𝓢𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪 𝓚𝓲𝓼𝓼

-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒-

  My thoughts are scattered on my drive to a restaurant called, "Pastis" for my business dinner with Star Magazine. I have been left in utter dismay ever since I left Mrs. Lawson's cottage. If her grandson was murdered, is there anything I could do to help? After all, I'm just a journalist.

When I arrived-, "Maddson, wait up." Correction. When we arrived at Pastis, I had a headache and a growing urge for a cigarette. "You thinking about what that lady said? I wouldn't worry about it too much; she probably just can't accept fate."

"What did you just say?" I retorted. "She, "just can't accept fate." I say as I throw up punctuation marks with my hands. A distinct annoyance painting my face. "If you actually listened to what she said, it makes sense. What if she's right and this is my chance to help a possible victim?" I question myself more than him. "Have a heart." I state. "Go to a sauna or maybe do some soul searching until then, stop talking to me." I huff, annoyed.

I ignore the urge for a cigarette despite my hands shaking from withdrawal. As I continue my way into the restaurant with the contract in hand, I put on my best customer service face and voice on.

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The meeting went as expected. I got our contract. I did my job. Yay! Now, can I finally go home and get some peace and quiet? "Good job with the meeting in there, doe." I guess not.

"Thanks." I quip shortly, trying my best to cut the conversation short.

"You really do have a gift for closing business deals, ya know?" No, really? I guess it's a good thing that it's my job, then.

"Yeah, I guess so." I bite my lip, frustrated as to why I didn't just say what I was thinking.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the night?" Is he really trying to ask me out? Please, god say no.

"Yes, I do." What? I do. I have a date with my alcohol, cigarettes, a bath, and a good book. He looks at me with a lifted eyebrow as if to continue on with what my plans were. "I do not believe it is any of your business whom I have plans with." Finally, I said something I was actually thinking.

"Or what you have plans with, you mean." He states with a smirk. What is that supposed to mean?

"What does that mean?" I retort with an attitude straining in my voice.

"Doe, I've followed you around for the past day and a half. I have seen no semblance of a partner in your life." This man is joking, right? Has he no decorum? No filter? No respect? He must be sorely mistaken if he thinks I will allow him to disrespect me, so.

"Firstly, I told you to stop calling me that name. Second, whether I have a partner or not is quite frankly irrelevant. You work for me. My father pays you to protect me, nothing more. I will not tolerate your disrespect. My personal life is of no concern to you unless it concerns my safety. Let me remind you of your place, you are my employee. I do not need you. I can easily get a new bodyguard, so if you would like to keep this job, I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourself and show me some common decency." With that I strut past him towards my car to start heading back to my home. I'll take the hint if he is not at my doorstep tomorrow that he is not going to conform to my demands.

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Finally, I am home, in my bath with a book in one hand and a glass of vodka in the other. Bing! What?! Who could that possibly be?

"I am sorry c u tomorrow?" Spoke the meaningful words of Dante. Oh, how my heart flutters at the sight of his oh, so meaningful apology. This man surely does have the audacity. Crash! I jump at the sudden loud noise of glass shattering. I immediately feel the hard thumping in my chest. My throat becomes tight, and I am in a state of paralysis. I ever so slowly lift myself from the bathtub, stretching one foot out of the bathtub onto the mat, then doing the same with my other leg.

Immediately I scurried to my bedroom to put on some clothes as quietly as possible. Fear mingled with determination as I swiftly moved to my closet, fingers fumbling for the heavy wooden baseball bat I kept for just such emergencies. Gripping it tightly, I felt a surge of empowerment despite the tremors in my hands. With each step towards the staircase, my breath steadied, a fierce resolve taking over. As I descended, the cold air pricked my skin, but my focus remained unyielding. There, in the dimly lit hallway, stood the intruder, a silhouette of a large man. "Who's there?" My voice quivered. The intruder hesitated, perhaps taken aback by the unexpected confrontation. My mind is racing for a plan. Just as I reached the bottom, a loud crash echoed through the hallway.

The front door swung open, revealing Dante. His smirk told me he had dealt with intruders like this before. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Dante's voice oozed with a mix of amusement and sarcasm. He entered with a casual stride, his next words laced with irony, "Lost, are we?" In one fluid motion, Dante's hand reached inside his jacket, revealing the cold glint of a gun. The intruder's arrogance crumbled, a surge of panic flashing in his eyes as he scrambled backward. "You see," Dante continued, his tone now icy, "this is the part where you decide whether it's worth sticking around." The intruder's hesitation was undeniable, and as Dante's aim remained unwavering, the decision became evident. With a sudden burst of urgency, the intruder turned and fled, his footsteps echoing down the empty street. Dante lowered his gun, his smirk widening into a satisfied grin. "And that," he mused, securing the weapon in his jacket, "is how you handle an uninvited guest."

--A/N Soooo I had a sudden writer's flow and came up with this version and I like it much better!--