Eden dropped his schoolbag on the ground and turned on his right to another street. He ran and yelled a curse as he hated the leather shoes he wore to go to university this morning. They were uncomfortable as they tightened around his feet, making it difficult to run faster.
"He's there!" he heard the men shout and he turned his head quickly to see them running after him.
"Shit!" he yelled and ran as fast as he could. He turned to enter another street and widened his eyes when he spotted two men coming from the other side. "Lord have mercy," he muttered and slowed down as he looked around. There was no way out this time. The men dressed in black cornered him, and each one of them held a wooden baton in his hand. They approached him slowly, smirking and grinning like psychopaths.
Eden rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh as he mumbled, "I'm gonna lose the last train because of you,"
"We could always drive you home," one of the men scoffed, "After smashing that head of yours, of course,"
Eden rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes tight to take a deep breath. He had been running for about half an hour, and he didn't get a chance to catch his breath. "Don't you ever get tired of this?" he asked them with a tired voice. "I see you more than my parents."
"If you dare calling them parents," Jack mocked, "They let you drown in debts instead of helping you,"
Eden gulped and looked away. Jack was right. If his so-called parents agreed to help him for the first time, he wouldn't have the loan sharks biting his butt every day.
"Now, let's get on with this," Jack nodded to his guys, who drew their batons, ready to hit their target.
Even if Eden was exhausted, he was still not an easy man. As soon as the men approached, he stretched his arms and dodged their hits successfully. He pulled a baton toward him, and the man holding it ended up with a bump on his head. Eden then lifted his leg and pushed two men to the ground before he quickly grabbed another's arm and nearly dislocating it.
"Do we really have to do this?" he rolled his eyes and sighed, "I don't like to hurt you guys. You always end up with blues and bumps."
"Aren't you such an arrogant bastard?" Jack pulled Eden's university uniform jacket and gritted his teeth, "You're lucky our boss doesn't allow us to use knives, or else I'd have cut that filthy tongue of yours,"
"Yeah, yeah. Sure," Eden looked away and spotted a black car parked at the end of the street. He furrowed a brow and wondered why they were not helping him. He was sure someone was inside. People are such cowards nowadays.
While he was busy looking away, the men nodded to each other, and they were ready to attack him when he pulled one by the collar, and punched his face and kicked the other on the stomach.
"Just because I'm not looking at you it doesn't mean I can't stop you," Eden smirked and finished the last man with a simple hit on the nose, making him lose consciousness. "It was a pleasure tonight... again," he winked at Jack, "I'm hungry, so I gotta go. Ciao!" he waved his hands and left running.
"Catch that bastard!" Jack yelled to the men, who could barely move. "You useless brats! Get up!"
Eden laughed when he turned around and saw the men running after him. They were slow, and some were limping. One of them was still on the ground.
As predicted, the last train left the station, and he had no choice but to walk home. Like every other night, he made sure no one followed him to his street. He was thankful he had the keys in his pocket as the rest of his belongings stayed in the bag he threw somewhere downtown. He opened the door, took off his shoes and took a deep breath once he smelled the familiar scent of his home and heard the cartoon background music.
Eden rested his back against the wall and sighed. Olivia left the kitchen and frowned, "Did they follow you again?" she asked.
Eden hummed and took off his uniform jacket and hung it.
"When will this ever stop?" Olivia whispered-shouted, "I'm tired of this!"
"What about me?" Eden lifted a brow, "Going to university in the mornings and working three jobs after. I'm exhausted."
Olivia inhaled sharply and looked away, "This needs to end, Eden. I don't know, get more jobs or whatever," she crossed her arms, "I can't even go out with my friends, and I have to lie to them every time and tell them I have to take care of Leo. Little did they know, I can't afford a coffee,"
Eden sighed and ran his fingers in his dark hair, "I know, Olivia. Our situation isn't the best but bear with me. A few more years, and it'll be over,"
Olivia scoffed and looks at him in disbelief, "A few more years he says. I might as well go out until I get grey hairs,"
Eden ignored her this time and worked in the living room to find Leo sitting on the couch and watching cartoons.
"Isn't it my cutest little baby?" he jumps on the couch, making the boy laugh. "Papa!"
Eden smiled and rested his head on Leo's little thighs, "Did you have fun at school?" he asked.
"Yes, papa," Leo caressed his hair gently, without taking his head off the TV screen.
Eden hummed, "Did you play with your friends?"
Leo nodded, "We played football," he said with his little voice, "I scored like Messi!"
Eden watched his eyes shine with excitement, and he let out a laugh, "Really?!" he exclaimed, "Do we have the next greatest footballer here?"
"Yes!"
Olivia scoffed, "Do you think it's time to be laughing?"
Eden frowned and left the couch to follow her to the kitchen, "Seriously, what is wrong with you?!" he asked, "Leo has nothing to do with this, okay? Don't speak like that in front of him,"
"That's exactly this," Olivia said, "He has to do with this,"
Eden looked at her in disbelief, "Are we doing this again?" he asked and looked behind to make sure Leo was busy watching his favourite cartoons. "Leo is a child. If you had to take it on someone, take it on us, okay?" he asked, pointing at them, "We did this. That night, we decided not to put a condom."
Olivia gulped and looked down, pressing her lips tight to stop her tears from falling. "How stupid of us!" she cried.
Eden sighed and pulled her toward his chest before he caressed her back, "It was a wrong decision, indeed, but we had little Leo, didn't we? You can't tell me it's not the best thing that happened to us,"
Olivia rested her chin on Eden's shoulder and looked at Leo sitting in his usual corner on the couch. He let out little chuckles as he watched cartoons and his eyes would widen and brighten.
Olivia sniffed and nodded her head, "You're right," she whispered, making Eden smile and kiss her temple gently. "Now, now, let's cook some dinner and get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay,"
The next morning, Eden had class until ten, so he was in charge of dropping Leo at school before heading to university. Olivia started at eight.
"Goodbye, little prince," Eden kissed Leo's cheek and watched him bow to his teacher before he ran to his friends. He smiled and felt grateful to have him in his life. No matter the difficulties he and Olivia were experiencing, Leo's arrival was the reason why they stuck together. From staying up late at night, to running to the hospital, they endured everything for years. But time flew by, and now, the baby was an adorable five-year-old boy.
Eden ran to catch the bus that dropped him at the university. He left a text to Olivia, saying that he dropped their child at school and that she should pick him up if she finishes classes earlier,"
When the bus stopped, Eden got out and headed to the Business School campus. But before he climbed the stairs, someone called him. They didn't say a name, but he knew it was directed at him as he was the only one there.
Eden turned around and saw a car — the same black car from yesterday. He furrowed a brow and waited until the window opened fully. A man with bright white hair appeared, wearing a three-piece suit that must cost five times his debt.
"Hello, young man," the man's deep voice sent chills over his body. He was wearing a three-piece grey suit that must have cost more than Eden's mere existence. The watch around his wrist was from a famous luxury brand. This man smelled like money from head to toe.
"Do I know you, sir?"
"I don't believe so," the man said, "Unless you're from the head families,"
Eden frowned as he had no idea what he was talking about.
"I saw you yesterday, fighting those men," Eden nodded as he already knew. "That was quite the show," the man said, "Impressive,"
"Thank you, sir," Eden said, still unsure about what he wanted. "But how did you follow me here?"
"I recognised your uniform yesterday," the man replied, "My son studies here too,"
Eden hummed, "And?"
"I need someone with your skills," the man said, "I always make sure to get the best men for both my company and my family. You are a university student, so you must be about the same age as my son," he paused to eye Eden. "His bodyguards never finish a week by his side," he added, "He needs someone to end his child play."
"And you think I could do that?" Eden lifted a brow as he scoffed internally. As if it was not enough to take care of one child.
"I believe you can," the man replied.
Eden sighed and took a look at his watch. His class was about to start in less than ten minutes, and he needed to hurry inside. "Uh, sir, your offer is kind, but I'll have to decline as I don't think I'm up for this sort of job,"
The man, as if he guessed Eden would answer this way, nodded to one of his men. He handed him a black box which he opened. Eden widened his eyes at the number of bills inside.
"I guessed the men from yesterday are loan sharks," the man said, "So, five grand a month. Is it enough to cover your debt?"
Eden gulped and let out a laugh as he could not believe the amount of cash he mentioned. He thought about how his life would be after paying his debt. He would finally drop the night jobs and come back early to study and play with Leo. He could also go on dates with Olivia and bring back the good old days.
Eden cleared his throat and looked at the man with a smile, "It's more than enough, sir,"
The man nodded proudly, "Good. I'll send one of my men to pick you up after you finish your classes. He'll drive you to the mansion, and there you can meet my son."
👔
Here is the prologue for you! As you might have already guessed, this will be a BOSS X BODYGUARD story! Hope you'll enjoy it!
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"Meeting you was like listening to a song for the first time and knowing it would be my favorite."Michael Bliss—The professor finished distributing the exams before he left the classroom. Eden let out a sigh and rested his head against the chair. He was scared he would fail the test, but fortunately, he got it. He grinned as he looked at the paper. Managing both student life and parenting was a challenge. He barely had time to study as he had three part-time jobs and needed to take care of Leo when Olivia was preparing for her exams."You got it?" Kian jumped from the chair behind to sit next to him."Yeah, I guess I got lucky," Eden chuckled, "I would have lost my mind if I had to retake this one,""I kn
"Some people will only love you as much as they can use you. Their loyalty ends where the benefit stops."Unknown—Henry stopped in front of the nightclub and got out to open the door for the Young Master. Eden stood next to him and looked around. For a weekday, the club was pretty busy. There was a long line, and Eden wondered if they would have to wait for hours to get in. His question was soon answered when the doorman bowed to Harvey and welcomed him inside without hesitation.Harvey turned around and smirked when he saw the confusion on Eden's face. "Let's go," he tilted his head and walked inside.Eden silently followed until he could feel the vibrations haunting the dark place. The music got louder little by little, and they arrived at the main lounge
"Never take the blame for how someone mistreated you."Khalilah Velez — "You look exhausted," Kian looked at his friend, worried. Their class just ended, and Eden was lazily putting his things in his bag. "Did you work late?" Eden hummed, "That brat wanted to go clubbing," "Seriously?" Kian gasped, "I always begged you to go clubbing with me, and you always said no. Now when Mister says it, you don't hesitate," he crossed his arms and looked away. "Well, Mister Kian doesn't pay me to go to the club," Eden imitated his friend's voice, earning a nudge on the arm. "How is he, by the way?" Kian asked, "Is he like those bratty, spoiled rich guy
"If we all could see the world through the eyes of a child, we could see the magic in everything."Unknown—Eden nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he checked his watch multiple times. Harvey watched him from behind, and he looked around to see the traffic that was stressing him out. They got out at peak hour, and all the cars were advancing at low speed.Harvey guessed his kid finished school at five, and there were only ten minutes before he got out. He didn't know where his school was, but it must be a little far, judging from Eden's expression.Harvey didn't say a word and kept watching him. He tried to picture the kid; a little boy with the same eyes as his dad and probably his mother's nose — though he never met Eden's wife bef
"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice."Nelson Mandela—Eden woke up at five in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Olivia was next to him on the bed, with her book open on her thighs. She spent the night reviewing her lessons. Hecarefully left the bed and put on his slippers before walking to the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth, and then he headed back to the bedroom to get his workout clothes. There was nothing to do at home, so early in the morning, so he decided to go for a jog.After he got dressed, he entered Leo's room and grinned when he saw his little arms and legs spread on the mattress. No matter how cold it was, Leo would always throw the cover on the floor, and Eden had to pick it up every time. He kissed Leo's forehead, took his key
"Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it."Unknown—Eden entered the mansion and met Grayson in the main hall. "Good morning," he greeted him with a tired smile."Your suit is ready," Grayson told him, "You should start wearing it from now on,""Alright," Eden nodded and headed to the bodyguards' dressing room to change. There were about ten lockers with name tags. He smiled when he read his name and opened it to find his suit and shoes ready. He took off his uniform and put on a plain white shirt, black pants and a blazer."Hey man," Tyler opened his locker and put his sports bag inside. "How were your classes?"
"All these people everywhere, but my eyes on you."Unknown—The students took notes while the professor explained the lesson projected on the screen, everyone but Eden and Kian. Eden was opening and closing his pen while Kian watched him with confusion. He wondered why his friend was zoning out a lot lately. Kian grew impatient of looking at him repeat the same action, and he scooted closer to him to whisper: "Hey, what's wrong? You've been silent these last two days."Eden only shrugged without bothering to lift his head and look at his friend. Kian scrunched his brows and snatched the pen away from his hand. "Seriously, if there's anything, you've got to tell me."Eden let out a deep sigh and finally moved his head a little to look at his friend's concerne
"All the best heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary."Gerard Way—The stranger dragged Leo to a narrow empty street, and the boy didn't stop yelling and asking for help. Harvey followed them, swearing at the man as loud as he could. For once, he regretted not doing some cardio at the gym as he found himself short of breath very soon. But despite his lack of sportiness, Harvey succeeded to reach them and pulled the man's velvet sleeve."Leave him the fuck alone!" he shouted breathlessly."Mr Clarke!" Leo cried, his eyes wide as he recognised his dad's boss. He wanted to go to him, but the man tightened his grip around his wrist."Who the hell are you?!" the stranger, a man in his thirties, glared at Harvey. "What do you want with