Chapter 4 The Nightmare Bodyguard

It had been three weeks since Damian Cole became Elena Lancaster's bodyguard, and in that short time, he had managed to both invade her life completely and remain a mystery all at once.

Everywhere she went, he was there... like her shadow and an unwavering presence that refused to bend or fade.

He was at the gallery openings she attended, standing near the door in his dark tailored suit, his sharp eyes never leaving her.

He was at the university board meeting, blending seamlessly with the faculty staff, his attention fixed on exits and entrances rather than the chatter of academia.

He was even there during her late-night drives, leaning against the car until she was ready to leave.

It was suffocating. And yet... not entirely.

"God, he's insufferable," Elena muttered one evening as she slipped into her best friend Lila's apartment, tossing her designer bag onto the couch.

She kicked off her heels with a groan of relief and collapsed beside her friend, exhaling dramatically.

Lila, who was in leggings and an oversized hoodie, barely glanced up from her laptop. "Insufferable? Or devastatingly attractive and sinfully hot?"

Elena glared at her. "Lila."

"What?" Lila asked innocently, snapping her laptop shut and cross-legged to face her friend. "I mean, I've seen him. Everyone's seen him. Your 'bodyguard' looks like he stepped out of a very expensive nightmare."

Elena snorted. "Nightmare is right. He doesn't talk, he doesn't smile, he doesn't even blink. He's like a robot. A very tall, infuriatingly composed robot."

"And yet," Lila drawled, dragging out the words, "you're here complaining about him instead of complaining about your father's latest drama. Which means he's under your skin more than you'd like to admit."

"He's not under my skin," Elena said quickly, too quickly. "He's just... everywhere. It's annoying."

Lila grinned like a cat that had caught the mouse. "Annoying, huh? You do realize this is how it starts in all those forbidden romance novels, right? The hot bodyguard and the stubborn heiress. Kinda full of tension, proximity, sparks, and romance."

Elena threw a pillow at her. "Lila! This is real life, not one of your stupid books."

Lila dodged the pillow with a laugh. "Suuure. Keep telling yourself that. But trust me, sweetie, you're going to fall for your bodyguard very soon."

"No way," Elena snapped, though her cheeks flushed with heat. "Absolutely not. He's cold, controlling, and probably allergic to fun. I could never..."

"You could," Lila interrupted, wagging a finger. "And you will. I give it another two weeks before you're swooning. Maybe less. Lalala!"

Elena rolled her eyes, but her friend's teasing clung to her thoughts long after she left the apartment that night.

Because the truth was, Lila wasn't entirely wrong. She found Damian intriguing.

---

Damian knew Elena found him irritating. He saw it in the way her lips pursed when she caught him watching her, the way she huffed under her breath when he reminded her not to linger in public, the way she sometimes quickened her pace just to see if he would follow.

And he always did.

It wasn't his job to be liked. It wasn't even his job to be noticed. His sole purpose was to protect... or at least, that was what Elena thought.

In reality, his purpose ran deeper and darker. Every moment he spent by her side was another step in a fifteen-year-old vow. Another chance to dismantle her father's empire from the inside.

But even so, there were moments when Damian felt really irritated by her but kept it cool.

Like when Elena laughed.

It wasn't often, and certainly not around him. But once, at a university lecture, one of her colleagues made a joke about something modern being trash piles, and Elena laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

Damian had been standing at the back of the room, invisible as ever, but the sound had reached him. It was bright, unrestrained, and utterly human.

For a split second, it reminded him of his sister yet again.

And then the memory sharpened, making his jaw clench until it hurt. He couldn't afford to forget.

Elena's laughter wasn't innocent. It was ignorance. A Lancaster's smile had once destroyed everything he loved. She was a Lancaster, the daughter of a monster.

♤♤♤♤♤

Things went on smoothly at the Lancaster estate. Mornings were just boring.

Afternoons were filled with meetings and events, and evenings were spent either at charity galas or locked away behind iron gates.

Elena tested him constantly, and Damian hated it. Talking to her was like poison for him.

"Do you ever get bored just... standing there?" she asked one morning as they waited outside her lecture hall.

"No," Damian replied without looking at her.

"You don't get tired? Hungry? Don't you have, I don't know, a life?"

"This is my life," he replied curtly.

She stared at him incredulously. "That's depressing."

He finally turned his head, his gaze cutting straight through her. "It's efficient."

She had no comeback to that. The man was a robot. Period!

Other times, Elena tried provoking him in smaller ways. For example... Leaving without warning, sneaking out the side door at events, and ignoring his quiet instructions.

Damian never raised his voice, never lost his composure. He simply appeared where she least expected him, his calm presence reminding her she couldn't shake him off.

The strange thing was that part of her found comfort in that.

She didn't want to admit it... not to herself, and certainly not to Lila. But there was something in Damian's steadiness, in his ability to stand unshaken when everything else in her world felt uncertain.

For someone who had grown up under Victor Lancaster's volatile rules, that stability was... disarming and, at the same time, dangerous.

The last thing Elena needed was to feel safe in the arms of a man whose entire identity was a locked box.

♤♤♤♤

The Lancaster estate buzzed with preparations for the upcoming charity event. This one wasn't another glittering ball in a chandelier-lit hall. It was personal.

The orphanage visit had been scheduled months prior and was arranged under Elena's name. She was expected to deliver donations, meet the children, and bring the Lancaster reputation a touch of humanity.

The night before, Elena paced her room, rehearsing what she would say to the children, what kind of gifts would make them smile. She wanted to do more than stand there with a camera-ready grin.

Damian stood near the balcony, silent as always, scanning the grounds from where he stood.

"You don't think this is a waste of time, do you?" Elena asked suddenly, glancing at him.

He didn't move, nor did he even blink. "No."

She gazed at him carefully. "You say that like you mean it."

"I do." His voice was lower than usual. "Children deserve protection."

The words carried weight, like they had been carved out of his bones.

Elena tilted her head curiously. "You sound like you actually care."

For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes. Pain! Memory!! Fury!!! Then it was gone.

"My opinions don't matter," Damian said flatly, turning back to the night.

Elena frowned and felt unsettled. For once, she wished he hadn't shut her out.