Chapter 20

MAY

Okay, I was disappointed. I wasn't going to have what I wanted. However, she looked cool. She was dressed in black suit like the usual bodyguard. I wasn't going to have that anyway. Plain clothes all the way.

“My name is Abby Vaughn and it's nice to meet you, ma'am,” She introduced herself. “I will be serving as your personal bodyguard from this moment and I promise to do my best.”

I shouldn't allow this. There must be a way to have her fired and get a male bodyguard instead.

“Well, you look good and all but I don't think you're qualified enough for this,” I muttered. I hoped my uncertainty wasn't showing.

It seemed it was.

“I am qualified for the job, ma'am,” Abby replied calmly.

“Call me Miss. Madam makes me feel old,” I replied.

“Yes, Miss,” Abby replied naturally. She hadn't showed any notable emotion since she came here. Having her calm and reserved wouldn't help me.

“I need someone that looks tough and intimidating! Someone that can fight. Some really skilled…” I said calmly.

“Are you judging me by my physique… or is it my gender?” Abby had seen through me. She smiled for the first time and continued. “I am an ex-soldier and I served for four years in the British Army. I was in the Intelligence department and I was honorably discharged as a Captain. That's not all. I worked as a private security consultant for the next six years and in all my missions, I have not recorded a single failure. I believe my curriculum vitae was sent to you.”

“It wasn't,” I muttered. Was Abby intimidating me?

“My last job was protecting a tech billionaire’s daughter in Monaco. Before that, I managed a dual-layer security during her attempted abduction in Milan,” Abby had more to say. “I am skilled in boxing, judo, hand-to-hand combat…”

“That's enough!” I raised my head. I surrendered. “You are skilled enough indeed, Abby. I agree!”

“I appreciate your acknowledgement, Miss,” Abby smiled. I smiled back at her and shook her hand. Mama excused herself and left us to chat even though there was nothing much to talk about.

“I will need to go over your schedule, Miss. May I have the contact information of your secretary?” Abby asked.

“I don't have a secretary,” I replied. “Keeping me safe won't be hard. I don't go to a lot of meetings or gatherings. For today, I will go to one place only. Meet with Ken, my driver. I explained things to him already.”

**

Two escorts.

Ken and Abby were in the front seats. I was at the back seat with my iPad. I was checking the stock market and the shares of Greenfield hospital had dropped lately. I wondered what Sherlyn was doing about it. I was sure Emma wanted to have Conan in my place. If that was so, they should naturally speed things up and help the hospital before it fell apart.

Such worries gave me a headache.

“Are you okay, Miss?” Abby asked. She must have seen me massaging my temple.

“I'm fine,” I replied then turned towards Ken. “How much longer?”

“Five minutes will do,” Ken replied and sped up. The road was free so Ken could go a little above his usual limit. I rested in the armchair and braced myself to see Sherlyn. The last time I saw her, I won the argument. I must win today as well.

“We are here!” Ken announced. As the gate opened, Ken drove inside. Abby passed a pen to me.

“That's a smart pen,” Abby told me. “I won't be able to follow you inside for the sake of your privacy but if you think you might be in danger, press that pen and I will be there immediately.”

I accepted the pen then looked at her, “I won't get hurt today. If I do, none of them will survive too. They know it and it's their biggest weakness. They can't let go of their lives to kill me.”

“Still, take the pen with you!” Abby insisted.

“Certainly,” I nodded. Ken parked properly and I hopped out of the car. Abby escorted me to the visitor's sitting room and from there, I went by myself to the living room where Sherlyn was seated.

“You are busy these days,” Sherlyn said upon seeing me. “Yesterday was your wedding and you are here today. You are so hardworking! Take it easy on yourself, will you?”

It was a sarcastic statement meant to mock me. However, I didn't mind. She never said what I didn't expect.

“You seem to be idle these days,” I retaliated. “You are the current CEO of the hospital but you are mostly at home. Are you really managing the hospital by watching series day and night while applying skin care products every two hours.”

“What do you want?” Sherlyn asked. She didn't want to dwell on my remarks.

“I have to see my dad,” I went straight to the point. “You have banned me from meeting my biological father and that's actually wild. It's a shame I can do nothing!”

Sherlyn began to laugh.

“That's power!” Sherlyn told me. “You have gotten more mature actually. Does pregnancy help women with maturing? I should research this.”

“What if it does? Do you intend to get pregnant?” I asked her. Her expression changed right away.

“What… what do you mean?” Sherlyn asked, her voice mildly shaking.

“Oh, dad isn't in a position to get you pregnant…” I muttered then I caught her expression. “Don't tell me… there is another guy!”

“What do you mean?” Sherlyn got defensive all of a sudden. “I have been loyal to your dad. Heaven and Earth knows this as a fact!”

“Right,” I muttered. “I'm sure you will lose his properties if you're actually cheating on him. There was that clause in his will, you know…”

“Of course,” Sherlyn supported me. She looked nervous and that told me what words didn't. I stood up now and she did as well.

“I will see you later,” I smiled.

Sherlyn nodded.

I didn't get the permit to access my father but I got something else. I was sure of it.

Sherlyn was cheating on dad.