HER KIND

My guardian angel.

'Chapter 15'

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dria was seething with anger as she demanded, "Start talking now!"

Javier slowly rose from the floor, his eyes darting around the house as if conducting a thorough sweep before taking a seat on one of the kitchen bar stools. The entire group had gathered in the kitchen, a palpable tension hanging in the air as they waited for Javier to provide an explanation.

While Javier wasn't a blood relative of Dria's, they shared a close-knit extended family relationship. His father had been her father's boss, leading to a natural bond that had them spending a significant amount of time together during their childhood. Dria often visited Javier's house, especially when her father was working, and she occasionally stayed over when they went out of town for business trips—this was before her younger brothers were born.

After her mother gave birth to her siblings and effectively "dumped" them on her father, Dria and Javier found themselves babysitting her brothers more than enjoying their own childhood. Her father wasn't keen on hiring nannies, and Javier's mother had passed away when Dria was just five years old. She didn't have many memories of Javier's mother, except for the distinct scents of weed and chicken that seemed to linger around her. Despite this, she remembered her as a kind woman.

Thus, Dria and Javier spent much of their early years taking care of the twins. Their close bond only grew stronger. However, everything changed when her father was arrested, and Javier's father began grooming him to assume his job. The visits from Uncle Lander, Javier's father, dwindled, and Dria barely saw him after a while. With time, they each went their separate ways, forging their own paths. Dria didn't hold it against Javier that he was involved with the gang. She was just relieved he was still alive and occasionally crossed paths with him when he came to fix his grandmother Cherry's cable.

For the record, Javier was 24 years old, making the age gap between him and Dria a mere four years. However, this age difference never stopped him from being a constant thorn in her side, especially when he resorted to using it as leverage during arguments.

Seeing Javier standing in the middle of their living room, holding a gun, and a lifeless man on the floor with a bullet hole in his head left Dria in utter shock. It seemed evident that this man had come with malicious intent, likely to harm everyone present in the room.

"I'm practically your guardian angel, well, more than Uncle Jeremiah," Javier remarked casually.

Dria couldn't help but interrupt, her curiosity piqued. "Wait, you know Jeremiah?"

"Yeah," Javier confirmed. "He's the one who told me to come here. He had a hunch that something might go wrong, especially when he learned that his wife and son were under surveillance. Turns out, the guy was onto something," he shrugged nonchalantly.

Her interest deepening, Dria pressed on, "But how exactly are you her guardian angel?"

Pierce, who had remained silent during this exchange, finally interjected with an edge of impatience in his voice, "Cut the small talk, Lander. Answer the damn question."

Pierce couldn't help but wear his characteristic serious expression as Javier spoke, even when the latter teased him. "You're always so serious, Pierce," Javier quipped before delving into the explanation of his unexpected presence. "Anyway, I'm one of your guardian angels. Ever since your dad went to prison, my father's been training me for this very day. I'm well aware of your little family secret. You see, your father is pretty important to mine. My dad practically worships the ground he walks on. I mean, the man can set people on fire, and he chose to follow my father," he chuckled lightly.