Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Personal Bodyguards
The midsummer sun was shining brightly on the clear cloudless sky, The asphalt roads were shimmering due to intense heat, even the palm trees were wilted and streets were devoid of pedestrians.
Inside the Four Phase hotel.
Remembering the earlier unfinished matter, Rex asked William to get the CCTV footage from last night.
William immediately noted it down and went outside.
Rex lay lazily on the comfortable sofa, thinking about earlier events.
He still felt palpitations remembering those muzzles. And thinking about the reason for all this farce, he couldn't help but shake his head. A trivial matter had resulted in an unexpected showdown.
Reflecting on his performance, he was satisfied that he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of his employees.
After some time, William returned with two men. One was a short, white man in his sixties, with a round, wrinkled face and a protruding belly. Dressed in a suit, he had the air of an elite, but at the moment, he was trembling with fear.
The other man was a middle-aged Black man with a neatly trimmed beard, wearing a dark blue chauffeur's uniform.
"Sir, this is the manager of the hotel..." William hesitated before continuing, glancing at the trembling man.
"He claims the CCTV system hasn't been working for two days due to... maintenance."
Rex's eyes narrowed. "Claims?"
The manager gulped. "Y-yes, sir. It's true! The system went down unexpectedly during routine maintenance and we have been working hard to fix it.."
. "What a convenient failure. Just when I needed it."
Hearing this the manager trembled even more, his back filled with cild sweat.
Rex leaned back, tapping his fingers against the chair's armrest. And slightly raised his eyebrows, finding it hard to believe such a coincidence.
"So, he turned towards William and asked , "did you check it yourself?"
"Yes, Sir. I personally ordered my men to investigate the matter thoroughly, and it seems to be true."
Rex didn't know what to say. It seemed fate was truly playing with him.
After so many twists and turns, he had thought he would finally uncover the identity of that mysterious woman, but now it seemed like it wouldn't be that easy.
Rex exhaled sharply, his fingers pressing against his temple as if trying to push the headache away. His jaw clenched.
Seeing his reaction, William hurriedly introduced the other man.
"And this is James," he said, pointing at the middle-aged Black man. "He was the driver who picked you up from the club. He might know something."
Rex raised his eyes and stared at James eagerly. If he could just get a name or at least a proper description of her face, finding the woman wouldn't be too difficult.
James hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, trembling.
"Yes, sir, it was indeed me who picked you and madam from the nightclub and drove you to the hotel. But I don't know anything about that woman. I can swear to God.
"But there must have been something you noticed," he asked in annoyance.
Hearing this, James trembled even more and beads of sweat appeared on his face and he felt his throat dry.
He tried hard to remember last night's detail and suddenly he seemed to remember something and hurriedly spoke .
" I, I-I only noticed that she was a tall woman with long black hair. Unfortunately, I didn't see her face, as her hair covered it completely."
"Just this? Nothing else?"
James trembled and spoke with difficult,
"Yes sir," and hurriedly apologized "I'm sorry for not paying attention."
Hearing this Rex was truly speechless this time. And waved his hand in annoyance and motioned them to leave.
James hurriedly left with his finger clenched, He felt as if he had a meeting with Hades, He didn't want to stay here for a second longer.
On the other hand the manager, stood there motionlessly
Seeing that the manager was still standing there, Rex asked, "What's the matter? Do you want to settle scores?"
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The manager trembled and hurriedly spoke.
"No, no, sir! Y-you misunderstand," the manager stammered, beads of sweat forming at his temples. " We have confirmed that, It was indeed the fault of Higgins. That idiot—" He hesitated, forcing a chuckle. "I mean, that reckless bastard. He provoked you."
"Okay, enough of this. Get to the point," Rex spoke impatiently, not interested in trivial characters like him.
Seeing his impatience, the manager quickly continued.
"As it was his fault, we have handled him carefully."
"Oh, how did you handle it?" Rex ask in interest.
Manager gritted his teeth and said "he will appear in front of you ever again."
He just wanted to fire him at first but now that Rex asked about it, he decided to teach that bastard a lesson and send him to some remote place, else he would provoke someone again he shouldn't provoke.
Infact, this wasn't the first time he had provoked the customer, it's just that he doesn't dare to touch someone who seem powerful and mostly show his arrogance in front of tourists or someone who doesn't seem much rich.
That bastard had even done more outrageous things like molesting female staff members, and used my position as a manager to forcefully suppressed those matters.
But he didn't think that he would finally kick an iron plate this time.
"Oh!"
Rex raised his eyebrows in interest but didn't ask anything more.
He wasn't much interested in knowing what happens to him, as long as he didn't provoke him again.
"And to express our apologies, please accept this."
He presented a black card with golden lines on it.
"This is a VIP card for our hotel. With it, you can enjoy a discount of up to 40% and various complimentary services, including sauna, massage, rooms, chauffeur service, and more."
Hearing this, Rex raised an eyebrow and became interested. He took the card, running his thumb over its metallic surface and examined it carefully. It was painted black with golden embellishment, and had a high-end feel to it.
Seeing him accept the card, the manager breathed a sigh of relief.
He had paid a heavy price to resolve this issue, as his nephew was at fault. This card was one of only ten VIP cards issued by the hotel. He had originally reserved it to curry favor with a powerful politician.
But now, to appease Rex, he had to cut a piece of his flesh. Otherwise, his sincerity would fall short, and he might even lose his job.
"It's okay. It wasn't a big deal to begin with, and I'm already satisfied with how you handled the matter."
"We need more conscientious people like you in society—people who know how to handle things properly," Rex said, giving him a thumbs-up.
The manager could only laugh dryly, an embarrassed expression on his face, before leaving slowly.
Rex stood up, stretched a bit, and left the private room.
Walking through the lobby, he noticed everything had returned to normal.
He first went to his room, gathered his belongings, and folded the bedsheet into a small briefcase.
Finally, he left the hotel. The moment he stepped outside, a heatwave hit him directly, but he didn't mind.
Squinting against the bright summer sun, he enjoyed the warmth for a moment.
He turned around and saw at least ten bodyguards surrounding him. Seeing such a fuss, he was speechless and gestured for William to come over.
"Take all the bodyguards with you and do what you normally do."
"But sir, what about your safety? We absolutely can't do this. Your safety is our utmost priority," William said hurriedly.
Rex waved his hand dismissively.
"I don't have enemies chasing me, William," Rex said, rubbing his temples. "I just want to walk around like a normal person. No guards. No shadows."
William's expression hardened. "Sir, you don't have enemies now, but that doesn't mean you won't. You're underestimating how easily power attracts trouble."
Seeing their bosses argue, the bodyguards stepped back, not wanting to become accidental victims.
After a fierce debate, they finally reached a compromise.
Rex sighed, glancing at the group of armed men standing nearby. "Fine. Two guards. And keep at least 100 meters's distance, I don't want to see them unless I'm about to die."
Seeing both sides reach an agreement, the remaining bodyguards sighed in relief.
William selected two of his best men to guard Rex.
They were a Black-and-white duo, one tall and muscular with fierce expression on his face, and other tall but lean, with a hippie smile on his face.
And introduced them one by one.
Pointing to the Black man with a bald head and fierce demeanor, he said, "This is Kaelan Stone, 34 years old. An orphan, born and raised in the rugged outskirts of Detroit. Formerly from an elite Marine squad called Shadow Talon, but he left due to certain issues. His skills are impeccable—an expert in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, tactical analysis, counter-surveillance, and advanced driving."
"Despite his stoic face, he's actually a fun and humorous guy. I'm sure you'll get along well."
Kaelan stepped forward with the discipline of a trained soldier, his posture rigid, eyes locked onto Rex. His salute was sharp, precise—almost robotic.
Rex nodded, thinking, 'This guy seem to have a intersting story.' He was satisfied with his credentials.
William then introduced the other man, a white guy with short brown hair and a warm smile despite his rugged appearance. He was lean but muscular and had a tall frame.
"His name is Victor Wolfe, 36, from Afton, a small town near Minneapolis. He's married to his childhood sweetheart and has a lovely daughter—what an enviable guy." William smacked his lips, envy written all over his face.
Victor's smile widened.
"This guy was part of an elite direct-action squad. He has participated in high-risk missions worldwide. There isn't a firearm he isn't proficient with. You can leave all the planning and communications to him. After his daughter was born, he left the army to spend more time with his family."
Rex looked at Victor in surprise. Compared to the intimidating Kaelan, he seemed like a regular guy. He admired his decision to prioritize family over career.
Victor, in contrast, had a casual ease about him. And offered a handshake. His handshake was firm but warm, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.
Despite his battlefield experience, he seems like a regular guy without much threat.
Rex nodded and shook his hand.
After giving some final instructions and precautions, William soon left with the remaining bodyguards, leaving behind a black, bulletproof Lincoln.
Since Rex didn't have a car with him at the moment, this would be his ride.
Rex greeted the two men and said, "I don't have any enemies, so you don't have to be so serious.
And don't call me 'boss' or 'sir'—it sounds too formal. Let's just call each other by name.
We'll be together for a long time, so let's take good care of each other."
Kaelan stepped forward first, his posture rigid, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. "Sir, I will ensure your security at all costs."
Behind him, Victor smirked and offered a lazy salute. "And I'll make sure you don't get bored to death while he does it."
Rex just smiled and was satisfied with their professionalism.
He turned toward the low-key, luxury armored Lincoln. He wasn't sure of the exact model, but from the outside, it looked like a regular car. If you didn't examine it closely, you wouldn't even realize it was bulletproof.
Victor quickly stepped forward and opened the backseat door, while Kaelan made his way to the driver's seat.
Rex settled into the spacious backseat of the modified armored car, his gaze drifting around the interior. It was his first time sitting in such a luxurious vehicle.
The seats were padded in plush leather and came with reclining and massage functions.
An LED TV was built into the cabin, along with a mini fridge, and a partition separating the driver's seat to ensure passenger privacy.
Despite being an armored, bulletproof vehicle, it had all the comforts of a high-end luxury car.
Satisfied with its features—and admittedly a little excited—Rex leaned back. Technically, it was the company's car, not his, but since the company belonged to him...then it's his car.
Still, he quickly composed himself. As he wasn't alone in the car.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Victor finally broke the silence.
"Sir, where do you want to go?"
(End of Chapter)