Alfred had secretly helped Darius out many times before he returned to the Reid family. Darius shut his eyes as he took a trip down memory lane to the first time he’d met Alfred. Back then, he was still poor and worked at one of the university’s cafeterias to make ends meet. In the process of serving one of the students’ dishes, the plating had gone a little out of shape, and the student in question had immediately wanted to hit Darius. To this day, this incident made Darius sigh and lament the wicked ways of the wealthy. Up to that point in his life, he’d experienced many similar situations after working so many odd jobs and knew he had to do everything to placate his customers. Even if they were supposed to also be fellow students, Darius knew he couldn’t really think that. He stood there and waited for the student’s blow to land on his face. It would’ve been easy for him to dodge it, but he knew he couldn’t—it would only aggravate the student more. As he waited for the pain t
Darius narrowed his eyes. Alfred had always been at the top of the social ladder; something must’ve happened to change this. Now that he had a better grasp on the situation, he turned to look at Aurora. Everyone knew Aurora and Alfred were dating—although their relationship had started out as a strategic alliance between their families, they’d grown to love each other. It was almost given that they’d have a happily-ever-after, but it seemed things had changed drastically. Darius turned to look at Aurora. She met his gaze and said pleadingly, “Darius, please help Alfred. He helped you in the past, didn’t he?” Tears rolled down her face. Darius was surprised she hadn’t asked him to save her. Alfred heard what she said and roared, “No, don’t listen to her! Darius, don’t do as she says! I don’t care what happens to me, but there’s no way I’ll allow Aurora to marry Fraser Johnson!” Darius raised an eyebrow and was about to say something, but Fraser beat him to it. He looked at Darius
Fraser thought about it for a second, then grabbed the lackey who’d spoken earlier by the collar and flung him to the ground by Darius’ feet. He bellowed, “How dare you interrupt me! Or do you think you have the right to represent me? Besides, do you think you deserve to speak to someone like Mr. Reid?” He made a show of reprimanding his lackey, but Darius caught him sneaking a glance at him out of the corner of his eye—he was waiting to see how Darius felt about this. Darius smiled, and Fraser relaxed, feeling he’d probably changed Darius’ impression of him. The lackey was obviously indignant but didn’t dare say anything. He looked at Fraser and asked in a small voice, “Boss, did I say something wrong? Why are you suddenly on his side? Isn’t he a pauper? Didn’t you say you hated people like him the most?” The lackey’s eyes turned red. “Darius is standing right before you, but you took out your temper on me just to make him feel good about himself.” Fraser scowled and forced out
Fraser said, “Well, that was crossing the line. No one would be able to sit by and watch something like that happen, regardless of whether they were wealthy or poor.”Darius smiled faintly. He turned to look at Fraser. “That’s what you think. Many people were present at the time, but no one stood up for me. Alfred was the only one who did, and he’d just returned from a fight. Because of me, he got into another one.”Fraser paled. He could see now that Darius was the type to always repay people who’d helped him; would Darius let him off the hook for giving Alfred such a beating? His heart started to race. As he pondered this, Darius continued speaking. This time, however, his tone and expression were mocking. “The second thing I was thinking of was Kingston University’s new dean—Henry Fort. He’s the one who expelled Pearl Chamberlain and me.”Fraser nodded with a frown. “Yes, everyone knows that.”Darius looked at him. “I bet you didn’t know he had a son who used to be a student here.
"Besides, I know Aurora—my fiancée—will stick with me, no matter what." Alfred finally moved his gaze away from Aurora to look at Darius. "That's why I'll never take my life, even if it's only for her sake. Anyway, Aurora isn't any worse than me in terms of her capabilities."Aurora had been silently watching Darius for a long time now. Suddenly, she said grimly, "Darius, I know you're an outstanding man, and I've also heard of the Reid family before. You've already helped us plenty today—more than Alfred did for you. However, I still have a favor to ask of you."Darius looked at her. It was his first time looking her in the eye—in the past, he felt he didn't deserve to look at her because of how poor he was; after returning to the Reid family, he hadn't had the time to. Now, he finally had the time and status to face her as an equal. His attention wasn't on her face, though she was undeniably beautiful. Instead, he looked at her body and raised an eyebrow. All else aside, she had to
"I say that because I heard my father ranting about this before he went missing. I've never seen him that mad before. After that, he went missing, and my uncle took over faster than you could blink. The following day, they called off my engagement with Alfred and forced me into marrying Fraser." Aurora looked tormented.Darius frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but… "This situation is more complicated than I expected. I'll look into it, but I don't think there's a way to ensure your safety, even if Fraser's your only source of danger." He sighed.Alfred looked bitter. Then, his eyes lit up with determination as he said, "I think there's another angle to this." The hopeful look on his face reminded Darius of the young man in his memories, and he smiled.He walked over to Alfred, put a hand on his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. Darius' eyes were calm, but Alfred felt empowered. Then, Darius said, "I want you to know I'm in far more trouble than you—my life is on the line."Alfre
Fraser's expression turned disdainful at Edward's words. He spat out, "Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror? You're nothing but a bodyguard—since I intend to hire you, I'm your client. How dare you speak to your client like that!"Edward didn't look too pleased. He said coldly, "Who told you I'm a bodyguard?" He raised an arm. Though he had to admit many people knew he and Bridget were Darius' bodyguards, he was sure Fraser wasn't among them, and neither was he wealthy enough to come into contact with the people who were in the know. Besides, no bodyguard would go around broadcasting their name, and the Reid family did a great job keeping their faces hidden. The only way someone were to recognize him was if he were to flash the symbol that represented his identity.Edward trained his gaze on Fraser. He didn't do anything, but Fraser still paled when he sensed Edward couldn't wait to kill him. Fear washed over him, and he started to tremble. At this moment, someone asked, "Wha
Darius didn't speak. He merely turned to look at Fraser, who felt cold all over when Darius' gaze landed on him. He could only stare blankly as Darius approached him, and his breathing sped up—it was a sign of nervousness. He parted his lips to say something, but before he could, he'd already been sent flying despite Darius barely having moved. Then, Darius sighed and turned to look at Edward. "I've never been one to show my emotions because there was nothing to show—life bored me."Edward tensed, looking pale as he ducked his head. He didn't have the courage to meet Darius' eyes. Darius went on like he didn't sense Edward's anxiety. "You're the same as me, of course, and I'm happy to see that." He turned to face Fraser again, who was now facedown on the ground. His expression turned mocking as he said, "Anyway, Edward, I think you should know that our relationship isn't just between a bodyguard and his employer—we're also friends." Darius bent down to turn Fraser's head to face him