Reborn: No Longer His Shield

An old but powerful voice pulled me out of the endless darkness."You're the one, Lily Stenson."I looked around the York family's indoor training grounds. The one who had just spoken was Emily Harrison.It was then that I realized that I had been reborn.I was surrounded by dozens of other elite bodyguards, who were clad in black training uniforms just like mine. They were the cream of the crop of other security companies within the country and were sent to participate in the competition.Feeling a little dazed, I hesitated to step forward to answer Emily's summons.The air turned strange. Everyone directed their gazes toward me, looking at me with a mixture of doubt and confusion."Wait!"A clear, masculine voice, laced with urgency, shattered the silence.The doors of the training grounds were flung open. The heir of the York family, Jonah York, dashed into the room. He was breathing heavily as he swept his gaze over everyone. Panic and fear flickered in his eyes when he lo

I became Jonah's shadow again for the next three days. However, my state of mind was completely different this time.I watched as he and Rose flirted in the backseat, as she made him laugh with a silly joke, and as he bought her a limited-edition designer handbag.The scenes overlapped with the ones that I had witnessed in my past life.However, my reaction was completely different this time. In the past, I would have felt incredibly pained by their intimacy, quietly clenching my fists in a deserted corner. Now, I felt as if I was simply watching a film that had nothing to do with me.…As we drove to the venue to get a feel for the location ahead of the business deal, danger struck without warning.An out-of-control truck crashed through the barricade and rammed directly into our car.I immediately kicked the car door open and hauled Jonah out.Meanwhile, several black-clad men who were armed with knives surrounded us from all sides, cutting off all our escape routes.The bla

Jonah was finally sure that I had been reborn, too. He finally understood the reason behind the coldness I hid beneath my calm exterior, as well as the inexplicable rift in our relationship that had long baffled him.Hints of guilt and fear flashed across his face. He didn't dare look me in the eye and subconsciously averted his gaze.It turned out that Jonah remembered everything that he owed me.A pained cry interrupted our silent stand-off.Growing impatient, one of the thugs had smashed the handle of his knife against Rose's wrist.Rose immediately began to exaggerate the severity of her injury. She let out a dramatic scream even though her wrist was only bleeding a little."Rose!"Jonah's chest tightened painfully, his rationality and newfound remorse being thrown out of the window in an instant. Ignoring me, he anxiously shouted at Scarface, "I pick Rose! Let go of her now! I'll do anything that you ask of me!"I couldn't help but chuckle in a low voice upon hearing his w

I spent the next two years unifying Black Crows' underground forces and sanitizing their image. I also hired countless retired elite soldiers from all around the world, turning Stoneheart Security Company into a sharpened, indestructible blade.After our partnership ended, Nathan sought me out of his own accord. We agreed to meet at the temporary camp where we had been stationed together.Nathan was holding two bottles of chilled beer when I showed up."Lily," he greeted, offering me one of the bottles.His eyes sparkled with untamed wildness. He didn't bother beating around the bush when he asked, "Instead of fighting against each other until we're bloody and bruised and letting those fat, old geezers reap the benefits of our rivalry, why don't we join forces?"Nathan tipped his head back and took a swig from his beer bottle. "Your strengths lie in your excellent combat prowess and vast information network, while I excel in team management and business operations. If we work toge

The door to my office was gently pushed open.Nathan strode in and placed a steaming cup of coffee on my desk. He didn't say a single word as he glanced at the dejected Jonah, who looked like he was seconds away from losing his balance as he swayed back and forth.Instead, he simply stood by my side and used actions to show his stance and that he belonged to me.Jonah looked at Nathan and me, taking in the silent rapport that existed between us. When he noticed the confidence and concern in Nathan's eyes toward me, he finally realized that I had completely slipped from his grasp.He stumbled back a few steps. He covered his face and ran out of the office, letting out a pained cry.…Jonah never bothered me again after leaving my office that day.Apparently, he sent Rose back to that ruthless underground organization to pay for the terrible consequences of her actions.He also took full control of York Group, becoming a cold and emotionless workaholic. He buried himself in work