Chapter 15

I had decided not to interfere in this person’s affairs…

But it was a situation where I needed help.

I couldn’t just hand this person over to Oscar and pretend I didn’t know him.

And the moment Oscar had him, it felt like I would be stepping out of the safety zone.

I took a deep breath, hid myself behind the man, and turned to Oscar.

“He’s my bodyguard.”

I immediately gave the man the courage to justify this situation.

If he’s my bodyguard, then this situation isn’t just defiance but rather an act of protecting the master, so Oscar couldn’t take issue with it.

He didn’t hurt Oscar; he just took him away from me.

That’s a reasonable enough line for a bodyguard to walk.

I steadied my voice.

“My bodyguard is protecting me; what’s wrong with that?”

Oscar’s face stiffened for a moment, perhaps in embarrassment.

It was a quick move, but it worked. The look on his face instantly boosted my confidence.

Yes, Oscar might occasionally catch me off guard, like today. But as I acted more like myself, shedding the guise of Marlena’s personality, I realized that I could surprise Oscar every minute of every day.

While there may be many things I don’t know about Oscar, he knows almost nothing about me.

Fortunately, I was able to regain my composure after a close call that would have left me desperate had I not been with this man.

I was able to think clearly.

I thought about the cards Oscar could have played.

He might have been taken aback by my words, and his anger might have subsided, but he had also lost any justification to touch the man.

Oscar was back to his usual shrewd human self.

Now all Oscar could do was try to argue verbally.

It seemed that, physically, the man had the upper hand over Oscar.

Oscar is bigger, but the man can take down six grown men in two minutes.

It was obvious that Oscar, who was basically a businessman, had a different level of physical training.

I glanced subtly at the back of the man’s head.

His brown hair looks quite soft. I was tempted to stroke it, but I held back.

I couldn’t help but smile slightly as his ears perked up slightly, as if he were relieved and pleased that I’d said that.

Cute.

On the other hand, Oscar was not pleased with my attitude.

“You shouldn’t be ignoring me like this.”

His voice quivered with exasperation.

“I’ll learn my lesson later. How about stepping back now, Your Grace? Or…”

I pointed to the police station.

“Should we go in there and sort things out?”

Fighting like a married couple and then resorting to the security station? Oscar Crestwell, could you bear such humiliation?

Of course not. With his temporarily lost rationality back, Oscar couldn’t say a word.

After a few seconds of stony silence, he finally spoke up in a calmer tone.

“You’re confusing the point. I have every reason to come looking for you. Don’t forget that the root cause of this incident is the abuse of your bank’s terms.”

With that said, he hastily added.

“Not that I came looking for you in the first place.”

As long as the man stood in front of me, protecting me, I was safe. That’s why, unlike before, I didn’t hesitate to make bold statements.

“If I had to guess, it’s your woman, isn’t it, Oscar? By the way, are you going to keep standing like this? You weren’t supposed to take me anyway.”

He might not know, but the man would probably have his senses sharpened enough to face Oscar sharply.

If he tries to put his hands on me again, Oscar will have to be quicker than him to subdue him.

It might hurt his pride, but Oscar would have to admit it. That’s probably why he didn’t recklessly try to push the man aside.

He himself knows that it is like hitting a rock with an egg.

“If it’s a situation where you can physically drag me away, then maybe your talk about ‘trust of society’ might make sense, as you say. After all, my reputation isn’t great. But…”

I casually placed my hand on the young man’s shoulder to make it look friendly. But I felt his shoulder twitch lightly under my palm.

“As long as he’s here, you’re not going to be able to take me away on your own. Who are you going to explain to and ask for help?”

Oscar, of course, has many people under his wing. At home or at the theater. But right now, being alone is crucial.

While he called people and waited, the man and I would calmly leave.

It seemed Oscar realized that too, as he gritted his teeth.

He wasn’t a complete fool, as he seemed to know that if he mistreated the man, he might end up in an embarrassing situation.

It might have been more interesting if he had recklessly attacked.

But Oscar didn’t easily step aside.

Just then, the door to the security station opened.

“Can I help you?”

It was the captain’s voice.

Oscar was startled, as if he had been electrocuted.

“Nothing.”

He said it in a tight voice. Then, as if on cue, he pulled his pocket watch from the inside pocket of his summer coat and checked it.

“I… I have an appointment; I must be going now.”

I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s a rather tacky thing to spit out in this situation.

I tried to be gracious and say goodbye to Oscar, but he walked away before I could speak.

I suppressed a laugh, and the captain looked at Oscar’s back with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“It’s nothing. I just happened to run into my husband on the street, nothing serious.”

“Ah, is that so…”

I nodded and ushered the captain back into the security station.

Then I grabbed the man’s hand and quickly left.

When I had led him about an alley away from the security station, I turned to face him and sighed heavily.

“Why did you come out like that? Do you know how dangerous that was?”

Ultimately, things turned out well, but the man was too reckless.

He wilted instantly under my scolding. It was completely different from when he stood up to Oscar just a moment ago. It was almost as if an imaginary dog’s ears and tail were drooping in defeat.

He looked at me and muttered.

“I’m sorry.”

No, that’s not what I wanted to hear…….

There he was again, faithfully stoking my guilt. I hastened to soothe him.

“No, it turned out to be really helpful, so don’t feel bad.”

This brought a transparent response.

His light-green eyes peeked at me, and his shoulders relaxed slightly. A little bit of the dead energy seemed to come back to life.

I bit my lip, thinking it was kind of cute. It wasn’t a funny situation, to say the least, because I felt like laughing.

But the man noticed that I was holding back laughter. If he were a real dog, his tail would have started wagging slowly.

At that point, I realized there was nothing I could do, so I just let go and laughed.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened. I’m glad you came along.”

He nodded. A faint hint of wariness once again crossed his face. His gaze was looking in the direction Oscar had disappeared.

I glanced in his direction for a moment.

It was really time to say goodbye.

As if sensing it, the man turned his gaze back to me.

Our eyes locked.

His gravelly voice asked.

“Have I repaid you? the favor of hiding me?”

“……You have.”

His face relaxed a little.

The wind picked up and blew his hair. He bowed his head for a moment, then handed the wad of money back to me and smiled.

“Then…….”

“Wait.”

I was supposed to never act on impulse.

For some unknown reason, my mind moved.

When I stopped talking, his face tensed. I could see every subtle change in his expression and every detail.

“I think… really needs a bodyguard.”

I ended up spitting this out impulsively.

I only realized it after the words were out of my mouth.

I had to take them quickly.

But I couldn’t.

It was because of the expression on the man’s face.

Ever since I’d picked him up, he’d never looked more pleased.

“Really?”

I looked at him and couldn’t help but think he might end up attracting a lot of women at this rate.