Chapter 3 03

The front door opened before Sylvie even had time to compose her expression.

He stepped inside without hesitation.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in all black. His posture carried the precision of someone who had spent years training their body into a weapon. His expression was impossibly unreadable. Not a single flicker of emotion crossed his face as his gaze swept the room.

Ryan Finley.

Sylvie felt her breath hitch, but it wasn't attraction. It was annoyance. It was as if his presence sucked the air out of the hallway.

Cole moved forward. "Ryan"

"Sir." Ryan gave a single clipped nod while he shook hands with him.

His voice was deep, calm, controlled. There was nothing warm in it.

Sylvie watched him openly, arms folded. He didn't acknowledge her yet.

Instead, his eyes moved over the house. Not in admiration but in assessment, the way an engineer might assess a flawed structure.

Ryan stepped further in and the moment he did, something in the atmosphere shifted. He scanned the corners of the ceiling, the doors, the staircase, the windows.

Ryan's tone remained flat. "Your perimeter lighting is insufficient between the garden walls. North gate sensors are delayed by 2.3 seconds. Also, I noticed while coming in that there's a blind spot in the camera at the west side of the garage."

Sylvie blinked. Her father blinked too. Ryan hadn't even walked ten full steps inside.

"How..." Cole began.

"You hired me." Ryan replied simply. "This is what I do."

Sylvie muttered under her breath, "Well, hello to you too."

Ryan finally turned his head toward her. He have heard about her and he feels she is spoiled and reckless. His gaze locked onto hers, steady, unblinking. It felt like she was being X-rayed.

His eyes weren't warm brown or soft hazel, they were cold, storm-gray. Quiet, intense, unreadable.

Sylvie lifted her chin. Ryan didn't speak to her. Not at first. She hated him instantly.

Her father cleared his throat. "Ryan, this is my daughter, Sylvie."

Ryan remained perfectly still as he replied, "I know."

Sylvie scoffed. "Wow. Charming."

His expression didn't move. "Your safety is my assignment."

"Assignment?" she repeated, bristling.

"Yes."

The bluntness stunned her.

Cole exhaled. "Sylvie, Ryan will be staying in the east wing guest suite. He'll begin full protection protocol tomorrow morning."

Ryan corrected him quietly. "Tonight."

Sylvie frowned. "Tonight? It's past midnight. I'm not leaving the house."

Ryan didn't look at her. "Threats don't follow business hours."

Cole nodded, relieved someone else was taking control. "Good. Good."

Sylvie's annoyance flared. "You know, most normal people say 'nice to meet you."

Ryan glanced at her with the faintest trace of boredom. "If I wanted to exchange pleasantries, Miss Wilfred, I'd work at a hotel front desk."

Her mouth dropped for a second.

Cole stifled a cough, half shock, half approval.

Sylvie recovered quickly, eyes narrowing. "You seriously talk to clients like that?"

"Only the ones who think they don't need protection."

Her pulse jumped.

She stepped closer. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough." he replied.

His tone didn't rise, didn't soften. It simply existed like an immovable wall.

"Let me guess..." she shot back. "You read one report about me and now you think you understand everything?"

Ryan's jaw ticked once. "Your behavior creates vulnerabilities. Recklessness attracts danger.

Cole stepped in quickly. "Ryan, Sylvie, I think that's enough for the night"

"No," Sylvie cut in. "Let him finish. Apparently my bodyguard has all the answers."

Ryan stared at her, utterly unaffected by her sarcasm.

"You don't have to like what I say." he replied. "You just have to stay safe long enough for me to do my job."

Sylvie's fingers curled into fists. She turned to her father. "You hired a robot."

"A highly efficient one." Ryan added without blinking.

"I wasn't agreeing with you!" she snapped. Ryan ignored the outburst, turning slightly toward Cole again. "I'll inspect the outdoor perimeter and her floor."

Sylvie's eyebrows shot up. "My floor?"

"Yes"

"I didn't ask for a shadow."

"I didn't ask for an assignment who disobeys basic safety."

"Basic safety?" she echoed, voice rising. "You don't even know me!"

Ryan stepped forward, just one step, but it was enough to make her heart kick. His voice dropped lower, colder.

"I don't need to know you. I only need to protect you."

She hated the way he said it, It sounded so detached and clinical.

Cole rubbed his forehead. "Let him work, Sylvie."

Ryan turned and walked toward the east wing without another word.

Sylvie glared at his back. Her voice carried across the hall.

"This isn't over, you know!"

Ryan didn't stop walking. The nerve of him, she thought.

"I will make you quit,"she yelled. "Before the week is over."