didn’t want to burden him, so she would obey him, but that didn’t mean she had to like it!

Ethan’s gaze softened even further as he cupped her small chin, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. Lily quickly forgot her irritation, melting into the kiss and responding to him instinctively.

“Ethan…” Lily’s voice was soft and breathy, her eyes half-lidded with a seductive gleam, her cheeks flushed. She looked irresistibly alluring, and there was a hint of confusion in her wide eyes as she stared at the hand resting on her chest.

She wasn’t as dazed as before, which was a good sign that practice was making her less prone to fainting. But now that she wasn’t blacking out, someone else might find themselves quite frustrated.