Chapter 2 02

Sylvie didn't stop speeding until the city lights drove into the familiar private district where her family's mansion sat behind iron gates. Her fingers trembled on the steering wheel, her heart still punching against her ribs. The mysterious car had managed to throw the van off for good, but her nerves didn't settle even for a second.

By the time she reached the mansion's driveway, her entire body felt like it was vibrating.

The gates opened automatically, her father had security systems synced to her license plate but tonight the motion felt ominous rather than comforting.

The porch lights were on. Her stomach dropped. That meant he was awake, her father.

She parked and stepped out on unsteady legs. Before she even reached the door, it swung open.

Her father stood there. Cole Wilfred. Tonight, he looked worse than furious. He looked terrified, but burying it under steel.

"Sylvie." Her name came out like a verdict.

She swallowed. "Dad, I..."

"Get inside." His voice left no room for choice.

She walked past him into the living room. The lights were too bright, the silence too sharp. She could almost hear her heartbeat echoing off the marble floor.

Her father shut the door slowly, then turned.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded.

"I..."

"You went out late again." His tone rose like a cracking whip. "Despite the warnings. Despite me telling you this city is not safe for you. And tonight...tonight...you were almost dragged out of your car by strangers!"

Sylvie flinched.

He knew. Of course he knew, but how?

"How did you...?"

"Because..." he said through clenched teeth, "the person I assigned to keep an eye on you called me mid-chase."

Her eyes widened. "Wait...you had someone following me?"

He didn't even blink. "Yes. And thank goodness I did, because your carelessness nearly got you kidnapped."

Sylvie's jaw clenched.

Carelessness?

Her voice trembled, part shock, part anger. "I wasn't careless. I got away, didn't I?"

"You should never have been in that situation in the first place!" he barked. "You're out partying, drinking, running around the city at night as if you're untouchable, your mother is halfway across the world in Tokyo with emails full of business reports, overseeing projects, living in boardrooms for weeks at a time. How do you think she will feel when she hears her daughter almost got kidnapped?"

"You're more worried about your company's image than my actual life!" she snapped.

Her father froze.

Sylvie continued, her breath shaking. "Every time you lecture me, it's the same thing, 'stay out of trouble,' 'don't attract attention,' 'don't bring problems to the Wilfred name.' You care more about protecting your empire than protecting me!"

"That is not fair." Cole said, low and dangerous.

"It is fair!" Her voice cracked. "You're angry because this incident could cause headlines. You're angry because someone targeted your heir, not because I was scared out of my mind!"

Her father's expression flickered, pain, guilt, something she couldn't name, but it hardened just as quickly.

"Sylvie... you are my daughter." he said quietly. "Do you think I was sitting here calm while your car was being chased through the city? I was terrified." His voice strained for a second before he forced it under control. "You think I don't care. But I do. More than you know."

The room went silent. Cole exhaled slowly, stepping closer.

"This can't happen again."

"I know." she whispered.

"No." he said firmly. "You don't know. Not yet."

Sylvie became tensed. What does he mean?

Her father continued, "From tonight onward, you will not go anywhere alone. I don't care if it's a café, a party, a friend's house, or the grocery store. You will not take one step outside this property without protection."

"Dad..."

"A bodyguard will be arriving tonight."

Her breath hitched.

"Tonight?" she repeated, stunned. "Isn't that too fast? I just got home!"

"I already arranged it. Plus I was always going to get you a bodyguard and I've been working on getting one" he replied. "He's the best. Highly trained. Disciplined. You're going to follow his instructions exactly."

"Dad, this is ridiculous."

"This is survival." he shot back. "The world is different for someone like you. I won't lose my daughter because she believes she can outrun danger."

Sylvie folded her arms, anger bubbling up again. "And what if I don't want a stranger breathing down my neck all day?"

Cole stepped closer, his expression cold.

"This is not a negotiation, Sylvie."

She stiffened. Her father rarely used that tone unless the decision was final.

"I'm your father." he said quietly. "Protecting you is not optional."

Sylvie looked away, her chest felt tight, memories of the chase flashing behind her eyelids. The black van, the masked men the screeching tires, the other car that saved her. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"And what if I said I don't want protection?"

He stared at her for a long, heavy moment.

"Then..." he said, "you'll still get it."

She didn't respond.

Footsteps echoed across the hallway from outside, firm and steady, someone approaching the front door. Cole inhaled sharply.

"That should be him, the bodyguard."