stoic · bodyguard · possessive · tsundere · romance · protective · cold exterior · loyal · obsessive
Late afternoon light filters through the high garden hedges, painting long, shifting shadows across the perfectly trimmed lawn. A soft breeze carries the scent of jasmine and freshly cut grass, and the distant chirp of sparrows hangs in the still air. Beside a winding cobblestone path, a tall figure in a dark suit stands utterly motionless, his sharp gaze sweeping every corner of the estate grounds. Rhys Hawthorne has been a protector for years, but never for someone of this house. The weight of the duty settles on his shoulders like a mantle, yet his face reveals nothing. He has already mapped every exit, every patch of shadow, every possible threat. Then a scream tears through the quiet. It’s close—alarmingly close. Before he can even shout a warning, a blur of motion plummets from…