Chapter 2

"May I know what kind of woman is your ideal, Captain?"

Evander almost choked on his ice cream when the question was thrown at him so suddenly.

Out of nowhere, it was uttered by the very person who secretly held his heart.

For a long moment, the man gazed at the woman he adored, saying nothing. His lips were sealed, wanting to speak the truth but knowing his limits.

His honesty, he knew, might cause trouble later.

"Ma'am," Evander finally replied after a lengthy silence.

Elena's eyes widened. "M-me?"

"There's an ice cream stain. Would you like me to clean it, or will you do it yourself?" Evander added, annoyingly innocent.

He stared intently at the corner of Elena's s lips, ripe and beautiful.

For a moment, Elena thought his response was indeed an answer to her question, a description of Evander's ideal woman.

Apparently not.

"I can clean it myself!" she snapped, sounding exasperated, stomping her foot. "Why are you suddenly talking about ice cream when I'm asking something serious? Can't you just focus on my question?"

Evander, who felt perfectly normal and didn't understand the implied message at all, simply nodded.

"I'm going home!" Elena declared, ending today's runaway session. Right after she had cleaned the ice cream and finished it all.

"Right now, Ma'am?"

"What do you think?!" The woman in the white dress rose, and without another word, quickly walked away from the man she desperately wanted to throttle at that moment.

Her mood was instantly ruined when Evander lifted her to the clouds only to drop her flat.

How cruel.

On the other side, Evander, left behind, could only stare blankly in the direction the beautiful woman had gone.

Evander knew what Elena wanted to hear from his lips, he understood it perfectly.

Yet, he felt it was wrong.

Elena was not someone he could call his ideal. She was too perfect for him.

***

Upon arriving home, the suddenly sulking Miss Elena made Evander have to face Alistair, Elena's father, alone.

He had to explain what had happened, taking responsibility for his mistake in 'kidnapping' the VIP for two hours without any notification.

"Where did you take Elena?" Alistair asked, his baritone voice firm. The emphasis on his consonants still sounded like a seasoned soldier.

Evander answered Alistair's question with as much detail as possible, yet without being long-winded.

Alistair wanted to dismiss the matter because he trusted Evander implicitly, but unfortunately, Victoria didn't seem to like that.

His wife had repeatedly told him to be firm with their daughter's bodyguard. He needed to distinguish between duty and the significant boundaries between them.

The well-built man approached Evander, whispering seriously, "Why did you do it? Taking Elena secretly. You know this is wrong, don't you?"

"You know very well you shouldn't cause any doubt in my family, Evan. Even though I trust you greatly, don't let something like this keep happening," Alistair warned.

"This is the last time." Patting Evander's shoulder, Elena's father left with a long sigh.

"Your only duty is to watch over and protect Elena, Captain," Victoria chimed in, still standing there. "Not to kidnap her, let alone take her away without anyone knowing!" Elena's mother huffed, exasperated.

This woman still seemed unsatisfied even though her husband had already reprimanded Evander for his mistake. She wanted to comment directly as well.

With her arms crossed over her chest, she stared straight at the capable soldier. "What if something happened while you two were together? Who could guarantee Elena would be safe while out with you?" Victoria sneered, continuing to barrage Evander.

"People know you're excellent, your abilities are unquestionable. But that's not what I mean, it's something else. You understand, don't you, Captain?"

"Please, don't get too close to Elena," Victoria continued, concluding her statement.

Meanwhile, there was no rebuttal or protest from Evander, who had been receiving criticism from the VIP's parents he was guarding.

"I assure you this will not happen again. I apologize for my oversight today. Regarding Miss Elena, I will be more careful in the future," he vowed, making a promise.

Evander had no choice but to admit his mistake and apologize to prevent the matter from escalating and to ensure Elena's safety.

His position as Elena's personal bodyguard made him understand his madam's wishes better.

Unfortunately, even with that understanding, Evander couldn't give much.

***

"Were you scolded again?" a friend asked, as they stood guard in front of Elena's room. "I heard a commotion when you two arrived."

Evander merely closed his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. "But I don't regret it, Bram. Miss Elena, she deserves a break after a demanding schedule on her exhausting days."

"But it doesn't have to be with you, Evan," the man called Bram retorted. "It's not in your duty roster to give her that break."

"Your only job is to—"

"Watch over and protect her," Evander interjected quickly, before Bram could finish.

How many times did people need to remind him of his duties?

He knew, he understood perfectly.

"What's wrong with it, Bram?"

Bram narrowed his eyes. "Haven't you heard the rumor? That Miss Elena likes you?" the man probed, staring intently, reading the change in his colleague's expression.

Evander blinked, it was too sudden for him to hear this from Bram. "What do you mean?" he countered, not simply agreeing.

"Miss Elena seems close to her personal bodyguard. It's rumored that Miss Elena always acts affectionately towards the team captain who guards her."

"You haven't heard a rumor like that?" Bram pressed again. "Be honest with me, Captain. Haven't you heard the circulating rumor?"

It seemed the man suspected something. Evander appeared wary.

All this time, it had only been himself, no one knew he liked Elena. And it would always remain that way.

Evander didn't want anyone to realize his feelings.

First, because he feared his love was unrequited.

Second, because their social statuses were clearly different.

Once again, Elena was not destined to be with him, no matter what.

"I don't know anything about rumors! And I'm not interested, Bram," Evander said, commenting on Bram's recent statement.

Bram initially didn't believe him outright, he gazed for a long moment at his higher-ranking colleague. "Well, you should know."

"Listen, Captain. For soldiers like us, duty is part of our soul. Our presence here is only to protect the VIP, to sacrifice ourselves, if necessary."

"Not to harbor feelings for them, to like them, to appear close, or to help them by involving emotions. You understand what I mean, don't you?" Bram explained at length.

He wasn't trying to lecture him, not at all. He did this because he didn't want Evander to face difficulties while carrying out his mission and duties.

As the Montgomery family's personal bodyguard.

Only that, nothing more.

***

"Code one, Team Alpha, come in. Captain Evan," the earpiece in Evander's ear made him quickly respond to the call. "VIP Gone?!"