Guarding the Insecure Billionaire

Chapter 2

Aceline stared out through the smeared window of the police car, the city outside moving in slow motion beneath the gray afternoon sky. Buildings blurred past like ghosts. People walked the sidewalks with purpose, with direction, while her own life felt like it had been thrown into a river and left to drift wherever the current decided.

Ever since that day, everything had slowed down.

The jury had granted her bail after Macan admitted the shooting had been accidental. According to his statement, he had pulled the trigger himself in the struggle. The media had eaten the story alive for a week before moving on to fresher scandals.

But Aceline couldn't move on that easily.

She rested her head against the cold glass, exhaustion pressing heavily into her bones. Her mind felt hollow, detached from her body.

What was she supposed to do now?

She had thrown away her career for a man who cheated on her without remorse. Years of discipline, sacrifice, sleepless nights, blood, bruises, deployments—all abandoned because she thought love deserved loyalty.

Now she just felt stupid.

Aliyah had warned her.

Over and over again.

But Aceline had never been good at listening when emotions were involved. That was the irony. She could disarm armed men under pressure, survive combat zones, and make life-or-death decisions in seconds, yet one manipulative man had managed to ruin the structure of her entire life.

She shut her eyes briefly.

Calling Aliyah now felt impossible. Pride wouldn't let her. Shame made it worse.

After turning down multiple superior officers and walking away from assignments others would kill for, returning to service would not be easy. People in her line of work didn’t appreciate uncertainty. Weakness got remembered.

Her phone suddenly rang.

The sound sliced through her thoughts sharply.

Aceline frowned and reached into the transparent evidence bag sitting beside her. The officers had returned her belongings after processing, though everything still smelled faintly of disinfectant and stale plastic.

She finally pulled the phone free and glanced at the screen.

Unknown number.

For a second, she considered ignoring it.

Then she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Aceline.” The voice on the other end was deep, smooth, and controlled. Diplomatic. The kind of voice trained to stay calm in dangerous situations.

Her expression hardened instantly.

“Yes, this is Aceline.”

“My name is Parker. I’m an executive with a private security firm.”

Aceline straightened slightly in her seat, her instincts immediately sharpening despite the exhaustion weighing on her body.

“How may I help you, Mr. Parker?” she asked calmly.

Her eyes narrowed faintly, seriousness settling naturally onto her face like armor she had worn for too many years.

“A client of mine needs a security detail, and we think you’re the perfect fit for the job.”

Aceline frowned slightly, her fingers tightening around the phone.

“And how exactly did you get my number?”

A brief silence followed.

Then the man spoke again, his voice smooth and carefully controlled.

“That’s confidential. I’ll text you a meeting location shortly. If you’re interested in the offer, kindly meet me there tomorrow morning.”

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

Aceline stared at the screen for a moment before scoffing quietly under her breath.

“We think you’re fit for the job.”

Whoever this Parker was, he already knew too much about her situation.

That alone made her uncomfortable.

People with too much information are dangerous.

She slid the phone back into her bag and leaned against the window again.

It didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t interested. Not anymore, she wants to live a normal life, no more dangerous quests.

The police car finally pulled up in front of the house.

Aceline looked outside slowly.

No vehicles.

No lights.

No signs of life.

Macan had already been discharged from the hospital, but she could guess what had happened.

He left.

Of course he did.

The officer muttered a quick goodbye before driving off, leaving her standing alone beneath the cloudy evening sky.

For a second, she didn’t move.

Then she slowly walked toward the house.

The front door wasn’t locked.

A bad feeling settled heavily into her chest.

She pushed it open.

And froze.

Everything was gone.

The furniture.

The television.

The paintings.

Even the rugs.

The house looked hollow. Empty walls stared back at her like stripped bones.

No signs of anybody living there.

No signs that a marriage had ever existed.

Aceline stepped inside slowly, her boots echoing faintly against the bare floorboards.

She didn’t know what emotion she was supposed to feel anymore.

Anger wouldn’t come.

Not fully.

Not after what happened in that bathroom.

Macan could have let her rot in prison after the shooting.

Instead, he admitted the gun discharged accidentally during the struggle.

He saved her.

Even after everything.

That guilt sat heavily inside her chest, poisoning her ability to hate him properly.

She rubbed her forehead tiredly.

Maybe this was for the best.

She could sell the house.

Sell her car sitting in the garage.

Disappear somewhere far away.

Start over.

A small town maybe.

Somewhere quiet.

Somewhere nobody knew her name.

She could become a school teacher.

Ironically, that was the life she once imagined before the Navy SEALs found her.

A normal life.

A peaceful one.

No blood.

No guns.

No trauma.

She moved through the rest of the rooms slowly.

Every single one was empty.

The closets stripped clean.

The drawers vacant.

Even the framed wedding photos were gone.

Aceline let out a slow breath and shrugged weakly.

It was over.

Then..

Knock knock.

The sound startled her.

Her body reacted instantly, adrenaline spiking as she turned sharply toward the door.

She rushed over and opened it quickly.

Nobody.

Only a delivery man already halfway down the street, moving toward his van without looking back.

“There’s your mail!” he shouted casually.

Aceline looked down.

Three envelopes sat neatly by the door.

She picked them up slowly and walked back inside the empty house.

The silence felt suffocating now.

She tore open the first envelope immediately.

“Dear Aceline,

This is to inform you that I’ve moved on, and I want you to move on with your life too.

You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I do not regret anything.

I’m sorry for what I did. I just couldn’t hold on much longer.

I hope you find peace.

One of the envelopes contains our divorce papers. Sign them. I know that’s what you want.

I’ve moved to another city to start fresh.

You should do the same.

Be safe.

—Macan.”

Aceline rolled her eyes tiredly after finishing the letter.

She was already over him.

At least she wanted to believe she was.

Besides, she still had the house.

The prenup technically worked in her favor.

They bought the property together, but she furnished almost everything inside herself. Him leaving with the furniture only balanced things out.

Or so she thought.

She grabbed her phone immediately and called the real estate agency that had sold them the property years ago.

The line connected after two rings.

“Hello, Selena speaking.”

“This is Aceline Diren,” she said calmly. “I’d like to put my house up for sale.”

A pause followed.

Then confusion.

“Mrs. Diren… are you not aware the property has already been sold?”

Aceline froze.

“…Sold?”

Her voice dropped dangerously low.

“Yes ma’am.”

“By who?” she snapped suddenly. “Why would you sell my house without my signature?”

The agent sounded nervous immediately.

“Your husband presented us with the prenup agreement. According to the documentation, that property legally belonged to him while the remaining listed assets belonged to you. He also informed us about your legal situation involving the shooting incident, which we verified through the state police before proceeding.”

Aceline felt the room tilt slightly.

The walls suddenly felt too far away.

Too empty.

“Do you realize what you just did?” she asked quietly.

Her voice remained calm, but barely.

“We followed every legal procedure, ma’am,” Selena replied cautiously. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, I will.”

Aceline shut her eyes briefly.

Then inhaled slowly.

“Okay,” she whispered. “You can help me with one thing.”

Silence.

“I know it’s confidential… but who bought the house?”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

Then Selena sighed softly.

“If this keeps us even…” she muttered nervously. “The buyer was a very influential man.”

Aceline waited.

“Taylor Spencer.”

Aceline’s eyes narrowed faintly.

“Okay.”

“And ma’am?” Selena added quickly. “Please don’t do anything reckless. Especially anything that could come back to my company.”

Aceline didn’t respond.

She ended the call silently.

Then stood alone in the middle of the empty house, her phone hanging loosely in her trembling hand while the weight of her collapsing life settled fully onto her shoulders.