A Weak Bodyguard

Mr Lee drove Bryan to the Lee Corporation after calling her daughter to confirm that she was still around the company.

It didn't take too long to arrive at the large building… the Lee Corporation.

They were one of the largest electronics company, the largest of course, was located at Mizzleport.

"This is Bryan, your bodyguard." Mr Lee introduced immediately he met his daughter at the parking lot.

Alexa frowned, "dad, you didn't mention this to me. And also, I don't need a bodyguard."

"It's for your safety."

Alexa glanced at Bryan who stood behind them with his hands in his pockets, "couldn't you get someone else? He looks so…"

"Trust me honey, he's the best," Mr Lee looked at his wrist watch, "I need to go now, I'll leave both of you to bond."

All this while, Bryan tried hard to control his expressions. He wasn't the kind of person who looked stern or strict and it made it difficult for him to act as a bodyguard. Aren't they supposed to be bulky and mean looking?

"Do you also get to follow me around, hold my hand bag, buy me lunch or take me shopping?"

He jolted when he heard his "employer" ask such an absurd question, "That isn't part of my job description."

Bryan found that this lady looked very familiar to him. Have they met before?

"Let's go." Alexa got into her car and Bryan followed.

She drove away from the company building and towards the eastern side of the city; it was obvious she was going shopping.

At the mall, Bryan could barely keep up with her pace. She kept moving around and looking at things she didn't even want to buy and this made Bryan a little exhausted.

'Seriously, how do women do it?' he could only lament inwardly.

"Here, hold this for me."

Bryan didn't reach out to take the expensive set of shoes that Alexa was holding out, "That's not my job."

"You're my bodyguard," Alexa pointed a finger at him, "and you do exactly what I tell you to do!"

"I'm here to follow you around and protect you from any danger." He said with a dead-pan expression.

"Seriously," she said exasperatedly while brushing her hair back, "where did my father pick you up from? You're so annoying!"

Bryan was quiet.

"And you think you can protect me? You don't even look like a…"

Bryan took out his phone and began tapping the screen, not bothering to listen to the lady who was talking non-stop.

"Hey, look at me when I'm speaking to you!" Alexa snatched his phone away, "you know I can fire you from your job?"

Bryan wanted to laugh out loud, "First, this isn't my job and I'm only volunteering. Second, you can't fire me since I don't work for you."

Alexa paused for a bit. This guy thinks he's so clever.

"Give my phone back, miss." Bryan reached out to grab the phone but she moved her hand away.

"I won't give it back till you tell me why you were tapping it while I was talking with you."

"It's simple; I don't want to listen to your ramblings."

Alexa looked at him slack-jawed; anger was etched all over her face.

She placed the shoes back and left the mall without saying a word. This was the first time she felt so insulted in her entire life and she couldn't do anything about it.

She couldn't fire him even if she wanted to; her father would just rehire him. He never listens to me anyway….

When she got to the car, she noticed that Bryan was right behind her.

"Why are you here? You can just leave."

Bryan was first surprised by her attitude; wasn't she supposed to get angry and not talk to him again? Isn't that how rich people operated?

Then again, he felt that what he said was really bad. He only wanted to put up a stern attitude but in the end, he made her feel….

"Like I said, I'm glued to you."

Bryan blinked after the words came out. Glued? Why does his mouth keep betraying him?

He felt like slapping himself.

"After insulting me you get glued?" Alexa pulled her hair back and tied it up, "even if I can't fire you, you know I can beat you up? Do you know who I am?"

Beat me up? Although I'm not a muscular type but I also believe I'm not the type a woman can beat up…except that woman is Anna…

"Ruth." Bryan said with gritted teeth.

Alexa looked at him with a confused expression.

"You're Ruth." Bryan repeated again. He had long felt that this girl looked familiar and all this while he had used her pattern of speech and body language to guess where he had met her before. It took him a little bit of effort to realise that she was the famous champion of the night bike racing, Ruth.

"So you do know me after all."

"What I don't get is why you would use a fake name and also a fake hair to cover your identity."

At the racing course, Bryan recalled that she had wavy brown hair but now she had straight black hair.

"How do you know that this isn't the fake hair? Maybe my real hair colour is brown."

That could be true, but why go through all the trouble?

"You wouldn't understand why I do it." She got into the car and started it. Bryan, who was taken by surprise, had to jump in to avoid being left behind.

"Have you been to the night racing before?"

"Only once, I finished third." Bryan replied while adding inwardly 'isn't it obvious? Otherwise how would I have known you?'

"You're the guy who raced with the girl, huh? How is she?" Alexa glanced at him through the rear view mirror.

Bryan kept quiet and avoided that topic. What was he to say anyway?

"Do you want to grab a bite? My treat." She offered and didn't even wait for a response; she turned the car and went to the nearest restaurant.

Bryan almost face palmed. This wasn't how he imagined his job as a bodyguard to be like. He had prepared for something more formal and strict and had to spend a lot of his time, while coming here, to play out his interactions in his head but, sadly, his employer just happened to be as much of a talkative as he was….