Billionaire's Bodyguard

That afternoon, Rey Walker, a 30-year-old security officer, rode his motorcycle home with a smile he couldn't hide.

The promotion letter he had just received from headquarters felt warm in his jacket pocket.

Ten years of dedication had finally paid off, and his wife, Elena, was the first person he wanted to share the happy news with.

He didn't go straight back to his duty post but turned his motorcycle toward their rented house.

Arriving in front of the simple rented house's door, Rey took out the letter once more with a proud feeling.

However, his steps suddenly stopped right as his fingers were about to turn the door handle. From behind the door, Elena's voice was heard clearly.

"Ahh! ... yes like that, so comfortable. You can't imagine how tiring it is sitting for nine hours behind a monitor," said Elena.

A voice followed, accompanied by a short laugh. "Haha, poor thing. Isn't Rey's income enough for you? Let me shake your hips like this."

Rey jumped where he stood. He recognized that voice. It was Victor Hayes, his supervisor at work. Rey's breath suddenly caught.

"Mmm ... that feels so good," Elena moaned slowly inside the room.

"How about this?" Victor asked.

This time, Elena's moan sounded louder and hoarser. "Ah! That's ... so good! Rey has never made me shake like this!"

Victor laughed again, his voice sounding satisfied. "Then why are you still staying with him?"

Rey clenched his fists, the promotion letter crumpled tightly in his grip. He wanted to break down the door, but something made him freeze, waiting for his wife's answer.

"I don't know," said Elena after a moment, her voice flat. "Even though he cares more about his mother and his damn adopted sister. With that small salary he still supports his mother. We even delayed having children because he's afraid he can't afford to support his mother. Truly damn it."

"Then you'll have to wait for his mother to die first," Victor joked harshly.

BRAK!

Unable to hold back any longer, Rey broke down the bedroom door with his shoulder. The already rotten wood shattered to pieces.

Inside, Victor and Elena, who were naked, immediately panicked, trying to cover their bodies with the bedsheet.

Without a single word, Rey lunged at Victor. His fist landed right on the man's temple before he could react.

Victor fell to the floor, but Rey was already raining down blow after blow to his face and body.

"Bastard! How long have you been playing me, Victor!" Rey shouted as he kept hitting.

Elena screamed hysterically, trying to pull Rey's arm from behind. "Rey, stop! He's not at fault!"

But Rey's ears seemed shut. The blazing anger dulled all his senses except the urge to destroy the man beneath him.

Only after Victor's temple and lips split open and bled, and his body went limp and powerless, did Rey's punches slow down.

"Rey, please ... stop before you kill him!" Elena screamed again, her voice full of panic.

Rey trembled violently, his breath ragged. He rose from on top of Victor's body and looked at his wife.

Elena cried in fear, but Rey knew, those tears weren't for him. Not because of Elena's regret, but because of something worse that might happen after that.

"Get out," Elena whispered suddenly, her voice hoarse. "Get out of my house. Now."

Rey's eyes widened, unable to believe what he had just heard. The pain in his chest was sharper than any knife wound.

Tears began flowing down his cheeks silently, yet he couldn't manage to say a single word. His chest felt tight as if air had trouble filling his lungs.

With unsteady steps, Rey turned to leave the room. As his feet crossed the shattered doorway, Victor, still sprawled on the floor, struggled hard to lift his face.

"You ... you'll pay for this, Rey ..."

Rey didn't turn around, he kept walking across the porch of the rented house, leaving behind the life that had just collapsed.

***

Three days later, Rey's official termination letter arrived in his hands. On the same day, through a lawyer, Elena filed for divorce.

Rey could only sit on a park bench, staring at two sheets of paper that seemed to erase ten years of his life. There was no darker day than that.

As he sank into despair, his phone vibrated. A message from Robert, a fellow professional who still worked at his old company, came in.

"Rey, I heard everything, I'm so sorry, really. I can't imagine what you're feeling. But, there's job information." Rey narrowed his eyes.

"A job on the outskirts of town, not too difficult, but unfortunately the pay isn't big either. Might be a temporary place for you. Let me know if you're interested."

Rey stared at the screen, any job, as long as it earned money, he wouldn't hesitate to take it. He replied quickly, asking for the details and full address.

Robert replied, inviting him to meet that very night at a small coffee shop by the reservoir to explain further.

The place was remote, on the outskirts of town near a stalled project area. Rey didn't ask much, he needed a glimmer of hope.

That night, Rey walked along the quiet road toward the location Robert had given. The smell of reservoir water and wet soil filled the air.

From a distance, the neon lights of the small coffee shop flickered. He quickened his steps.

However, before he arrived there, the high beam of a black SUV lit up his body from behind. The car stopped suddenly a few meters ahead of him.

Four doors opened at once.

Four large, athletic men got out. Their movements were fast and trained. What made Rey's heart pound was the black cloth covering their faces, exactly like a robber's mask.

They lined up, blocking Rey's path. The tallest man among them stepped forward one step.

"Rey Walker?" he asked, his voice deliberately made deep and unnatural.

Rey stayed silent, his old instincts as a security officer immediately on alert. He stepped back, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

The street was quiet, the coffee shop's lights dimly lit but no one was visible there.

"We were sent to give you ... a message," said the masked man, pulling out a pair of knuckle rings from his pocket and putting them on both hands.

The three men behind him did the same. Rey swallowed hard, the meeting with Robert, the remote location, armed masked men.

This was no coincidence, Victor Hayes's name immediately came to Rey's mind.

He took a ready stance, both fists clenched in front of him. "Please deliver the message," Rey answered flatly, though his heart pounded within his ribs.

The masked man laughed shortly, then gave a signal with his head. The four men moved forward, surrounding Rey in a half-circle formation.

"The message is short," the leader growled. "Go to hell."

***