Collateral desire- His to protect, mine to desire

Elian's Pov

“I am not hiring a damn babysitter Francine. I said what I said.” My voice sliced through the tension of the board room before I even took a seat. It felt like my neck was on a damn chopping block.

The late evening sun bled orange through the windows of Lancaster Industries, casting long shadows across the room and making my glare all the more scary.

Boardroom silence should feel like a cool exhale but the calmness that filled this one was the calmness before a stormy decision was made. 

The board members flinched as Francine calmly folded her hands across the glossy mahogany table. She was the only person in the room who had learned how to stand her ground when I was on one of my rampages.

"You’re not hiring a babysitter," she repeated slowly, like she was speaking to a troubled child. "You’re hiring a bodyguard. There’s been a second death threat on you and this one included a detailed description of your route to work. And they knew what tie you wore last Friday."

My lips twitched as my jaw tightened. The suit I wore, custom-made, was just as sharp as my rising temper. It did little to mask the irritation buzzing beneath my skin. I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back in the chair, exhaling and breaking into a laugh so cold it could cut glass.

“Let them come,” I said, my voice low and lethal. “Let whoever it is try.”

Francine wasn’t impressed. Her eyes narrowed as she shoved a thick file across the table toward me.

“You’re not invincible, Elian. And your pride is exhausting,” she bit out. “The board has come to an agreement and it’s non-negotiable. Either you agree to protection, or you step down until we resolve the threat.”

Her words landed hard like a slap in a quiet room.

I stared at the folder, the sleek LANCASTER embossed in silver foil. My jaw worked silently before I finally spoke, voice clipped

"Then my father finally gets his wish and makes Caleb CEO?" I said, dryly. "What a nightmare."

A few of the board members shifted uncomfortably.

Francine straightened and took a deep breath. "We’ve hired a bodyguard."

I sat up straighter. "You what?"

She met my eyes squarely. "He’ll be here in the morning. The agency is elite. We respect your stand but we can’t afford another delay."

I stood up, my tone sharp enough to cut through glass. "But I don’t need one."

"You need to stay alive, Elian." Her voice didn’t rise, but the steel in it cut clean. "We’ve exhausted our options. The agency’s sending one of their best."

I scoffed. "The best doesn’t come on short notice."

Francine looked unbothered. "Well, we’ll see."

How dare she? How dare they? I swear if Francine wasn't my favourite aunt, she would have paid dearly for making decisions for me in my own company. 

………

I was halfway through my second cup of black coffee and cursing the day already when the door to my office clicked open. I stepped into my office and immediately regretted it.

I froze mid-step. A man was standing inside, broad-shouldered, black T-shirt stretched tight over his muscled chest, combat boots still covered in dust obviously from the road. 

He turned at the sound of the door and my entire body froze.

It couldn’t be. But it was.

The memory hit me like a sucker to the gut. He walked forward like a goddamn boss. Tall, broad-shouldered ans silent like a ghost but moving like a blade through water. The moment our eyes locked, it hit me harder than it should’ve.

It definitely was Dax Reyes, the last person I ever thought I’d see again. And there was no mistaking it.

Scholarship kid. Top marks. Sharp tongue. Too curious for his own good. The one I’d had a stupid, week-long mistake in the academy, the one whose mouth tasted like rebellion, danger, and regret. The same one I ghosted without looking back.

Now he was standing in my office, all grown and armored in restraint. A fucking shadow from a chapter I’d tried to burn.

My jaw locked. “Tell me this is a joke.”

Francine stepped in from behind me, blinking between us. “Oh. I see you two have met.”

Met? He’d been inside me.

Dax didn’t smile or even flinch. He met my gaze with the same cool detachment that used to piss off every instructor at the academy. 

"I’ll be your shadow for the foreseeable future, Mr. Lanchester," he said, voice smooth like oil over glass. 

I let out a humorless laugh. "Over my dead body."

He tilted his head. “Well, that’s what I’m here to prevent.”

Francine crossed her arms. “He’s the only operative available right now who passed the clearance check. The threats are getting bolder, Elian. We don’t have time for you to be stubborn.”

I dragged my gaze back to her. My heart was hammering in my chest, but I kept my face straight. "Fine. Keep him. But keep searching… I want someone else within the week."

She hesitated, then nodded. “You agree?”

“Just keep searching,” I responded.

She left the room with subtle urgency and the smile of someone who knew fireworks were about to start.

I turned toward Elian slowly, the tension thick enough to bite.

“So,” I said casually. “From cheap scholarship brat to trained meat shield? Bet your mother’s proud.”

His eyes didn’t blink. “She would have been, if she were alive.”

Damn. Clean comeback.

I pushed off from my desk, rolling my shoulders. “How poetic.”

He took a step closer. "But you’re right, Elian. We’ve come a long way since those nights in your dorm room. Haven’t we?"

My throat closed, just slightly and heat rushed to my face before I could control it.

But I didn’t back down. I never backed down.

"That was nothing," I said, coolly.

"Sure," he murmured. “Then this should be easy.”

………..

The problem wasn’t just that Dax was everywhere.

It was how he was everywhere.

He moved like a shadow; efficient, reserved but impossible to ignore. At the elevator, in the car, outside my meeting rooms, pacing behind me with that quiet, hyper-focused attention like he was memorizing every step I took.

It was... unbearable. I hated how aware I was of him.

I hated even more that a part of me didn’t hate it at all.

"You watching my back or just admiring the view?" I asked as we stepped into the penthouse that evening.

He followed me inside, setting his bag near the door. “Your back is covered. Your attitude? Not so much.”

I laughed once. "Still got that mouth on you, huh?"

He looked me over, calm and unreadable. “Not the only thing I’ve still got.”

God. I hated him.

I poured myself a drink and collapsed into the couch. The skyline glowed red-gold in the windows behind me, but all I could see was him, leaning casually by the door, arms crossed, black shirt tight around those arms, those goddamn eyes watching everything.

Straightening, I spoke. "This whole situation is… you know what? We need to talk."

“I’m working. You’re the one making it weird.”

I downed half the drink and leaned my head back. "This arrangement is temporary."

"Sure."

"You don’t get to talk about the past."

"Didn’t plan to."

"Or assume we have any unfinished business."

He stepped forward, slow, measured. “Oh, Elian... we are nothing but unfinished business.”

The air between us snapped, live-wire tight.

I stood. “You’re fired.”

He didn’t blink. “You can’t fire me.”

“I’m the goddamn CEO.”

He leaned in just enough to make my breath catch. “You’re also the goddamn target.”

I grew quiet. 

Then his voice dropped, low and smooth. “You think this is about you? You think I took this assignment because I give a damn what happens to your company?”

My jaw tightened.

He smirked. “I’m here because someone wants you dead. And until I figure out who your ass is mine. And it will really help you to stop sexualizing words.”

That night, I lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling while the ghost of Dax Reyes haunted my every thought.

His confidence, his voice. The goddamn way he looked at me like he still knew every lie I told myself.

This was going to be hell.

But maybe… hell could be entertaining.