His bodyguard

~The new bodyguard~

“Dad, please let me be his bodyguard. We both know that only I can deal with Avner's audacity and narcissistic tendencies”. Leonard struggled seriously to persuade his father into letting him take the role as the bodyguard for his first love, one he knew wouldn't be thrilled with his presence, but Leonard didn't pay attention to it.

All he wished was to make sure he had Avner's love and friendship back.

“Leo, you realize you are the last person he wants to see, right? And now you are asking me to make you his bodyguard? Avner despises you with all his soul. You can't just step back into his life after you took off when he needed you the most,” Stephen, Leonard's father, reproached.

Although he didn't know the actual reason behind his son's abrupt disappearance from Avner's life, he knew what Avner had gone through after finding out that Leonard had migrated to another country altogether, especially when he had needed him the most after losing his grandma, the only living relative he had.

Leonard was Avner's best friend but, unknown to Stephen, his boy was also his boss's first love.

“Dad, please you have no alternative. Everyone is declining to work as his bodyguard because of his personality, so you are stuck with me as your only choice. Don't fret, I won't do anything to upset him, I'm just there to protect him and restore our friendship,” Leonard answered, placing his dad in a tight position.

Stephen groaned deeply and stared at his son, weighing if he should accept his offer or oppose it. But he knew he couldn't even if he wanted to, because Leonard was right about nobody wanting to work for Avner because of his personality.

“Fine, you have the job, but only if he is willing to let you. Even though he gave me the authority to choose who works for him and who doesn't, I still need to make sure he approves of whom I employ, so you better pray hard that he approves you as his bodyguard,” Stephen stated and left Leonard's room as he was running late for an important meeting.

Leonard's face was pasted with a broad pleasant smile. He was one step close to achieving his objectives.

First, get close to him, then win him back, he thought as he laid on his bed, fixating his gaze on his ceiling.

It brought his attention back to reality when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket to see who the caller was. It was his best friend, Jamil, calling.

[ “Jamil, why are you calling? Is there anything wrong with the factory?”], Leonard asked, as soon as he picked up the call.

[ “No, I just wanted to check on the millionaire who left behind everything he has worked for the past six years to be a bodyguard to someone who doesn't even want to hear his name or cast his eyes on him,”], Jamil expressed with so much ridicule.

Although he sounded sarcastic, he was worried about his friend getting rejected and hurting himself once again.

Leonard rolled his eyes before countering Jamil.

[ “I don't care what anyone says, I will make sure I get him back and if the only way to do that is by being his bodyguard, then so be it, Jamil. Besides, I didn't leave my business behind, you are over there dealing with things, and I'm seeking to open a subsidiary here while I'm busy with my love battle,”], Leonard spoke with much satisfaction. He wasn't all worried about what one had to say or what their opinions would be, all that didn't matter to him anymore, he just wanted the one he loved to come back to him, and he would do anything for that to happen.

[ “Well, good luck with your love endeavor, while I run back to make sure your business doesn't go bankrupt and Leo, remember I'm always on your side no matter what,”], Jamil expressed and ended the call.

After the call ended, Leonard got up from his bed to shower as he waited for father's text that Avner had permitted him to be his bodyguard.

“I hope everything goes my way”, he thought out loud as he made his way to the bathroom. He knew it would not be an easy battle for him to win, as he was the one who started all this in the first place.

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“Good morning, Mr. Sullivan”, Avner's, Butler greeted him as he opened the door for Stephen.

“Morning, Charles. Where is the young master? Is he still asleep?”, Stephen queried as he took a seat, opening his MacBook to check Avner's mail.

“Young master didn't come back home last night. He went clubbing with Miss Sophia”, Charles informed Stephen, who stopped what he was doing the moment he heard what Charles had reported and directed his gaze at him.

“He went out last night, alone? Without security? And you let him?”, Stephen sneered and stood up from where he was seated. He started pacing around panicking while he placed a call to Avner.

“He is not picking up. Why is he not picking up my calls? Why would you allow him to go out alone without notifying me? What if something happens to him? You and I both know that he has a lot of enemies, yet you let him go out alone with Sophia?” Stephen broke out and went panicking as he wasn't getting any reply from Avner.

He picked up his car keys and was about to leave when he saw Avner walk in, yawning, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

Avner walked past him and greeted him before heading to the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge. He opened it and consumed it all at once. He looked like someone who had just come out of the boxing ring. After he finished drinking the water, he tossed the bottle on the floor and walked down to his favorite couch, pushed all the cushions on the floor, and lay down wrapping his legs and arms closely, and instantly he dozed off.

Stephen just stood and stared at Avner, thinking about what to do with him. He was becoming too much to deal with. Even though Avner had a great sense of business, his character was as rotten as a decaying fish.

“Hmmm”, Stephen sighed before walking down to where Avner was sleeping, covering him with a blanket.

“Charles, please make sure the chef has his meal ready for when he wakes up, and please tell the maid to get his clothes ready”, Stephen instructed. He took out his phone and sent a text to an anonymous number before going back to his seat to continue what he was doing.

An hour later, Avner woke up from his deep sleep. He opened his eyes and searched through the room to recognize where he was.

“I'm home? How did I get here?” He murmured as he rose and leaned back on the couch while rubbing his head. It was clear he had too much fun last night at the club, and his reward was a severe migraine.

“I don't know what to do with you”, Stephen nagged as he handed Avner a vial of aspirin.

“Thank you”, Avner said as he collected the vial from his hand and took out two tablets, then swallowed them before drinking the glass of water in front of him.

“I'm sorry, Uncle Stephen. I just needed to lose some steam. I have been too busy with the upcoming project”, Avner apologized instantly as he knew he was wrong. Don't get it twisted, the only person Avner apologizes to is Stephen Sullivan and no one else, as he sees him as his only family. Stephen had been there for him throughout his life on earth, and that alone makes Stephen an important person in Avner's life.

“Go take a shower first and come down for your breakfast. Remember, we have a meeting at 2 pm. Oh, lest I forget I have hired the new bodyguard, and he will be here any moment from now,” Stephen looked at his wristwatch as he spoke to Avner.

“Okay”, Avner answered without asking questions, as he trusted Stephen's decision-making skills in employing those who worked for him.

Thirty minutes thereafter, Avner came down the stairs after taking his shower. As he sauntered down, he noticed an unfamiliar person whose back they turned towards him. He thought to himself that the body structure was familiar and that alone piqued his interest and made him wonder who the unidentified person was.

“Oh, he is here, Avner, here is your new bodyguard, Leonard”, Stephen introduced, guiding Leonard's attention towards Avner's direction.

Leonard turned around with a simple smile on his face and stretched out his hands for a shake, but what happened next left everyone in awe.

“You bloody hog!”, Avner cussed out as he threw Leonard a heavy blow to his jaw.

“Fuxk you!! Fuxk you, who gave you the right to show your face in front of me?” Avner yelled out with all of his valor, causing the veins on his forehead to pop out.