Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|35| I Love You

|I Love You|

For the next few days, I was stuck inside Noel's office with nothing to do. After a day, he finally removed the cuffs from my wrists, which were sore from wearing them all night. There was no means of escape because the door to his office was locked from the outside. Furthermore, this room did not have any windows; the only feature was a small vent that I could not fit into.

Noel had planned his strategy well, but I didn't understand why he wanted me in his office. When he came in to speak with me, I chose to ignore him. He would bring me food because I was hungry, but I refused to eat. The last time I had something to drink, I passed out—who knows what he put in it?

By this point, I was sure I looked terrible. It was difficult to maintain my appearance without my usual attire. Fortunately, Ace wouldn't have to see me like this. I knew he would make a snarky remark, simply because that was who he was. I missed him and his hazel eyes. My heart hadn't been the same since he left.

As I lost myself in thought, the sounds of the door unlocking interrupted me. I immediately took a seat and turned my gaze away, choosing to ignore Noel's arrival. He was the worst part of any day, and we were approaching the third day of my confinement. I was certain he wouldn't say anything worthwhile anyway. The only thing I wanted to know was how my father was doing; he had been left shaken by everything that had happened.

I kept my eyes fixed on the wall when suddenly the door creaked open, and a groan escaped my lips. Noel's face was the last thing I wanted to see. However, it was not Noel who greeted me.

As the door closed again, I felt a surge of surprise at the voice I heard. "Hey, Reign," Ace said to me.

My heart felt like it had dropped into the pit of my stomach. When I turned to face him, my body jumped up and rushed into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me, and I felt safe as if no one could hurt me anymore. Ace, my knight in shining armor, was here to save me. I couldn't have been more thrilled to see him, and I was relieved that he was unharmed. Everything about him made me happy, and that had nothing to do with his earlier request for me to be his girlfriend.

Ace helped me back on my feet, his hands cradling my face. That smile of his was so infectious that my cheeks felt warm from his touch. I had my arms wrapped around him as we locked eyes. You could tell he was relieved to see me after days of silence. Noel had swooped in and taken me away, leaving my phone behind. Tana must be freaking out.

He sighed as he checked me out. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said softly. "He wasn't too rough on you, right?"

I giggled and shook my head. "Not really. Just a bit sore from the chains, but that's it." I smiled.

Ace looked at me like he didn't buy it. "Reign, you don't look great," he said, scanning my face. "Have you eaten?"

How did he know me so well? I bit my lip, feeling nervous about answering. "Well..."

"Reign, you need to eat." He frowned. "How long has it been?"

I swayed a bit, not wanting this to turn into an argument. "About three days, but can you blame me? The last time I tried to drink something, I ended up here."

When he realized that, his expression softened. We were supposed to have a nice date that he had thoughtfully planned, but instead, I was thrown into this nightmare. If he thought I'd trust Noel with anything, he was dead wrong.

Ace understood that look on my face well. The vibe changed as he stared down at the ground. He wasn't the emotional type, so something was bothering him. It felt like ages since we even talked, and with everything that happened, re-establishing our connection felt tough. But it seemed like Ace wanted things to change.