7. The Second Time Around

Meanwhile, Nathan sat on the long black leather sofa just outside Isabelle's office. The seat looked ordinary, but the way Nathan occupied it made everything seem different. Upright, relaxed, yet full of control. In his hands was an open business magazine taken from the waiting table, as if he were genuinely reading it.

Emma, standing not far away, secretly stole glances at the man. His expression was serious yet calm, like someone untouched by time or the situation around him. Even when a few staff members passed by, glancing at him curiously, Nathan remained completely unfazed.

"He doesn't act like a typical bodyguard," Emma thought, observing how Nathan turned the magazine's pages with precise, deliberate, and elegant movements. Even the way he sat was too poised, too composed. No awkwardness. None of the discomfort usually seen in new employees placed in elite environments.

Emma's brow furrowed slightly. "Is he like those characters in drama series? A wealthy CEO pretending to be a personal bodyguard?" she mused, getting caught up in her own imagination. "But the surname Blackwell, it's never appeared in the media, not listed among any conglomerate families."

Still, his aura, the way he scanned the room, the way he spoke, his body language, everything about him felt unusual.

"Commanding," Emma whispered unconsciously. "But why?"

There was something off about Nathan. He wasn't just some random person, that much was clear. But who was he, really?

Emma didn't know, and perhaps not even Isabelle had realized it yet. But one thing was certain, Nathan Blackwell wasn't just a "personal bodyguard." He was a riddle wrapped in a calm smile, waiting for someone brave enough to unravel him.

Nathan appeared to be seriously reading the business magazine in his hands, but his eyes weren't truly focused on the text. He was strategizing.

As Isabelle's personal bodyguard, he naturally had closer access to the elite business circle, an access not everyone could obtain. But he knew he couldn't stay in this position forever. A shadow standing quietly behind the woman who once filled his life. If things continued this way, how could he ever bring Isabelle back to his side? Protecting her wasn't enough. He had to stand as her equal.

He needed power, and in the world Isabelle came from, power meant influence and control. Power born from money. From business.

Nathan had already taken his first steps into the world of investment and stocks. For the past few years, before his life fell apart, he had been a marketing manager at a major company. He had a stable income, an extensive network, and a future that once looked bright.

But everything collapsed in a single night. He was made the scapegoat in a case of client data misuse by one of his colleagues. Though legally cleared of any wrongdoing, the company still dismissed him. His reputation was tarnished, and at the same time, the woman who had always been his anchor also chose to walk away.

Nathan lost everything, his job, his dignity, and the woman he loved. He hit rock bottom, with no will to move forward. His savings slowly dwindled until he was left with almost nothing.

But now, he refused to be the fool who kept drowning in despair. He had a job now, as Isabelle Montgomery's personal bodyguard. A position granted directly by Aldric Montgomery, the head of the family, with a salary far above industry standards. More than enough to support his living expenses and still leave room for the investments he had started to build.

He didn't need to pay rent for an apartment now, as he was living in the main Montgomery estate, in the elite staff quarters. That place gave him direct access, both physically and emotionally, to the life of the woman who had once been a part of his own.

As he flipped through the pages of the business magazine, Nathan murmured quietly, "I can't just stay here. They won't respect me just because I saved Aldric once. I need a stronger foothold to convince them."

He had taken note of several important names from the article he was reading, aggressive young CEOs, owners of innovative tech companies, and seasoned investors known for their opportunism. He knew that if he wanted to stand as an equal again, he needed to build his own business network. And he would start with the money he currently had. His first capital would come from stocks. But this time, he wouldn't repeat his mistakes.

His thoughts drifted back to that rainy night, the night Aldric's car nearly exploded. If not for his insomnia and his habit of recording the sound of rain to help him sleep, he might not have been there. Aldric Montgomery might've died. And Isabelle, she might've crumbled, becoming an easy target for those who wanted to see her fall.

He didn't know how the universe had brought him back into Isabelle's life in such an unexpected way. But one thing was certain, he wouldn't waste this second chance.

He realized that he wasn't the only one who had been "reborn." Isabelle, too, seemed different. Her gaze was cold, her demeanor sharp. On the night of the company's anniversary, a moment that should have marked their reunion, Isabelle didn't even acknowledge him. And now, every meeting was filled with anger and rejection.

Nathan let out a long sigh. He deserved all of this. He didn't deny that in the past, or more precisely, in their previous future, it was he who had ruined everything. He betrayed Isabelle's trust, broke the love they had painstakingly built, and ultimately tore apart the heart of the woman who had loved him most sincerely.

But this time, he was different. Nathan no longer chased that love with selfish intent. He would not touch Isabelle, would not force his way back into her life. He would keep his distance, standing behind her as a silent protector. He would love her quietly, if that was the only way to remain by her side.

He knew that broken love couldn't be fixed with a simple apology. But he also believed that time had its own way of healing wounds. And when those wounds truly healed, when Isabelle's heart was no longer wrapped in anger and fear, Nathan could only hope that she would give him one more chance.

As if fate had somehow repeated their lives, Nathan, too, wanted a second chance, to make Isabelle happy. This time, in the right way. With protection, loyalty, and unconditional love.

To Nathan, Isabelle might not yet realize that she, too, had been "reborn." From her attitude, she seemed to see all of this as nothing more than a cosmic coincidence, an unwanted reunion. She was still trying to pull away, as if rejecting fate, when in fact, fate was giving her the space to make things right.

That night of the accident, Nathan hadn't been at the scene just because of insomnia. He went there because, suddenly, he remembered, in their previous life, it was on that very night that Aldric Montgomery had suffered a fatal accident. The car exploded. No one had time to save Aldric, because everyone came too late.

When Nathan remembered everything, his body moved without thinking. He ran out into the storm, heading to a location that might not even be accurate, guided only by a vague memory. But there, he found the car. And there, he saved Aldric. It was one small moment that changed everything.

And when he finally saw Isabelle again, saw how deeply she hated him, Nathan realized, his wife didn't remember their past the way he did. Isabelle only knew him as the man who hurt her in a previous life, the man who suddenly appeared again like a thorn from the past she never wanted to touch.

Nathan knew that in Isabelle's eyes, he was nothing but a threat. A mistake that needed to be avoided. He wasn't angry at her for feeling that way. He understood, if he were in her position, he might have done the same.

But what truly pained Nathan was the fact that Isabelle seemed indifferent to everything happening around her. She was too consumed by her hatred toward him, that she forgot the more important things, like her father's safety. Just like before, in their previous life.

And Nathan would not let that happen again. He wouldn't allow Isabelle to lose anyone else. Even if it meant he had to remain in the shadows, her hated bodyguard, yet the one who would faithfully protect her.

He would protect Isabelle, and one day, if fate chose to side with him again, he would stand before her not as a bodyguard, not as an enemy, but as a man who loved her with all his heart and never gave up.