Chapter 4: Welcome to My World
1188 Words
The last thing I needed that morning was another argument.
Unfortunately, Julian was exceptionally talented at providing them.
"You are not leaving this hospital," Julian said as he adjusted his glasses for what was probably the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes.
"I wasn't asking for permission," I replied.
"You nearly died yesterday," he said. "Normal people usually spend more than twelve hours recovering from that."
"Good thing I've never been normal."
"That's debatable," Julian said.
I ignored him and buttoned the cuffs of my black dress shirt. My doctors had spent the last hour attempting to convince me to remain in bed. They had failed spectacularly.
The moment I received the anonymous phone call threatening my life, I made my decision.
No one threatens me and walks away believing they've won.
More importantly, no one becomes a target because of me without receiving my protection in return.
Julian leaned against the wall and sighed. "You realize this is exactly why people find you impossible to deal with," he said.
"Only my enemies."
"No," he replied. "Your friends, too."
That was probably true.
"Has Dr. Bennett eaten breakfast?" I asked.
"Apparently, she attempted to interrogate me before agreeing to touch her coffee," Julian replied.
That earned the slightest smile from me.
"And?"
"She doesn't intend to remain at the safe house," he said.
"Why?"
"She believes billionaires are dramatic."
I considered that for a moment. "She's not entirely wrong."
Julian laughed quietly. "I'm glad surviving an assassination attempt hasn't affected your sense of humor."
The truth was that very little surprised me anymore. I'd grown up watching powerful people smile while plotting each other's downfall. Wealth didn't make people dangerous. Power did.
And my family possessed more power than most governments.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
Grandmother.
Again.
This time, I answered.
"You're becoming difficult to reach," Eleanor said.
"I've been busy surviving," I replied.
"Yes, I heard. Congratulations."
Only my grandmother could make surviving an assassination attempt sound like a minor inconvenience.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"To know whether you're thinking clearly."
"That depends on your definition of clearly."
There was a pause before she continued.
"I've heard you've taken an unusual interest in the young doctor."
I narrowed my eyes immediately.
"How did you hear that?"
"People talk, Adrian," she replied. "Especially when the future head of the Ashford family begins moving security teams around New York overnight."
"She's under my protection."
"Because she saved your life?" she asked.
"Because she became a target for doing her job," I replied.
Grandmother was silent for several moments.
"Be careful," she finally said.
"Of whom?"
"Everyone," She replied
The line disconnected.
Typical Eleanor Ashford. Deliver a warning vague enough to be useful and frustrating at the same time.
Julian folded his arms across his chest. "I'm assuming that was your grandmother pretending not to worry about you."
"Something like that."
An hour later, I arrived at one of my secure residences overlooking Central Park.
The property was designed for privacy. It had biometric security systems, private guards, and enough surveillance equipment to make most intelligence agencies jealous.
For the first time in years, I was grateful I'd invested in paranoia.
"Are you nervous?" Julian asked as we entered the elevator.
"No."
"That's disappointing. I was hoping for a historic moment."
I glanced at him. "Historic?"
"The great Adrian Ashford is about to meet the woman who saved his life and immediately rejected his security arrangements."
"She rejected the arrangements, not me."
"Technically, she has no opinion of you yet."
That was surprisingly irritating to hear.
The elevator doors opened onto the private floor.
One of the security officers approached immediately.
"Mr. Ashford," he said. "Dr. Bennett is in the library."
"The library?" Julian asked.
"Yes, sir."
"What's she doing?" I asked.
The guard hesitated.
"Reading one of your medical journals," he replied.
I raised an eyebrow.
"She also requested Wi-Fi access to submit paperwork for her hospital rotation," he added.
Of course she did.
Apparently, attempted murder was less concerning to her than unfinished paperwork.
We walked toward the library in silence.
The door was partially open when I stopped outside.
For a moment, I simply watched her.
She sat near the window wearing simple clothes someone from the house staff had provided. Her curly dark hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she was making notes in a small journal while humming softly to herself.
She looked nothing like someone who belonged in my world.
And somehow, that made her stand out even more.
"She's exactly as stubborn as you described," I said quietly.
"That makes two of you," Julian replied.
I entered the room.
She looked up immediately.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
It was strange seeing the woman who had saved my life sitting comfortably in my library as if billionaire safe houses were part of her daily routine.
"You look significantly better than when I last saw you," she said.
"That's usually what happens when someone prevents me from dying," I replied.
She blinked once before laughing softly.
"Fair enough."
I extended my hand. "Adrian Ashford."
She stared at my hand for a moment before shaking it.
"Dr. Aubrey Bennett," she said.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"You're welcome," she replied. "Although I suspect my reward package is highly unusual."
"Being hunted by professional killers isn't our standard employee benefits package," I said.
"That's disappointing," she replied.
Julian quietly excused himself from the room, leaving us alone.
"Mr. Cross explained the situation," she said as she closed her journal. "I still don't understand why I'm here."
"Because someone wants me dead," I replied. "And because you're alive."
"That's somehow the least comforting explanation I've ever received," she said.
"It's also the truth."
She studied me carefully before speaking again.
"I have a question."
"Ask," I said.
"How dangerous is your world, Mr. Ashford?"
I considered lying.
Instead, I gave her the truth.
"Dangerous enough that someone poisoned me," I replied. "Dangerous enough that they're threatening you. And dangerous enough that if you walk out of this house today without protection, I can't guarantee you'll make it home."
The humor slowly disappeared from her expression.
"That's what I was afraid of," she admitted.
There was a brief silence before she looked directly into my eyes.
"I have a younger sister waiting for me," she said quietly. "I have patients who need me. I can't spend the rest of my life hiding in one of your mansions."
"I'm not asking you to."
"Then what exactly are you asking?"
I folded my hands together before answering.
"For now?" I said. "I'm asking you to stay alive."
Before she could respond, one of my security officers burst into the library without knocking.
"Sir," he said urgently, "we've just received confirmation."
"Confirmation of what?" I asked.
The guard swallowed hard before answering.
"Someone has accessed Dr. Bennett's confidential medical records and her home address."
The room fell silent.
Whoever was hunting us had just made their next move.
And this time, they weren't coming for me.
They were coming for her.
- Writer
