In Love With My Rival

CHAPTER TEN: a bodyguard.

            “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

            This had been Ava’s protest for the last thirty minutes as she sat across her parents who were sitting on the opposite couch in the spacious living room of their mansion. Her head was cast down as she fidgeted with her fingers on her lap like a child. Her father kept insisting that she needed to have a bodyguard, but Ava thought she did not need one. Julia, her mother, agreed with her husband. Ava knew they were both concerned about her safety, but having a bodyguard just did not sound good for her.

            “Why exactly?” Adam’s voice raised, making Ava flinch.

            Taking a deep breath, she honestly told them. “I don’t want my privacy to be invaded. I won’t like it when someone had to follow me everywhere. Mom… Dad, I’m just not comfortable with it. I promise Mason and I will be careful next time.”

            Ava explained and hoped that her parents would understand her reason. She wished they would respect her decision because it was so tiring to keep following orders from her Dad.

            “That’s it? What’s more important? Your privacy or your safety?” Adam was getting annoyed. He stood up from the couch and started pacing back and forth in front of Ava.

            Ava looked up at her father and just watched him pace in front of her. She sighed when saw her Dad rubbed his temple. She was starting to feel bad for stressing him out like that.

            “Adam, please calm down.” Julia tried to calm her husband down, placing a hand on Adam’s shoulder. He did, sitting back on the couch leaned his back on it.

            Ava could not help but feel nervous. She tried not to speak more. The lesser she talk, the lesser the damage. So, she waited.

            “Mason’s a kid. He could not protect you. He’s just a workmate, Lauren! Your Personal Assistant is useless. He’s not capable of protecting you!” The raging voice of Adam O’Kelly echoed in the mansion.

            Ava’s eyes closed at the clear tone of frustration, annoyance, and anger in her father’s voice. Her chest felt so heavy and tight. She wanted to scream and let out she felt inside.

            You have no idea!

That was what she wanted to scream at her father.

“You have no idea what I’ve been through today and don’t you dare belittle Mason like that.”

Ava spoke softly but realized what she had just done. Her eyes slowly shot open, surprised with what just came out of her own mouth. What had gotten into her mind? Her heartbeat even faster as she slowly lifted her up, but before she could even completely look up, she felt a stinging pain on her right cheek as her head turned to the side.

“Adam!”

Julia shouted as her eyes widened in shock. She hurried over her daughter and put her arms around Ava.

“Sweetie? Hey. Oh my God.”

Ava heard her mother’s worried voice. She felt a gentle hand touching her face, but she was so shocked to even move. She felt stiff and numb, unable to process what just happened.

“Ava, look at me.”

Ava couldn’t. Her eyes stared blankly at the armrest of the couch, not blinking. That was when she was starting to feel the pain even more on her cheek and tears just flowed from her eyes. She let them rolled down her cheeks to her chin silently until she tasted those salty tears. She was holding her breath, tightening her chest even more. She was not sure what to do.

When she had finally realized what her father had just done to her, she slowly looked up and her eyes landed on her mother’s.

“Ava…” The softest worried voice of her mother.

Ava surprisingly found herself smiling at her mother. She was staring right into her mother’s eyes filled with tears.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m fine.”

Ava assured her mother with her most soothing voice. She took a deep breath, but it did not lessen the heavy feeling inside her chest.

“Why did you do that?!” Julia stood up from the couch and shouted at her husband, who was just staring at her with surprise and fear in his eyes.

“I did not mean to.”

Ava sighed and stood up as well. She held her mother’s arm and said, “Mom. It’s okay.”

Why did it sound like she was more likely convincing herself that?

It’s okay.

She thought.

It’s going to be okay.

Sniffling, Ava faced her father and gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

            Without waiting for a reply, she took turned her back and walked towards the door.

            “Ava, where are you going? Please don’t go.”

            She heard her mother’s plea, but that did not stop her from walking out of the door, but not before hearing her father say, “Let her go. She’s a stubborn woman.”

She got inside the driver’s seat and drove away from the mansion. She was driving her gray Maserati this time and she did not have any idea where she was leading herself to. Her heart was so heavy but her mind was almost empty to think properly. She just kept driving and found herself stopping in front of the hospital where she brought Mason at.

Mason.

He was her only friend. She felt mad about how her father sees Mason. It got the best of her. That was she was about able to stop those words that rolled off her tongue. It angered her so much when her father said Mason was useless. He had no idea.

Mason was always there for her, never left her side. He understood her attitude and mood swings. He helped her in almost everything, not just at work, but in her personal concerns about family and life. He had been a great adviser to her, telling her about what was the right thing to be done, what to choose when she was faced with many options about certain things, and how to stay optimistic.

Just the thought of Mason brought tears to her eyes again. Her emotional self and mind could not stop worrying about her one and only friend.  Ava decided to take the rest of the day off and let everything sink in. She then suddenly remembered the conversation with Mason in the emergency room yesterday after they got treated.

“I’m sorry. I feel helpless. I’m scared.” It was him.

            Mason shook his head, still shocked about what happened just an hour ago. He was sitting on the bed, fidgeting with his fingers. Ava was sitting beside him, just quiet until she heard him speak again.

            “I made a promise that I’ll do my best to protect you. I owe you so much, Ava. You’re just not my boss. You’re a sister I never have and just thinking about what happened back there made me feel so disappointed at myself.”

            “Can you stop? What are you talking about? It’s nobody’s fault! Not yours, not mine, nobody. Okay?” Ava sighed. “I don’t know why it happened. I don’t know who’s after me. Did I hurt anybody? I have no idea.” Ava threw her hands up in the air. She was tired.

            “Ava…”

            “I have no idea why people would want to kill me.”

            “We can’t be sure yet. It could be me.”

            “You? Why?”

            “I don’t know! Maybe, guys who are crazy about you get mad at me since I’m always where you’re at?”

            Ava could not help but frown at her assistant. What the heck was he talking about? The wound must have been so deep on his head. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

            “I’m completely fine. How about you?” Mason raised his brow at her.

            Ava shook her head, sighing. “That’s highly not associated with what just happened. I just don’t think so. Maybe, my business competitors are coming after me? Heck, I don’t even know.”

            Ava felt like she was about to lose her mind. She wanted to recall the events in life the past days or weeks, trying to remembering if she had encountered business personalities who became her competitors. She just could not think of something like that because she hadn’t really encountered people like that in the business world.

            “I don’t even know, too. This is so crazy, you know.” Mason rubbed his hands over his face. He felt scared and frustrated as f**k. He did not know what was going to happen to them once they walk out of the hospital and face the cruel world again.

            “I’m scared.” He added after a few moments of silence.

            The medical staff was busy around them, treating other patients. Mason and Ava were sitting on the same bed, bothered about what happened. It was going to be one of the most unforgettable memories in their life. Neither expected that. It shocked both of them, imprinting the sound of the bullet being shot and of the car widows shattering into pieces. It was traumatizing enough for them. They had no idea where that bullet came from, who did that, and why exactly.

            “Me too. Hey, you stay here. I need to go to the police and let them investigate the incident. Maybe, they can check if there are CCTVs around. They can help us.”

            “I’ll go with you. No, just hail a cab and go back to the office. I’ll call you when I think I’ll need you there.”

            “Fine. Please take care, though.”

            “Will do. You take care, too. I’ll just call you. Okay?”

            “Okay.”

            Ava smiled at Mason before she hopped off the bed and walked out of the hospital. She had paid what needed to be paid in the hospital already so she did not have to worry about leaving the place. However, when she was finally out of the ER and walking towards the parking lot, to her broken car, she saw two men in black approaching her. They just appeared out of the cars parked in the lot.

            “Who are you?”

            Her heart was beating so fast while slowly and cautiously took steps backward. She wished she could see the faces of the two men, but they were wearing bonnets on and she could only see their red eyes. That kind of red that screamed drugs. Just the possibility that the guys might be dangerous drug addicts and criminals made Ava even more scared. She kept walking backward, trying to get away from them.

            “Please don’t hurt me. I don't know you. What do you want from me? Was it you who shot us in the car? Please, just tell me what you want.”

Ava pleaded. When her back hit something hard behind her, she silently cursed. It was the firewall. She knew people like them surely had weapons in their pockets. She felt so helpless as she stood there, unable to move. This might be the last day of her life. Or not, when she suddenly noticed a guy creeping behind the two criminals. She acted as if she hadn’t seen anyone and remained still. Just like that, her worries and fear died down a bit.

              "You have five seconds to stay away from the girl."

The man dangerously spoke, announcing his presence. Ava could not help, but notice how beautiful his voice was. Deep and husky. At his presence being announced, two men wearing bonnets turned around

                "I suggest you should leave the girl." He spoke again. 

   Ava was frozen. All she could do was just watch the show. 

                "Stay out of here or you'll die along with her." The skinnier and taller guy from the right spoke boldly.

                "Five." It was the 'good guy'.

                The two men laughed. Unfortunately, there weren't any people in the parking lot beside them. There were many cars, but no one had gotten out of the hospital and walking back to their cars yet or other people coming in and parking. Ava wanted to go back inside the ER and be with Mason, but she wanted to make sure her savior was fine, her knight in shining armor. The problem was he was not a knight and nor was he wearing an armor.

                "Four."

                "Who even are you?" It was the short stout man this time. 

                "Three."

            As Ava kept his eyes and ears on the good guy, she noticed that the guy had an accent but she could not tell what exactly it. All she knew was that it sounded sexy. She wished she could see his eyes. Unfortunately, he was wearing sunglasses on.

               "Come on." The same stout man snorted. "You don't have to count. Just fight us already." 

             The two men pulled something out of their back pockets. Daggers. Zephyr looked at the shiny, sharp, and pointed objects, not scared at all. "Two."

                "You are so damn funny." The skinny one said in a mocking manner.

                "One." 

                 The guy muttered and without a warning, he charged at them, kicking Skinny's knife first before picking it up from the ground and faced the two. His back was towards the woman who looked so scared while leaning her back against the wall, just watching the scene unfolding before her eyes. 

                "You're completely wrong, man," Skinny said, pulling out another knife.

                The shorty stout screamed and charged at Zephyr, trying to cut him, but the beautiful brave man was so good at dodging his attacks until he got to kick the knife away, got behind the skinny guy, and twisted his arms. The skinny guy screamed in pain, but the man did not stop until he noticed Skinny picking up the two knives from the ground. His eyes widened when he saw them being thrown at him, but he had ducked down in time, making the knives flew past his head. 

              Ava felt so damn frozen. She could not move while everything and everyone was moving in front of her fast. Her knight had already pulled out a gun from his jeans' waistband, c****d and aim it right on the guy's forehead.

                "You leave or your brains will be scattered on the ground."

Ava’s eyes widened at how fearless the guy spoke. He spoke so dangerously. His voice sent shivers to her spine. When Skinny finally turned around and run, her knight let go of the stout one and watched him ran after Skinny who was already in a car.

Who is this guy?

Ava thought.

Please turn around.

                When he turned around, they locked eyes. She knew he was staring into her eyes even if he had sunglasses on. Ava counted to ten while taking deep breaths. Just when she had finally calmed down, her knight turned around started walking back towards his waiting motorcycle. 

                "Wait!"

            She hurriedly called out. She waited for the man to turn around, but it didn’t so she just told him, "Thank you."

            She was close behind him. She could extend her hands and they could reach his back.

             "Your wound is bleeding. You should get back in there. We can't be sure you're safe yet."

                Without even waiting for her reply, the guy hopped onto his motorcycle. He started it and stared at Ava before speeding on the ground.

            This is one crazy day.

            Ava thought before finally walking back inside the hospital. She needed to let Mason know.