THE DRAGON DESCENDANT

Beneficial Compromise

Chapter 4 – Sacrifice

Michael Lee had spent most of the night thinking about the job. When his old master had told him about the body-guarding contract, he thought it would be something as simple as following behind a man for a while. Now that Robert Jenkins had made everything complicated, he would have to offer protection to an apparently irritating young lady. To his knowledge, referencing all movies he had watched before, young rich women were a major mess of unresolved emotional issues with the insatiable needs to be validated. In addition to being exaggeratingly complicated, they were the hardest to reason with. Had he been given a choice, he would have protected his douchebag of a son free.

However, Robert Jenkins had sweetened the pot. Taking into fact that a billionaire was the boss, thrice a normal guard’s salary was a huge fortune. He even doubted that his PA, Samuel Reigns got paid that much. After some profound consideration, he decided it was not his destiny to live out his youthful years acting as a glorified bodyguard, better yet, waste his good time following a young lady around. He figured that if he compromised and worked for a year, he would accrue enough fortune to get him settled up in the city.

When dawn broke, Michael got up and worked out his daily training routine. He began with an easy two hundred push-ups, twice the number for sit-ups and executed his martial techniques. The whole procedure took about two hours before Samuel knocked on his door to call him for breakfast, and deliver a new set of clothes. After taking a long shower, he got into the new attire; a normal fitting jeans trouser and a snug plain white shirt, one that stuck unto his body like spandex.

Predictably, Michael lost his way around the mansion with the first turn he took. Twice, he accidentally wandered into very discomfited places. The first was in a storage compartment where two forbidden lovers were going at it, and the next, the house cleaners’ dressing room. In the last scene, Michael was almost dying of embarrassment when a house cleaner offered to lead him to the breakfast chamber, the first time he heard of such a room ever existing.

The whole Jenkins family were already assembled around a heavily decorated table, in addition to one rough-looking burly man with tattoos scaling up to his upper neck. Judging from the alleviated looks they gave him, he figured that he had probably kept them waiting for quite a while.

Nevertheless, he straightaway took a seat beside Isabella. The other empty one was next to Charlotte and Michael was not risking it.

“ How was your night Mr. Lee?” Robert started with a smile, casually handing the tattooed man who stood behind him a tablet

“ Comfortable, “ Michael replied

As he filled his plate, his eyes happened to catch sight of Charlotte and Dylan staring at him with the curiosity of mad scientists – evil ones.

Similar to the previous dinner’s events, Michael ate while the family stared; only this time Robert and Isabella decided to join him. Halfway through, Michael spoke...

“I’ve decided to take the job”

“ Really?” Robert’s eyes lit up in excitement

“ Huh uh”

“ Well, that’s great. Thank you.” Robert smiled. He had unknowingly sealed the fate of the duo, entwining their lives in the most perilous way possible.

Charlotte’s face was beetroot red; it was an understatement to say that she was infuriated.

“ And I decided that I don’t want him” she said “ my previous guards will do just fine.”

“ Honey, just give him a chance.” Isabella pleaded

“ NO, he is…”

“ My decision is final,” Robert snapped sternly. His tone suggested that he regularly never used the harsh tenor with Charlotte, something that directly silenced his daughter.

Dylan was meanwhile smiling so hard you would think his face would split into halves. He kept darting his eyes between his sister and Michael, clearly having a time of his life.

“ You look like you have something to say Dylan” Michael sighed

“It’s just that…you are wearing a condom for a shirt” Dylan burst out into laughter

“ Dylan!”

Deciding that she would probably have a better chance negotiating with her mom, Charlotte pleaded

“ Mom, what about his p*****t moustache? You want me to be seen around that?”

“ It’s not like I’m signing up to be your boyfriend or lover, its purely business. I’ll be paid to make sure you are safe, you don’t have to like me.” Michael was beginning to get bothered

Dylan hissed, his right hand on his chest and face suggesting a pained expression

Ignoring Michael’s words, Charlotte turned towards her dad, her large blue eyes too cute to not look at

“ dad, I respect your decision, but you have to respect my concerns too” she said softly

“ The only concern here is your safety,”

“ And I’m not disagreeing with you on that but if I’m to be walking around with that, I expect it to be decent.”

“ Charlotte, Michael is a human being” Isabella reprimanded “ but she makes a point.”

Trounced, Robert could only turn his gaze towards Michael

“We do have a dressing code around here…it’s a standard policy amongst all employees”

Michael gently stroke his moustache that he had tenaciously grown for over a year now. If they only knew how hard it was to grow it, they would not have suggested that he gets rid of it.

“ Okay” he sighed

“and the hair too, it has to go” Charlotte added

“ No way,” Michael immediately retorted

“ It’s too long” she smiled, a pure evil smile

“ Now you are just jealous”

Michael looked at Robert but then realized that he could not win the argument if he wanted to. No way could he compete with his beautiful daughter who was obviously the apple of his eyes.

“ Now that it’s all settled.” Robert sighed then turned towards the man standing behind him “ This is Ivar, head of my security team. He is a former marine special forces with over five hundred kills in his fifteen years of service. He has tactical experience and can perfectly use any weapon in the world.”

“Okay” Michael said nonchalantly, not impressed by Ivar’s praises

“He will give you some pointers and some training if needed.”

“Training, you say…” Michael smiled “ No disrespect but he is not qualified to train me…not in a hundred years. If anything, he should be receiving pointers from me.”

Charlotte gasped audibly, marveling at the new guy’s unabashed audacity. Dylan’s mouth was hanging so wide open an egg would fit through. Isabella had long hid her face with her hands, not wanting to witness the ensuing conversation. Robert only smiled bitterly, unsure of what to do.

Ivar, on the other hand, was expressionless, his eyes boring holes on Michael’s face. The latter was not at all sorry about what he said; he knew in his heart that Ivar was strong but not strong enough to teach him. Though he had no confirmed human kills, he run on a much different policy.

“ Uhm…” Robert stuttered “ okay. Samuel will set you up in Vortis University.”