Chapter 5

Evander carefully laid Elena’s small body onto the bed, gently tucking her in so as not to wake the woman who had cried herself to sleep.

“I’m still wondering, what is my real job here? Being a bodyguard or a babysitter,” he whispered, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Before leaving, Evander gazed at Elena's face one last time, staring for a long moment. “Beautiful,” he praised, almost inaudibly.

This was the young lady from the Montgomery Family, Elena Montgomery, the one who always filled him with regret, the one he always wanted to apologize to whenever he was near her.

“I promise you, when you wake up, all this sadness will be gone. I won’t let you suffer, Miss.”

“This will be the last time you cry.”

Even if it meant Evander had to bear everything himself, for Elena and her happiness, he would do it.

Unwilling to linger and cause misunderstandings when she awoke, the man in the black uniform decided to leave, allowing Elena to rest comfortably.

***

His feet carried him to his favorite room, the place where he unleashed his loneliness.

Whenever his mind was troubled or unsettled, Evander usually spent his time practicing target shooting.

In this way, he felt a little calmer, able to momentarily forget the problems that plagued his soul.

“I’m sorry, Elena. I had no choice but to say it, to hurt your heart by rejecting you. I didn’t want to endanger you, let alone complicate your future life.”

Bang!

Shot after shot was fired.

“I love you, and that doesn’t mean I don’t want to fight for these feelings further. It’s just that.”

Evander had never felt such powerlessness in his life, he was utterly desperate.

“To this day, I have no reason to do it. I keep thinking someone like you deserves a much better future than one with me.”

A special forces captain, an orphan, with no clear family, only skilled in warfare, what was there to be proud of in him?

Amidst these complex thoughts, Evander remembered a conversation that had taken place that afternoon, between himself and Victoria, Elena’s mother.

That very serious discussion was something Evander couldn’t forget, no matter how many times he tried to push it from his mind.

“At your mother’s direct request, for your life, I decided to give up, Elena. To give up on these feelings.”

*Flashback On*

“I’ve heard the widespread rumors about your relationship with my daughter. Is it true?” Victoria spoke without even looking at Evander, the man she was addressing.

“Many say you have a special closeness, not like a VIP and a personal guard. How could this happen? I don’t understand at all. Did you forget my daughter’s status and your duty, Captain?”

“Why did such news spread so widely and become unpleasant gossip? I even had to hear it, and it infuriated me.”

Evander remained silent, not answering or offering any defense.

He knew that Victoria strongly opposed these rumors, feeling displeased and very uncomfortable at the thought of her only daughter being rumored to be close to people from a lower social class, not on their level, like Captain Evander.

“I’ve warned you repeatedly, but apparently, you still don’t understand.” Victoria crossed her arms over her chest, her characteristic pose when speaking. “What else do I need to do for you to get my point?!”

“Stay away from Elena, my daughter. Because I have found the right candidate for her,” Alistair Montgomery’s wife said firmly.

She gave Evander no further opening to explain what had really happened.

The man was too stunned by the statement he had just heard.

“I don’t want Elena’s future husband to have any wrong ideas about your closeness.” Victoria stepped forward, deliberately closing the distance between herself and Evander to speak more freely.

“So, please let Elena go. Let her have a much brighter and more secure future than with you.”

“Her fiancé is someone from our circle who has everything, someone on our level. With an honorable title,” added the dignified woman who had carefully planned her daughter’s future.

Victoria wasn’t finished, she continued her speech. “Don’t you think, like I do, that Elena would be much happier marrying him than marrying you, Captain?”

It sounded rather cruel.

Evander swallowed, moistening his constricted throat.

Although painful, what Victoria said was not wrong at all. As a mother, she only wanted to secure Elena’s future, which had clearly been planned since she was young.

Finding a husband who could continue her father’s business, preserving her extended family’s good name.

“Miss Elena and I have no relationship whatsoever, as people are saying about us.” Evander spoke up after a long silence.

“So you don’t need to worry, Madam.” The man’s head lifted, staring directly at the woman before him without hesitation.

He wasn’t afraid, even if his eyes might reveal his reluctance, having to leave Elena, the woman he admired.

Evander had to accept it. This was what they called fate.

“I will simply carry out my duties as best as possible, protecting Miss Elena without involving anything, especially feelings, so don’t worry about the untrue rumors that are spreading,” he said, addressing her concerns with a clear statement.

It was what Victoria wanted, more precisely.

Actually, there were many ways Victoria could separate her daughter from the family’s personal guard.

However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Only Evander was skilled and expert in his field; his other colleagues might not be as good as he was at his job.

“Good. That’s a wise decision, Captain. If that’s the case, I’ll consider the matter settled and won’t have to fire you.” A satisfied smile appeared on Victoria’s face.

Elena’s mother rose, preparing to leave. “I will begin preparing for my daughter’s engagement. The sooner you end this, the better, Captain.”

“Because we’ll both be very busy, please keep your promise without needing constant reminders. Protect Elena and make her give up on her feelings for you. Okay?”

*Flashback Off*

***

It only took a week to plan the engagement. The main event was held right after both families agreed, so quick. Time flowed like water, imperceptibly.

The spectacular engagement in the Montgomery family attracted everyone’s attention. It appeared in news portals, becoming the main story of the union of two honorable families predicted to form a new power in the business world.

Meanwhile, at the party, thousands of people looked happy. Only Evander stared at the stage with a cold expression.

“Congratulations to you, Miss Elena,” he whispered hoarsely. His baritone voice was inaudible to anyone.

How pathetic.

Evander shouldn’t have been the one offering congratulations on her happy day, but rather the man standing beside her, exchanging engagement rings.

What a cruel fate.

His beloved, whom he could no longer hope for, had become someone else’s, not his.