Chapter 4

After the service Felix provided, I handed him $10,000 and an additional $5,000 as a tip since he had to cancel his appointment with another client because of me.

“Will you be availing me again this week?” he asked as he sat on the couch while watching me put on my clothes.

“Most likely, no. My schedule is already packed so I’ll probably call you again next month.” I shook my head. “There is no certainty to that so don’t reject your other VIP clients.”

When our gazes met, he gave me this determined expression.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

He shook his head so I just shrugged it off. Just when I was about to leave my study room, he finally spoke.

“That guy in your room before…” he said, seemingly hesitant to speak.

“He is not of your concern, Felix. You can see yourself out once you are dressed,” I responded before shutting the doors.

He was probably worried that Xavier would take his place, however, I had no plans in letting that happen. Not when that guy looked damn innocent! How could I possibly corrupt him? It would be for the best if he remained that way. Besides, his only role was to keep me safe.

“Miss Lisa, here’s the document that Sir Kyle wanted to give you.” Kyla handed me a sealed folder so I took it from her and immediately opened it as I made my way to the living room. “Oh… It’s Xavier’s profile.”

According to what was written on it, Xavier was already 31 years old.

What?

What?!

31 years old?

How could he be 31 when he looked like he was in his 20s? I simply assumed that he was young based on his appearance and actions so far, but I was wrong all along. He was way older than I was.

Other than his age, what caught my attention was the name of his previous client. One and only client aside from me, to be more precise. Xander Monstad. That name sounded familiar, but I just could not recall where I heard it from. Was he a businessman as well? I couldn’t say for sure.

Occupying the sofa in the living room, I continued to go through Xavier’s profile.

“Viola will be here any moment, Miss Lisa,” Nana said right after serving a cup of tea.

I thanked her without looking away from the document as another interesting fact caught my attention. So Xavier served this Xander guy for… What?

16 years?!

I thought he was a mercenary without a master, but he literally served this one guy for this long? Everything just felt too contradictory. And wait… 16 years? Deduct that one from his current age. That would be… 15.

My math cannot be wrong. 15? Seriously? This guy… Just how many times did he surprise me now? And… I just had him yesterday. Does he have more surprises up his sleeves?

That matter aside, Xavier started being a mercenary at such a young age. What kind of tragic fate had he gone through to do such a line of work at 15? Just as I was about to call Kyle to get some clarification, the subject that I wanted to talk about just appeared right before me.

“I’m done with the shopping,” Xavier said.

He just looked me in the eyes for about three seconds before immediately looking away. I would not have cared much about it, however, there was something with his expression that did not quite sit right with me. His brows were furrowed and his lips were almost slightly pouting. I thought I was imagining things, but no.

A small hmph came from him before he headed upstairs while carrying the bags of clothes he purchased. Was he throwing a tantrum? What kind of 31-year-old throws a tantrum like that? What was he? A child?

“What happened to him?” I asked Penny, who accompanied Xavier in buying his clothes.

“I think he is upset that you weren’t the one who went with him. He has been quiet like that ever since we left the mansion,” Penny replied before flashing an uncertain and tired smile. “He even almost got into a fight only because someone accidentally bumped into him.”

I let out a sigh. If he was to act like this on his first day, it would not be a surprise if I fired him sooner or later…

But my billion dollars’ worth of savings would go to waste! Gods… What was I thinking when I bid that much money only to end up getting a bodyguard who acts like a child?

My money! I had to get my money’s worth one way or another even if I have to sell that guy at a higher price. Or… I could just discipline him if that ever works considering that he was a mercenary, not a dog in training.

After some time, Viola finally arrived with a pile of documents in hand. I could only heave a sigh at such a sight since it was to be expected after days of not being able to go to work. Thankfully, we had no major project at the moment–

“What’s this?” I questioned right after reading a letter of resignation from the company’s chief marketing officer.

“About that… She just said that she needs some time off to focus on her rocky marriage,” Viola replied.

I stared at the letter, doubtful that what was written on it was the whole truth. There had to be something else and whatever it was, I needed to know it.

“Hire a private investigator to look into this matter,” I said before setting the letter aside. “I feel like something shady is going on.”

That CMO was not someone I can just let go because she had been doing great in her role as the head of the company’s marketing department. She knew what to do whenever our rivals tried to outperform us. Looking for a replacement was too risky and can take some time. I didn’t want that to happen at all.

“I will get that done by tonight.” She then placed a stack of folders in front of me. “Here are the documents you need to sign.” She added another pile next to it. “And these are the minutes of the latest meeting with the department heads in regards with the upcoming charity fundraising and the suggested events that can possibly be hosted by Luxe Haven in the future.”

“Just hearing you say those makes me want to go back to sleep,” I commented as I started signing.

“That is also a good option,” my secretary agreed. “However, you must sign those ones first. I believe that Felix’s services are sufficient enough for you to accomplish that one simple task before taking a good rest.”

“I might just call him again after this since you brought nothing but distress today,” I joked.

Viola snickered, making me look at her with a quizzical expression. She shrugged.

“We both know that such a thing is close to impossible. You rarely call him thrice in a month because your sex drive is…” She looked at me with pursed lips.

Even though she only gave me a look, I already knew what she meant and she wasn’t wrong. I always had a low libido so Felix’s visit usually only happens once or twice in a month. On rare occasions when my workload is greater than usual, I’d be having him over even after midnight just to relieve some stress.

It was not something to be ashamed of in my perspective, but it can definitely be a big issue once it gets out so the house where Felix was working and everyone in my household had their tongues tied.

Snapping out of my pool of thoughts, Viola handed me a maroon invitation with golden letterings. Even though it was just a few centimeters away from me, I could already smell its floral scent.

“Mrs. Faustina has invited you to her birthday party tonight. I was actually going to give it to you days ago, but you were hospitalized so it only took me now to hand it over. Will you be attending?”

I heaved a sigh as I shifted back to signing the remaining documents.

“Yes. I cannot possibly miss her birthday so work has to wait for a bit,” I replied.

It took me several minutes before getting everything signed and Viola took them with her as she returned to the office. Before heading to my room, I told Nana that I’d be attending Mrs. Faustina’s party so there was no need to prepare my dinner.

Mrs. Faustina. She was one of the board of directors of Luxe Haven, who had been friends with my father ever since they were children. Ever since the ownership of the biggest shopping mall in the country had been legally given to me, she supported me in all sorts of ways. Despite the doubtful perspective of the majority of the board of directors, she managed to convince them in giving me a chance to lead. In short, she was a family and a mentor to me.

Before entering my room, I knocked on Xavier’s door. I did not receive any response from him, but I still proceeded to open the door and let myself in. My forehead creased upon seeing the mini-living room empty so I was about to walk towards the bedroom. But then, I heard his voice coming from the balcony so I approached him.

But then, I came to a halt upon noticing that he was on a call so I decided to keep quiet.

“I just signed my contract so you’re no longer my top priority for now,” he said. “At the moment, I also cannot accept part-time jobs since I am on 24/7 duty.”

Xavier paused. It made me wonder who he was talking to, but more importantly, even though his back was turned towards me, something about him felt different. His aura… perhaps? It changed. The subtle intimidation I felt when I first saw him at the auction surrounded him once more. Along with it, I can sense danger from him.

Was I just being paranoid? An overthinker maybe?

“Miss Charles?”

I got back to my senses when Xavier called out my name. The call ended and he was now walking towards me.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” he questioned.

“Oh. We will be leaving in an hour so get changed into something formal. We’re going to Mrs. Faustina’s residence,” I replied.

Xavier just nodded before heading to the bathroom while I just stood there, watching him disappear from my sight. Was I just imagining things? I mean… Whenever he spoke to me, he seemed harmless.

I held the bridge of my nose before heading towards the door. I was just probably too tired to be thinking this way.

Even then… I cannot help but wonder who he just spoke with.

“Top priority? Who was he referring to?”