Carter

Anna continued to profusely thank Carter, and he continued to humbly say that it was alright. From speaking to Carter, the group had all decided that he seemed a stand-up guy.

As they got chatting, Carter told them a brief history of himself.

"I come from a military family, so as soon as I was old enough, I enlisted. I became an officer, went on my tour, and came back. No lasting injuries, not on the outside.

"I decided to leave the army; seeing friends and comrades die took too much of a toll on me. I got my honorable discharge and left. I haven't looked back since.

"I mostly do security work now. I've had a few gigs since leaving the service, but I haven't found anything permanent yet.

"I was actually on my way to an interview when—"

Carter paused then upon seeing Anna's expression. As one might expect, she felt guilty that she might've cost this man his job.

Carter smiled and hurriedly said, "Oh, don't worry, I was confident I wouldn't get the job. But you just have to keep trying until you find something, right?"

Roland suddenly felt guilty when he heard Carter's words.

'This guy is a good man. He's served his country but left because he couldn't handle the losses and emotional toll. Despite being unemployed, he's got a positive, optimistic attitude, and he's utterly selfless.

'How could I have had such thoughts about being guarded around him earlier? Even if I was only joking to myself, he didn't deserve such distrust.'

As Roland thought this, he suddenly thought of something.

"Hang on, if you're looking for a job, perhaps I can help with that. After all, it's the least I can do for you."

"You can?" Carter said, with a surprised expression on his face.

This group of strangers around his bed were all very young; it was highly unlikely he held important positions. 'Maybe one of his parents is someone important…'

"Yes, I can. But first, I need you answer one question."

"Okay, what is it?"

"What was going through your mind as you jumped in front of the truck?"

Without hesitating, Carter answered, "Nothing, sir. I saw someone in danger and jumped; it was all my reflexes really, not me."

"You're hired. I've been needing a new Head of Security for a while. Of course, we'll need to run some background checks et cetera, but there shouldn't be any issues."

Carter was flabbergasted; even Anna was shocked by this. 'To pick up a stranger and make him your Head of Security…'

"Head of Security… Isn't that a little too much? I was expecting maybe an entry position of some kind… And if you don't mind me asking, who actually are you?"

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Roland Wimbledon, the founder and CEO of Graycastle. We're a software company."

"Of course, I've heard of Graycastle. No one who owns a computer hasn't heard of Graycastle! But if you're really the company's CEO, why are you making me your Head of Security?"

"Well, as I said, I've needed a new Head of Security for a while now, but I've never found the right person. Although my Head of Security needs to manage my security arrangements, they also need to be someone I can trust to deal sensitive matters for me.

"Like when Anna went missing. I'd need someone to search for her discreetly. Currently, Barov has been handling such matters on top of his own responsibilities as I haven't found the right person.

"But if you're willing, I'd like to trial you in the role, once you're discharged from the hospital, of course."