Connor smiled. “Are you concerned about me?”
Marissa scoffed dismissively. “I’m just concerned about my sleep aid.”
Connor surveyed her from head to toe and said slowly, “I’m considering hiring the chief instructor of Doomsday Base for my protection. What’s your take on that?”
Caught off guard, Marissa instinctively glanced at Marc and Terry, realizing that these two men had finally used their brains
Still, she was not ready to reveal that she was the chief instructor of Doomsday Base. Annoyed by Connor holding her hand, Marissa briskly shook it off. Instantly, a branch from a nearby tree scratched her arm. Connor quickly grabbed her hand back, his concern evident. “Does it hurt?”
“Of course it hurts! How could it not?” Marissa retorted, her irritation feigned. “Why are you holding my hand? Are you trying to take advantage of me? If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have pulled away and gotten scratched. This is all your fault. Ouch! It really stings. Aww… Argh!”
Her theatrically pained tone left the men bewildered. Connor swiftly guided her to the car, retrieved the first-aid kit, and began tending to her wound. He chuckled. “You’re quite fierce when striking others. Why do you act like a delicate princess over a scratch?”
“How can you compare the two?” Marissa snapped back. “Others feel pain when I hit them. I feel pain when I’m injured. I hate pain the most. Ouch! Be gentle! Are you trying to kill me?”
As Connor continued tending to her wound, his hands shaking from her shouts, Marissa, amused inwardly, said casually, “The chief instructor of Doomsday Base won’t agree to protect you. You might as well give up.”
Hearing Marissa’s words, Connor looked at her and questioned, “Why do you think she won’t agree? You seem to know her quite well.”
As Connor continued to bandage her wound, Marissa replied calmly, “I once treated King of Doomsday Base. He shared stories about the chief instructor.”
Marc and Terry immediately perked up. They were devoted fans of the chief instructor, always eager to hear any news about her
Marissa continued, “King mentioned that Black Mallow is fiercely independent and values her freedom. She wouldn’t even consider ruling Doomsday Base, so she certainly wouldn’t stoop to being your bodyguard.”
Before Connor could respond, Marc instinctively nodded and said, “Exactly. The chief instructor doesn’t like being under someone’s control.”
Terry added, “Right, she’s a queen in her own right. Even King had to be very nice to get her to work for him. How could she settle for being just an employee?”
Looking at the two, Marissa inquired, “Are you guys from Doomsday Base?”
Marc and Terry instantly froze, realizing their slip, and vehemently shook their heads
“No, no, no, just heard about it,” Marc quickly denied. “Yeah, I’ve heard about it too,” Terry chimed in
Marissa, seeing through their facade, chose not to call them out but said, nodding, “The chief instructor of Doomsday Base is so renowned that even international bodyguards like you have heard of her.”
“Exactly. Many from Doomsday Base end up as international bodyguards. Some guard business moguls, others high-ranking politicians. One of our former team members came from there,” Marc added immediately
All of a sudden, Marissa let out a loud scream
The people in the car were shocked. Connor, who was bandaging her, paused and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Marissa pointed to the bandage and exclaimed, “This is really painful. Are you trying to kill me?”
Connor adjusted the bandage and retied it, asking, “Is this better?”
“Okay,” Marissa responded, then added with a hint of drama, “It looks awful. I want a bow. No, it’s crooked. It’s too formal and rigid. It’s not right. Oh my goodness, you’re such a dork!”
Domenic, Marc, and Terry all felt a headache coming on. Why had this woman turned so dramatic? She was as loud as a flock of ducks. Mr. Daniels was not known for his patience. If she became too demanding and arrogant, he was likely to snap
Yet, what followed took them by surprise. Connor, typically short-tempered with women, remained remarkably patient no matter how much Marissa fussed. He even tweaked the bowknot to meet her specifications. Only when she quieted down did he look up gently and inquire, “How’s this?”
“It’s just okay.” Still not completely pleased, Marissa said, “You’ll never get it as perfect as I picture it, but this will do.”
Then she pulled her hand back, looked at the bowknot on the bandage, pouted, and complained, “What an ugly bowknot!”
Domenic’s, Marc’s, and Terry’s mouths twitched. This woman was definitely too melodramatic. But Connor didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he smiled and assured, “I’ll get better at it.”
Domenic arched his eyebrows. Other than Arabella, Connor had never allowed any woman to talk to him like this. It seemed he had a real soft spot for Marissa
Meanwhile, Marc and Terry noticed something else. Marissa had something in common with their chief instructor
Marc and Terry had their suspicions about whether Marissa was the chief instructor from Doomsday Base, but they couldn’t voice their thoughts just yet, so they remained silent for the time being. Connor looked at Marissa, who was still fussing over the ugly bowknot, and said with a smile, “Then I’ll take your advice and not bring in that chief instructor.”
Marc instinctively questioned, “But without the chief instructor, who will stop Black Snake from making an assassination attempt?”
Connor responded, “Didn’t you mention that Lone Wolf could match Black Snake? Then let’s recruit Lone Wolf.”
Upon hearing this, Marissa spun around to face Connor with a look of astonishment. “You can reach Lone Wolf?”
“Yes,” Connor nodded slightly. “Lone Wolf just got in touch with me, warning that Black Snake plans to assassinate me. He offered his services for a hefty fee. I was initially considering Black Mallow, so I hadn’t given him an answer. Now I can.”
Marissa thought to herself that Lone Wolf was truly untrustworthy. Despite agreeing to team up with her to eliminate Amiri, Lone Wolf had offered to protect her target and had the nerve to ask her if she was out of her mind from being short on money. Wasn’t he out of his mind too? She had once thought Lone Wolf was a man of integrity, but now it seemed he was just as greedy
Internally fuming at Lone Wolf, Marissa suddenly couldn’t suppress a yawn. She hadn’t slept for three days straight. Now, sitting next to Connor and inhaling his scent, she felt overwhelmingly drowsy and lacked the energy to inquire about something important. Connor quickly caught on and asked Marissa, “Would you prefer to go back to my house or to a hotel?”
“Hotel,” Marissa responded
The mood in the car took a romantic turn. The casual manner in which they spoke about getting a room made Domenic’s, Marc’s, and Terry’s ears burn
Oblivious to the thoughts of the others, Marissa was so tired that she simply leaned into Connor’s arms. Domenic, Marc, and Terry were all taken aback. Why was she in such a rush?
She couldn’t even wait for the car to reach the hotel. No one else spoke up. Domenic immediately started the car and headed to the Palace Hotel
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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