The first time Aria Vale met her new bodyguard…
He pinned her against a wall.
Her breath caught as his hand locked around her wrist.
"Don't move," he said coldly.
Aria stared at him in shock.
Tall. Dark hair. Broad shoulders. Eyes so sharp they felt like knives.
He didn't look like a bodyguard.
He looked like someone who could start wars.
"Excuse me?" she said, anger flashing in her green eyes. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yes."
His voice was calm.
"You're the girl someone just tried to kill."
The words froze the air between them.
Aria's heart skipped.
Before she could respond, Ethan released her wrist and stepped back like nothing had happened.
Two security guards rushed down the hallway.
"Sir! The vehicle explosion—"
Ethan didn't look surprised.
"I know," he said quietly.
Aria felt the color drain from her face.
"Explosion?"
Ethan turned toward her.
"For the record," he said calmly, "that bomb was meant for your car."
Silence filled the hallway.
Aria swallowed.
"Who would try to kill me?"
Ethan's gaze hardened slightly.
"That's what I'm here to find out."
He paused.
Then added quietly—
"And until we do…"
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You don't leave my side."
Aria felt something strange in her chest.
Annoyance.
Curiosity.
And something else she didn't want to name.
Because the way he looked at her…
Wasn't just like a bodyguard protecting a client.
It was like a predator watching something he intended to claim.
"Stay behind me," he said softly.
"Things are about to get interesting."
The footsteps grew louder.
Slow.
Careful.
Professional.
Aria's pulse hammered in her ears.
"Are those… thieves?" she whispered.
Ethan didn't answer.
His eyes stayed locked on the darkness at the end of the hallway.
Then three shadows appeared.
Men.
Black clothing.
Masks.
One of them raised a gun.
Aria's breath caught.
"Found her," the man said quietly.
Everything happened at once.
Ethan moved.
So fast Aria barely saw it.
He shoved her behind a marble pillar just as a gunshot exploded through the hallway.
The bullet slammed into the wall where she had been standing.
"Stay down," Ethan ordered.
Another shot fired.
But Ethan was already moving again.
He closed the distance like a predator.
One strike.
A sharp crack echoed through the hall as the first attacker dropped.
The second man lunged forward.
Ethan caught his wrist, twisted hard—
The gun clattered across the floor.
A brutal punch followed.
The man collapsed instantly.
The third attacker hesitated.
That was his mistake.
Ethan grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Who sent you?" Ethan asked coldly.
The man laughed weakly.
"You're too late."
Then suddenly—
A loud scream echoed from upstairs.
A female voice.
Aria's eyes widened.
"That's Sophia!"
Ethan turned his head slightly.
"Sophia?"
"My best friend! She's upstairs!"
Before she could stop him, Ethan released the attacker and sprinted toward the staircase.
Aria followed despite the fear twisting in her chest.
The second floor hallway was chaos.
One security guard lay unconscious on the floor.
And near the balcony—
A man was holding a terrified girl by the arm.
Sophia Lang.
Long dark hair.
Designer dress.
Famous for being the boldest socialite in the city.
But right now she looked completely helpless.
"Let her go," Ethan said calmly.
The attacker laughed.
"And who are you?"
Ethan didn't answer.
Sophia's eyes suddenly locked onto him.
And something strange flashed across her face.
Not just relief.
Not just fear.
But intense curiosity.
"Who is that?" she whispered to Aria.
Aria didn't answer.
Because she didn't know either.
All she knew was that the man standing between them and the gun…
Looked like someone who had walked straight out of a war.
The attacker tightened his grip on Sophia.
"Take one more step and I shoot her."
Ethan stepped forward anyway.
Sophia's heart jumped into her throat.
He didn't look afraid.
He didn't look hesitant.
He looked…
Certain.
The attacker raised the gun.
"Don't move!"
Ethan stopped.
For exactly one second.
Then suddenly—
He threw a knife.
The blade flashed through the air.
The gun flew from the attacker's hand.
Before the man could even scream—
Ethan was already there.
Three seconds later, the attacker hit the floor unconscious.
Silence filled the hallway.
Sophia stared.
Completely stunned.
Ethan turned slightly to check Aria.
"You're both safe."
But Sophia wasn't looking at Aria.
She was staring directly at Ethan.
Her heart was racing so hard she could barely breathe.
Aria noticed immediately.
"Sophia," she said slowly.
"You're staring."
Sophia blinked.
Then whispered the first thing that came to her mind.
"Your bodyguard…"
She swallowed.
"…is dangerously attractive."
Ethan sighed quietly.
This job had just started.
And it was already getting complicated.