The Bodyguard

1

Blair's POV

"Miss Castillo, your father asked to see you before you leave," Macy said as I returned from my shower.

No matter how many times I had asked her to call me Blaire, Macy refused to use anything except Miss Castillo. In the end I had also been forced to adapt to the domestic formality.

"Alright, thanks Macy. I'll be down in a few minutes," I told her plugging in my blower.

"Would you like something for breakfast?"

"Just an apple."

I wasn't on any particular diet but eating so early in the morning upset my stomach, so rather than skipping breakfast completely, I always went with something light. After drying my hair and putting it in a simple bun, I opened my walk in closet and debated on what to wear.

Eventually, I settled on a navy blue short peplum dress from Dior's previous month catalogue. I didn't need mascara, so I just put a little eyeliner and neutral lipstick. I slipped into my six inch heels.

Some people might have considered this a bit over the top for the work place, but you'd never understand the true value of height until you spent eight hours, trying to make your place known in a corporate office with six feet tall men who already saw women as nothing without the added challenges of height. So whatever the cost, it was worth it.

After looking in the mirror and making sure everything was in place, I took my slim silver watch, laptop bag, my Gadino crocodile skin handbag; one of the firsts from Hilde Palladino's collection and went downstairs.

I passed through my dad's office to hear what he had wanted.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked, peeking through.

"A minute please?" he asked, directing his gaze pointedly at my bags.

I got inside and put my bags on his couch before moving to sit across him on his desk. Something was wrong, I could hear it in his tone and sense it in his controlled movements. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach like wet concrete.

"Is everything ok daddy?" I asked nervously, just hopping he had not forgotten to take his hypertension pills like the other time. I just didn't have the strength to endure another scare like that again.

"I hope so."

Ok...now he was really scaring me.

I waited, sternly telling myself not to jump to any premature conclusions; it never helped anyone and only served to make me more anxious.

He finally sighed, probably deciding how to tell me whatever was weighing so heavily on his mind.

"Just tell me as it is."

I didn't want him filtering anything with me. Surely by twenty-one I had passed the adult test already?

"Here, have some coffee," he said pouring me a cup.

I accepted the cup but didn't drink it, my nerves were too raw.

"I'm getting you a bodyguard," he finally said.

Everything slowed down the moment those words left his lips and I became lost in my own thoughts and detached from the whole world. My grip on the cup slackened and I spilled the coffee on my dress but I hardly noticed, my mind too numbed by the news.

A bodyguard? Why? It couldn't be. I had made sure I had been there myself when the judge ruled Stephen Matthews to twelve years in prison. He couldn't be out already. Lord no please, not so early.

I felt my breath coming in shallow pants as I was transported to two years back against my will. I barely registered it as daddy left his chair and helped me up and took me to the window.