After the lunch incident, Paul’s attitude towards Cindy changed slightly. Well, not completely. He was still grumpy, still arrogant, and still complained a lot. But deep inside, the doubt was gone. He knew now that she was capable. In fact, she was terrifyingly capable.
But that didn't mean he liked having her around every single second.
"Sir, your 3 o'clock meeting with the investors is starting in five minutes," Sarah announced softly as she entered the office.
"Thank you, Sarah. I'll be there in a minute," Paul said, signing some documents.
He stood up, straightened his suit, and walked towards the door. As expected, Cindy was right there, standing straight like a black pillar.
"Let's go, Sir," she said immediately.
"I can walk by myself, you know," Paul muttered as they started walking down the hallway.
"I know. But I prefer to walk beside you," Cindy replied calmly, matching his long strides effortlessly.
They walked together in silence, but Paul could feel the eyes of his employees on them. Every secretary, every staff member, every security guard they passed would stop and stare. Whispers started to fill the air.
"Is that the new bodyguard? She is gorgeous!"
"Wow, she is tall and sexy."
"Look at them! They look like a real couple!"
Paul’s ears turned red. He wanted to shout and say "No! She is just my bodyguard! We are not together." but he just bit his lip and walked faster.
Cindy, on the other hand, acted like she heard nothing. Her face was blank, professional, but secretly, she was enjoying Paul’s discomfort. It was fun to see the mighty CEO blush.
INSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM 📊
The meeting room was huge and filled with important-looking people. Paul sat at the head of the long table, looking serious and authoritative. This was his territory.
Usually, the bodyguard would wait outside. But Cindy? She walked straight inside and stood right behind Paul’s chair.
Everyone stopped talking. All eyes were on her.
"Mr. Stratford... is she... staying inside?" one of the old investors asked, looking confused.
"Yes. She stays where I stay," Paul answered firmly, surprising even himself. He didn't know why he defended her, but he did. "Proceed with the presentation."
The meeting went on for almost an hour. It was boring, full of numbers, graphs, and serious discussions. Paul was listening intently, nodding occasionally.
But Cindy? She wasn't looking at the presentation. Her eyes were scanning every corner of the room, every person, every exit. She was checking for danger, even in a room full of businessmen.
Suddenly, Paul felt a little thirsty. He reached for the glass of water on the table, but it was a bit far.
Without Paul saying anything, Cindy leaned forward slightly, picked up the glass, and placed it directly within his reach.
It was a small gesture, very quick and very subtle. But Paul noticed it. He glanced up at her, and she just gave him a tiny nod.
'Hmmm... she may be annoying, but she is attentive,' Paul thought.
After the meeting, everyone was standing up and shaking hands. Paul was talking to one of the investors when a waiter passed by carrying a tray full of hot coffee.
Someone accidentally bumped the waiter.
"Watch out!" someone shouted.
The tray tilted. A whole cup of hot coffee was flying straight towards Paul!
Everyone gasped. Paul was busy talking and didn't see it coming.
Splash!
But the coffee didn't hit Paul.
Instead, it hit... Cindy’s arm.
She moved so fast, she literally stepped in front of him and took the hit to protect him!
"Ahhh!" Cindy flinched slightly as the hot liquid burned her skin through her suit.
"Cindy!" Paul’s eyes went wide. He immediately grabbed her arm. "Are you okay?! That's hot!"
"I'm fine, Sir. Just a little warm," Cindy said, trying to act tough, but her face was scrunching up from the pain.
The waiter was panicking. "I'm so sorry, Sir! I'm so sorry, ma'am!"
"Get out of the way!" Paul snapped, not at the waiter, but at everyone else. He didn't care about the investors or the people watching.
He grabbed Cindy’s hand and pulled her out of the conference room, dragging her towards his office.
"Sarah! Get the first aid kit! Now!" Paul ordered as soon as they entered the office.
He pushed Cindy gently to sit on the sofa. He rolled up the sleeve of her suit. Her fair skin was already red and swollen from the hot coffee.
"You idiot! Why did you do that?!" Paul scolded her, but his hands were gentle as he carefully wiped the area with a cool wet cloth.
"It's my job to protect you, Sir" Cindy answered softly, looking at him.
"Your job is to protect me, not to get yourself hurt! What if it spilled on your face?! What if you got burned badly?!" Paul was actually angry... but it was an angry born out of worry.
"I'm tough, remember? I can handle it," Cindy smiled weakly.
Paul stopped wiping. He looked at her. She was in pain, yet she was still smiling at him. His heart did that weird flip again.
"You are so... stubborn. And reckless," Paul muttered, looking away to hide his blushing face. "And you are wearing expensive suit too. Now it's stained."
"Don't worry about the suit, Sir. Worry about the meeting. Did I ruin it?"
"You didn't ruin anything! You saved my suit actually!" Paul sighed. "You really took the hit for me..."
He applied some soothing ointment on her arm gently.
"Thank you, Cindy," he whispered so softly, it was almost like a breath.
Cindy’s eyes widened. Did she hear it right? Did the Great Paul Stratford just say thank you?
She grinned. "You're welcome, boss."
"Don't get used to it! I'm only saying it because you got hurt!" Paul immediately went back to being grumpy. "And don't think this means I like you! I just don't want my best bodyguard to be incapacitated!"
"Of course, Sir. Whatever you say," Cindy laughed softly.
Sarah was standing at the door holding the first aid kit, smiling knowingly. She saw how Paul looked at Cindy. It wasn't just boss and employee anymore. There was something else there. Something warm and soft.
MY BODYGUARD, IS A WOMAN