My bodyguard husband

Jema sat on her executive office chair trying to get some work done. She had a schedule to keep up with and typed on her desktop with accurate speed.

She was typing when her phone beeped with a call. She paused to pick up the phone and relaxed on her chair in exasperation as she saw the caller's name.

It was her younger sister, Kylie. She wondered what was making her call at this time even though she knew really well that she was at work and didn't like to be disturbed.

She picked the call and on doing so, simultaneously pulled it away from her ear reflexively. Her sister shouted her name over the phone,fear evident in her voice.

She became alarmed by her tone. Her sister didn't wait for her to speak and said,

"Come to the hospital immediately", she said and cut the call.

Jema looked at the phone before dropping it on the table. She began to panic when she heard the word 'hospital'. Her father was in the hospital,admitted a few days earlier after collapsing from a heart attack, that she caused. She soon began to feel guilt wash through her again but she shook it off.

She picked up her bag from the table,put her phone in her purse and grabbed her car key before dashing out of the office.

Her personal assistant almost crashed into her in her haste. She tried to speak but her employer had already dashed into the elevator. She looked at the elevator wondering what could make her boss leave looking so worn out.

Jema looked at the control pad and watched as the numbers counted down. She was so jittery and was becoming annoyed that it counted down slowly.

She heaved a sigh when it did eventually get to the last floor and dashed out before the door could even fully open. Her employees who saw her did that almost gaped at her.

They had never seen their ever so composed boss's daughter so not composed.

Jema rushed out of the office complex and went to the parking lot.

She got into her car,switched on the ignition and swerved out of the parking lot almost recklessly.

She soon got on the expressway and drove like a maniac. She wondered what was going on in the hospital. Her mind raced as it hit only one possibility, her father might be dying.

She pushed the negative thought out of her mind. She didn't want to think negatively and fixed her mind on the impossibly positive.

She looked out her window and saw a sign telling her that she was way past the speed limits.

She took in a breath and slowed down so not to gain the attraction of the police. She then began to drive with more caution as she approached the hospital's street.

She felt herself tense up as she caught a view of the hospital building.

She arrived at the hospital and parked her car safely. She stepped out of the car and walked into the hospital.

She managed to pull back up her usual casual composure as she approached the receptionist. The receptionist looked at her and her eyes widened on seeing the personality before her. Jema looked at her coolly on noticing the nurse's reaction. She was used to receiving such reaction from people.

The receptionist scrambled through her files fully aware of the reason why she was here. She brought out a card and handed it to her before adding,

"I can take you there if you don't...", she paused on seeing Jema's right hand raised.

Jema left the reception silently and walked towards the ward following the description of the card.

She paused on reaching the private ward. She opened the door which revealed the presence of all her family,her two sisters, her step mother and her two girls. They were already present making her feel as though she missed it.

Her eyes quickly caught the bed and her father who was lying on it,eyes closed. He was not moving and seeing him inactive made her heart clench with emotion.

She looked opposite him and saw her sister Kylie seated,signalling her to come take a seat beside her. She walked over to the seat reserved for her and sat down.

Her stepmother who sat in a chair beside her father,gently tapped him to wake him up.

His eyes fluttered open and he asked,

" Jema,is she here,Jema",he called out for her his voice low.

"I am here now father", she said standing up and walking to his side,on the opposite side of the bed away from her stepmother.

She looked at him with so much emotions dancing in her eyes.

He turned slowly to face her and smiled weakly when he saw her smiling at him faintly. Her looks really resembled that of her mother,his first wife. They both had auburn hair and deep brown eyes,a gentle oval face with pouty lips.

He truly had loved her but he killed her with his own careless behaviour. They had both wanted a male child but kept on giving birth to female.

He had been desperate for a male child and after they gave birth to their second child which turned out to be twin girls,he remembered leaving the hospital to go get drunk.

He got carried away and slept with one of the showgirls who eventually got pregnant. On discovering that she was pregnant,he decided to take full responsibility as an ethical man that he was.

He took her in with him to live as his wife. The news killed his wife whom he had cherished so much. She thought he did so in search of a male child.

He wallowed in regret for months and entered into more regret when he discovered that she gave birth to a female child.

He looked at his daughter feeling his heart slowly beginning to palpitate. He had called them all together so that he could read out his will to them.

The lawyer knocked on the door causing them them all to face the door, wondering who that could be.

"Come in Mr Chang", he called to the man and he stepped in upon the man's request.

A man in a black suit stepped in and greeted the family formally before telling them the reason for his presence. They all gasped and looked at the man on the bed. Jema shook her head.

" No way dad,what is the meaning of this, you are perfectly fine there is no need to... ",but she paused and sighed on seeing him raise his hand.

He slowly tried to sit up and his wife tried to help but he stopped her from doing so,he was determined to do it without any assistance. They all stared at him in a state of helplessness.

After a few seconds of struggling,he sat up into a comfortable position, cushioning himself with his pillows.

He cleared his throat and began.

As he said, I called you all here to read my will to you. I want to see to it that there is no conflict whatsoever. You all should quit lying to yourselves,I am dying,I can feel life leave me with each breath that I take so you cannot tell me otherwise. Now listen attentively to Chang as he reads it out to you",he said slowly but with much authority and signalled the lawyer who was perfectly seated in a chair facing them all.

The man nodded and looked across the room at the faces of his audience before returning his gaze to the file in his hands and starting.

"I,Qin Malteng,write herein in this affidavit the exact way and manner I would like for my inheritance to be shared among my family", he said and paused looking at the faces of those in the room whose eyes were now fixed on him except Jema who was looking out the window. He cleared his throat to bring back her attention to the room and she faced him knowing that it was a signal to her.

He then continued his reading, adjusting himself in his seat.

" To my youngest daughter,Jaio,I would like to apportion the modelling sect of the company,seeing that she loves fashion,I believe this would be best for her".

Jaio felt like screaming on the top of her lungs. She did love fashion and would love to manage the modelling agency of her father.

"And to her older sister, Carly,I give my entire stake in the football club.",

Carly frowned at the reading she just heard. Did her father think she even had interest in sports as Jaio did in fashion. She scoffed when she realised that that was her inheritance, what do he think of her.

" And to my power twins,Kylie I leave you in charge of my advertising and marketing sect, since you have a gift of drawing in a crowd and to your twin sister, Kyra,I leave to you fifty percent of my real estate".

Kylie and Kyra looked at themselves obviously pleased with what they were hearing. Jema stood, arms crossed beside her father as she waited to hear her own inheritance.

"To my first fruit Jema,I leave to you Acacia,the remaining fifty percent of my real estate,and my assets scattered home and abroad. You have managed the company very well in the past years and I'm proud of you".

Jema smiled but quickly realized that she was quick to do so.

" But...I leave you the company if you get married in the next six months otherwise the company would be handed over to my other first fruit, Carly".

Jema's eyes widened in shock as she turned to look at her father, shaking her head. He just looked at her like what was just read had no iota of importance whatsoever.

She turned and faced out the window,raking both hands through her hair.

"You've got to be kidding me,please tell me you are joking dad", she said flaring up. She couldn't believe that her dad was still on the very same topic that got him to this position in the first place.

The lawyer paused and her father turned to look at her.

" Do I look like I'm joking with you,Jema you are twenty seven for god's sake and you are yet to get married,refusing every suitor in a frenzy",he remarked sharply, his face contorted in a frown.

"First, I am twenty six and secondly I don't refuse suitors in a frenzy,I tell them a plain and simple, I am not interested and besides what does getting married have to do with running a company anyway", she asked,refusing to believe what was happening.

" Everything. You need a man in your life,this game of influence require that you have a rigid support as a woman ",he replied, had s tone softening a bit.

" Well I've been just fine on my own in the past years",she retorted, still not knowing what her father was driving at. God did she feel like disappearing right now.

"And that was because I have been there for you,but I no longer am going to be", he said adding the last part softly.

Jema felt her agitation evaporate on hearing those words that she didn't want to hear. Her heart was in a mess that no one not even she knew how to fix or where to start from.

" I want you married Jema, I want to see your husband, this is a dying man's wish",he said making Jema look away, her eyes and lips shut tight.

Carly was pleasantly pleased with the turn of events. She knew Jema found men despicable and would never be able to find a boyfriend, talk less of a husband in the next six months. She leaned back into her chair and smiled triumphantly.

Mr Malteng signalled Mr Chang with a flick of his finger to begin his reading.

"Last but not least my lovely wife,I leave to you our mansion and a lifetime supply of money at your disposal. I wish you all the best of all that life could offer and happiness in all you do. Thank you all for listening",the lawyer said and ended his reading. Carly's mother seemed satisfied but that was only because like her daughter,she knew Jema couldn't have gotten married by the time's elapsing.

Jema looked across the room,suddenly feeling insignificant. The sides of her eyes picked up the faces of her step mother and sister.

Their faces were neutral but nobody could miss the thru dancing in their eyes. Unable to bear it anymore she sought to leave. She leaned over to kiss her father goodbye before leaving, her emotions messed up and she definitely didn't want to display them here.

They all just watch her leave, nobody knowing what exactly to say to her.

Jema walked out of the ward and darted out of the hospital building quite annoyed by her father's inconsiderate appeal.

She headed to her car and drove out of the hospital's parking lot lost in thought. She had always told her father that she would survive on her own,without a man in her life. All the men she had known in her life were double crossers and players who only wanted to be with her out of benefit.

None of them really loved or cared about her,they all swindled her money and emotions and disappeared as they came.

She then created a barrier around her heart and vowed to herself that she would never fall in love again,only for that vow to be threatened by her father's ridiculous proposition.

She didn't want to be bound to any man,mentally and emotionally. She liked her life being simple and stress free.

She drove slowly this time, slightly below the speed limits as she pondered on what to so that all her hard work over the years won't be handed to another person, and not when that person was her arrogant step sister,Carly.

She couldn't bear the thought of that ever happening. She had to ensure that never happens even if it meant putting up with a man for the rest of her life.

She drove towards the turn that lead to the street to her office complex. She still drove carefully in thought and was about to make the sharp turn when she saw a car heading towards her in full speed.

Her eyes widened upon realising that they were going to collide. The driver of the car saw her up ahead and swerved the car,quickly hit the brakes.

It was too late however,as the back of his car crashed violently into the side of her car,shattering the side glass and windscreen. Luckily, it wasn't the driver's side and her airbag inflated upon the barest impact.

The reckless driver got down from his indented car,his hands holding a phone up to his ears. He spoke to someone over the phone.

Jema who was flung roughly towards the car door upon collision then laid,face against the airbag. Her mind blacked out for a minute as she thought she was dead.

After a few seconds, she slowly lifted her head,her heart pumping its life out. She couldn't believe that she was okay. She felt a little dizzy though but was glad that she was alive as she checked her hands for cuts and felt her head as well,still no cut. It was a miracle.

The man walked towards the side of her car but couldn't see anything through her tainted glasses. He knocked on the door, not sure if the person inside was conscious or not.

Jema slowly turned to look at the person knocking. She saw a man wearing a grey suit looking into the car concerned.

She took in deep breaths to try to calm her nerves and reeling head before making for the door handle.

The man who now stood a distance away,placing another call paused when he saw someone get down from the car.

Jema placed a feet on the ground,trying to gain balance,before placing the other one to get out of the car in her heels. She held the door tightly using it as a support but he leg gave way.

She was expecting to land on the tarred ground but felt a hand around her waist supporting her instead. She turned to look at the person supporting her.

The person who almost murdered her was standing beside her,helping her get on her feet. He was a solidly built man with a cold but handsome face. He had a neatly done raven black hair which was fixed backwards and broad shoulders.

He had a beautiful jawline that gave him a dreamy look. Jema stood caught up in staring at his features for a while,only to be brought back to reality when he cleared his throat.

She batted her lashes at him before she regained her composure and stood up straight. She muttered a quick thank you to the him,annoyed at herself for ogling at the man like a horny teenager.

The man had almost killed her after all. She shook her head softly before turning to face the man,hands on her hips. She expected him to apologize but he just stood there,staring at her.

She raises her brow at him.

"Aren't you going to say anything",she asked upset about his unfazed demeanour.

He cocked his head slightly to the side,narrowing his eyes at her before relaxing them.

" Uhm...You're welcome",he said in his deep cello like voice not quite sure of what she meant.

She then furrowed her brows annoyed by his statement.

"I'm welcome?, for what,you were the one that caused the accident", she said getting to the end of herself in putting up with his lackadaisical behaviour.

He scoffed at her before chuckling deeply at her.

" I did,huh,weren't you the one driving overly below speed limits,I mean if you had been a little faster,I won't be talking to you right now",he stated causing her to gape at him in disbelief.

She had never met such a cocky man in her entire life. She let out a puff ignoring his comment and walked over to the area of collision instead.

She covered her mouth with her hands,estimating the expense of fixing the car. Its repair was going to cost a fortune as it was the first of its model.

She face palmed herself,shaking her head.

"I knew I should have gone for the other model", she said to herself.

The man walked over quietly and observed the car.

" Hmm,this was battered up pretty bad",he commented causing her to sharply face him,giving him a death glare.

He looked at his two sides before looking back at her.

"What?", he asked seeing that the glare was directed to him.

" What?, What you say,you are going to fix my car,that's what",she said causing him to slowly laugh again.

She frowned at his reaction.

"And what's so funny?", she asked starting to detest the man.

He pointed at the car.

" You said I should fix that,that's what",he said using her statement against her.

"You think this is funny,huh,well wait till I call the police,that's going to be very funny",she said and pressed a button on her smart watch.

He stilled on hearing the police, raising up both his hands as in surrender.

" Okay, I get it,you don't take a joke,geez",he said making her to cut the call.

She looked at him,studying whether he was joking or not. She nodded on seeing his face return to its earlier stoic state.

"I don't know how much it costs to fix the car,but I know how much it costs and it spells expensive", she said and gauged his reaction.