All Chapters of THE BODYGUARD’S HIDDEN TRUTH : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I couldn't stop shaking; the man who had saved my life lay unconscious on the grass, blood spreading across his white shirt like a dark stain. His face had become pale, and his breathing was weak. "Call the doctor!" I shouted. "Hurry!" Several guards rushed toward him without wasting another second.Marcus quickly knelt beside the stranger and checked his pulse. His face remained serious, but after a few seconds, he nodded. "He's still alive." The tightness in my chest eased a little. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until that moment. "Get him to the medical wing now," Marcus ordered. Four guards carefully lifted him onto a stretcher.As they carried him away, his hand slipped over the side. Something shiny dropped onto the grass. I looked around. No one else seemed to notice. Without thinking, I bent down and picked it up. It was an old silver necklace. Unlike the expensive jewelry worn by the guests at my father's party, this necklace was simply scratched and worn, showing

I couldn't stop thinking about Richard Hale. "You look just like your mother." His words stayed in my mind the entire night. How did he know my mother? Why had my father looked uncomfortable when Richard said those words? And why did Richard smile like he knew a secret that I didn't? Nothing about that meeting felt normal. Something was wrong. And for the first time in my life, I wanted answers more than I feared my father. The next morning, Sterling Mansion felt different. It was quieter than usual,,, too quiet. Extra security guards stood outside every entrance, watching every hallway. Every visitor had to be checked. Even the maids whispered instead of talking normally. It felt less like a home and more like a prison. I slowly walked downstairs. The dining room was already prepared. The long table was covered with expensive food, fresh fruit, bread, eggs, and coffee, but no one was eating. My father sat at the head of the table, reading the newspaper. Without looking up, he spo

Bang!The gunshot echoed through the rain. “Ethan!” Before I could move, he wrapped one arm around my waist and threw both of us to the ground. The bullet flew over our heads and slammed into the metal door behind us. Sparks flew into the air.For one second, everything went silent. Then the warehouse shook again. Boom! Pieces of the roof crashed to the floor. “Everybody out!” a police officer shouted. “The building is coming down!”Smoke filled the warehouse. Ethan pulled me back onto my feet. “Can you run?” I nodded. “Good. Stay beside me.”Another shot rang out, shattering a window beside us. Marcus rushed toward us. “The sniper is still outside,” Ethan said calmly. “We don’t have time.” He grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”We ran through the smoke. The floor cracked beneath my feet and I lost my balance. Ethan caught my arm and pulled me against him. “Watch where you’re going.” “I was trying to avoid getting shot.” A tiny smile crossed his face. “It was a good plan.” “Did you just make

Ethan didn’t wait for me to argue. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his room. He kicked the door shut with his boot.“Stay here.” “That tunnel leads to the library.” “I know.” “You don’t know it like I do.” “Lillian.” My name in his mouth made me stop. “For once, let me do my job without you in danger.”I sat on the edge of his bed. My legs didn’t want to argue anymore, even if the rest of me did. He checked his gun. He checked the door. He checked me — like I was something he had to keep track of, just like his weapon. Then the guards’ voices moved further down the hall. Soon the mansion went quiet, except for the rain outside.Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. He didn’t leave.“You’re supposed to be looking for them,” I said. “Marcus is handling it.” “That’s not what you told the guard.” “The guard doesn’t need to know I changed my mind.” He sat in the chair across from the bed, wincing as his shoulder moved. “You’re the target tonight. I’m not leaving you alone to go play hero

Marcus walked Ethan out of my room that night without a word, but I noticed the way his jaw was set, tighter than usual, like he was holding something back. He told me to rest. Then he closed my door a little harder than he needed to.I didn’t think much of it until the next morning.Breakfast was quiet. My father was already gone, off to some meeting he wouldn’t explain, and it was just me, Ethan, and Marcus at the long table that always felt too big for three people. Ethan reached over to pour my coffee before I could do it myself, the way he’d started doing without either of us mentioning it. Marcus watched the whole small motion over the rim of his cup, his eyes lingering a beat too long.“You don’t have to do that,” Marcus said, light enough to sound like nothing. “Do what?” Ethan asked. “Pour her coffee. She’s not made of glass.” “I know that.” “Do you?” The words came out sharper than the moment called for. Ethan looked up, surprised. Even I felt it — some current under the sen