CHAPTER TWO

THE OVERPROTECTIVE BODYGUARD

The lecture on Global Media Ethics had been a blur. Every time Katerina turned her head, she saw Xavier leaning against the back wall of the theater, his arms crossed.

Katerina tried—she really tired—to take notes.

But every time she shifted, she felt him watching like a hawk.

The text messages and vivid scar are still replaying in her head. Clearly still in utter disbelief and doubt .

She is convinced that she was probably hallucinating the scar she saw and the text message?— 

“ it's definitely a spam message” Katerina concluded, dismissing it obliviously, sticking to ignorance. 

As a mass communication student she had once read about the history of the “Valdemir Mafioso” and their brutal massacre but neglected it since she wasn't interested in the subject.

"Heaven help me, Kat," a voice whispered at her elbow. Snapping her back to reality. 

​Katerina blinked as Emily Wilson fell into step beside her. Emily looked radiant, as always her hazel-green eyes locked on the man behind them. She leaned in closer to Katerina, her voice a low, teasing hum.

​"I know your father is overly protective, but hiring a man who looks like that to follow you around? That’s not a security detail, that’s a distraction," Emily murmured, catching Xavier’s gaze for a split second. Xavier didn't smile back; he merely inclined his head, his expression distant.

​"He’s a nuisance, Em, always on my tail " Katerina snapped, tightening her grip on her bag. "He spent the entire lecture analyzing the exit routes instead of the course material. I feel like a prisoner."

​"A prisoner?" Emily laughed, her eyes dancing with mischief. 

"Kat, look at the way he moves. He’s not just watching the exits; he’s watching you. It’s like he’s cataloging every breath you take. Honestly, if Jackson looked at you as half that much... intensity, you’d be married long ago"

​Katerina’s heart gave a traitorous thud. She glanced back at Xavier. Who was adjusting his earpiece, the sunlight catching the sharp line of his jaw…like some male runaway model 

“ Darn!...why does he have to be so hot?…it make it so impossible not to stare” Katerina cursed inwardly to herself 

​"Jackson is a gentleman," Katerina said, her voice sharp. "Xavier is... a weapon. There’s nothing to admire about a man, so cold"Katerina said convincing herself more than to Emily 

​"Cold, huh?" Emily raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Is that why you’re blushing? Because you’re 'annoyed'?"

​Before Katerina could process a comeback she saw Jackson standing by the fountain, waving a hand. But as Emily’s gaze drifted back to Xavier, Katerina felt a foreign urge to rip her friend's eyes off him.

​"You stare way too much Emily, it's embarrassing" Katerina said, her tone icy.

​Emily froze, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her face. 

"What?....can't a girl admire the view? Unless... you don't want anyone else looking at what's yours?"

​"He isn't mine," Katerina hissed. "He’s an employee. A guard. Nothing more."

​"Right," Emily whispered as they reached Jackson.

 "And I’m supposed to resist an ethereal beauty so easily?....You’re jealous, babe. And the funniest part? He hasn't even said a word to me, and you're already marking territory."

​Katerina opened her mouth to argue, but Jackson was already there, 

“ Hey baby, we meet again ... .hope you didn't miss me too much” Jackson smirked cockily, glaring behind her at Xavier as though he wanted to give him a punch. Xaiver glared back unflinchingly 

Jackson was vividly still offended at their first encounter. 

Katerina sensed the weird tension between them.

As she laughed awkwardly. “ Of course babe…. I missed you” she said, placing a kiss on his cheek, successfully grabbing his attention on her.

Jackson held her petite waist “ I've missed you too ‘amore mio’ “ he said in italian leaning closer to her ear—just enough for only her to hear him.

“ Let's spend some quality time at my place tonight, away from home and your pestering babysitter,—” Jackson stops to glare at Xavier; who looks at them suspiciously, his eyes narrowing into slits trying to decipher their little conversation.

Jackson continues, now smiling and looking at Katerina 

“ For lost time sake…..what do you think?”

“ Sure, sounds fun!” Katerina chirped, she could really use a break.

                      ***************

Katerina’s expansive, walk-in closet. Clothes thrown scatteredly on the floor and the air smells of hairspray, expensive leather, and cold espresso.

​Emily Wilson leaned casually against the mahogany doorframe, swirling a glass of orange juice Her hazel-green eyes were amused, tracking Katerina, who was currently rifling through a rack of designer jackets with a bit too much aggression.

​"You’ve changed that outfit three times, Kat," Emily remarked, her tone playful 

"Usually, you'd be halfway to the club by now with Jackson. What’s the holdup?”

​Katerina pulled out a cropped biker jacket and shoved it back so hard the hangers rattled.

 "The holdup is six-foot-two and standing like a statue outside my bedroom door is my problem. I can't breathe without him monitoring my every move. He's not a bodyguard, Em. He’s a prison warden."

​Emily let out a low, melodic laugh that didn't reach her eyes. She walked over, brushing a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. 

"Oh, you mean the 'New Guy.' Xavier, right? I saw him downstairs. Honestly? If I had a bodyguard that looked like he was sculpted by a Greek God, I wouldn't be complaining. He’s... delicious ‘in a dangerous badboy way"

​"He’s not sculpted, Emily. He’s... cold. Like a Robot, with no emotions whatsoever" Katerina snapped.

Finally settling on a silver slip dress that clung to her elegant curves. She turned to the mirror, but her reflection seemed pale, her mind struggling to process the man outside. 

"He looks at me like I’m a problem he’s being paid to handle. Not a person. A problem."

​Emily stepped up behind her, meeting Katerina’s eyes in the glass. She reached out, adjusting the thin strap of Katerina’s dress. 

​"Is that why your heart is beating so hard I can practically see it through the silk?" Emily teased, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. 

"Kat, look at me. You’ve had bodyguards since you were in diapers. You usually treat them like furniture. Why is this one making you so... fidgety? Is it the way he looks at you, or the way you want him to look at you?"

​Katerina opened her mouth to defend but the words died. She thought of the way Xavier’s gloved hand had felt on her skin earlier—the heat of it overwhelming despite the leather. 

​"He’s different," Katerina whispered, . 

"He’s dangerous, Em. Like 'mafia-dangerous.”

​Emily’s eyes sparked in excite. She caught the shift immediately—the obsession talking.

 "Then maybe you should stop poking the danger," she suggested with a mischievous glint. 

"Or, better yet... let’s see how he respond with Jackson hands around you tonight. If he’s as 'detached' as you say, he won't bother. But if I’m right, Jackson might be going home in an ambulance."

​" I'm sneaking out….he doesn't need to know….i need some privacy with my boyfriend for fuck sake" Katerina insisted, grabbing her clutch and masking her fear with a coat of lip gloss.

​"We’ll see," Emily said, following her toward the door. "But Kat? Just remember—Jackson is nice. Xavier Carter…..screams danger….be careful"

​Katerina reached for the door handle, bracing herself to face him again. But before her fingers could touch the brass, the door swung open from the outside with a controlled force.

​Xavier stood there, his frame towering and filling the entire doorway. His tie was loosened. His gaze ignored Emily entirely, locking onto Katerina with an intensity that made her knees weak.

​"Change the dress, Katerina," he rumbled, his voice a low, vibrating growl of possessive fury.

​"Excuse me?" Katerina gasped, her pride flaring. "I’m going to meet my boyfriend, Xavier. You don't tell me what to wear…..its non of your business” she scoff irritated by the man towering over her petite frame 

​Xavier stepped into the room, forcing Emily to retreat into the shadows. He leaned down, his breath ghosting over Katerina’s ear, his voice dropping so low it was almost a snarl.

“ Apparently, it is one of my prioritized business"

​"You aren't going to meet anyone. Your father just received a call to report a security breach, and three hitmen are currently painting the University parking lot red looking for you”.