She Hired a Cold Bodyguard to Protect Her From the World — Then He Became the Only Place She Felt Safe
Chapter 4
Ava’s next movie required six weeks of filming on location.
Daniel traveled with her.
The production team quickly noticed their growing closeness.
He knew when she was tired.
She knew when he had skipped lunch.
He always carried an extra bottle of water.
She always saved him coffee.
One evening, after filming ended, Ava found him standing alone near the beach.
“You haven’t eaten.”
“I’m fine.”
“You say that too much.”
She handed him a takeout box.
He looked at it.
“What’s this?”
“Food.”
“I know what food is.”
“Then eat it.”
He smiled faintly.
She smiled back.
They sat together near the water.
For an hour, neither talked about security.
Then Ava said:
“Do you know what everyone assumes about me?”
“That you’re spoiled?”
She laughed.
“That I’m lucky.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Aren’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
She looked at the ocean.
“But nobody talks about what it costs.”
He listened.
“My mother and I haven’t had a normal relationship in years.”
“Why?”
“She became my manager before I became an adult.”
Ava’s voice softened.
“Sometimes I wonder whether she knows me as her daughter anymore.”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said:
“I know you.”
She looked at him.
The words were simple.
But they meant more than he realized.
Because Ava had spent years surrounded by people who knew her name.
Daniel was becoming the first person who wanted to know her.
