MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Chapter One: The Rude Brat

BWS Company

Black luxury cars lined the entrance of BWS Company, their polished surfaces reflecting the morning sunlight. Employees hurried through the glass doors, their arms filled with documents and their minds occupied with the day's responsibilities.

A man in a black suit stepped out of the car parked in the middle.

His shoes gleamed beneath the sunlight, and his perfectly tailored black tuxedo made him look as though he had stepped straight out of a luxury magazine. He adjusted his cuffs, glanced briefly at the towering building before him, and walked towards the entrance with an expression that suggested the entire world was beneath his attention.

The moment he entered, the atmosphere changed.

Employees straightened in their seats, their fingers flying across keyboards as they pretended to be completely absorbed in their work. Conversations died almost instantly.

"Good morning, sir!" the doorman greeted respectfully.

The man didn't even glance at him.

The doorman watched him walk away, his smile slowly disappearing.

He didn't even respond to my greeting, he muttered inwardly.

Adrian Blackwood didn't care.

As the new CEO of BWS Company, he had more important things to worry about than exchanging pleasantries with employees. At least, that was what he told himself.

He walked down the corridor, his expression unreadable, until—

BAM!

Someone collided with him.

"Oh, no!"

A young woman in a grey office suit stumbled backwards. The thick stack of documents in her arms scattered across the polished floor, sliding in different directions. Her glasses slipped from her face and landed several steps away.

For a moment, the entire corridor fell silent.

The woman blinked repeatedly, struggling to see clearly without her glasses. She could barely make out the tall figure standing before her.

Adrian stared down at her.

She looked up, her heart pounding as she tried to focus on his face. Unfortunately, without her glasses, all she could see was a dark, blurry silhouette.

Adrian's expression hardened.

"Incompetent," he muttered.

He didn't offer her a hand. Instead, he straightened his jacket, glanced at the employees who had gathered to watch, and released an irritated sigh.

Then he walked away.

Straight towards the elevator.

The woman remained on the floor, staring after him.

Incompetent?

The word stung more than she wanted to admit.

She lowered her gaze and began gathering her scattered papers, trying desperately to ignore the curious looks around her.

"Ash!"

Two familiar voices called out.

Rain and Perfect hurried towards her and immediately crouched down to help collect the documents.

"Elena, are you okay?" Rain asked, handing her a few sheets.

"I'm fine," Elena replied quietly, although her embarrassment was written all over her face.

Perfect helped her retrieve the last of the papers before straightening up.

"Wait a minute." Perfect narrowed her eyes. "Do you even know who that man was?"

Elena adjusted her grip on the documents. "No. Should I?"

Rain turned towards the elevator, where the man had disappeared.

"That was Mr Adrian Blackwood. The new CEO of BWS."

Elena froze.

"WHAT?"

Her eyes widened behind her glasses as she pushed them back into place.

I just bumped into the CEO?

Her stomach tightened.

Wonderful, Elena. Absolutely wonderful. You've barely started the day, and you've already managed to embarrass yourself in front of the most powerful man in the company.

She shook her head as though she could physically shake away the thought.

Then, after a brief pause, she looked at her friends.

"He has a nice cologne, though."

Rain stared at her.

Perfect stared at her.

Neither spoke for a moment.

Then Elena gathered her papers against her chest and walked away as though she hadn't just said something ridiculous.

Rain slowly turned to Perfect.

"Please, can someone explain why this girl is always so normal about everything?"

Perfect shrugged, fighting back a laugh.

"Maybe it's because she's too busy carrying Mrs Bliss's workload to worry about anything else."

They both burst into laughter before heading in the opposite direction.

---

The CEO's Office

Adrian sat behind his enormous desk, scrolling through documents on his computer. The floor-to-ceiling windows behind him offered a magnificent view of the city, but he barely spared it a glance.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Michael, the vice CEO and Adrian's closest friend, walked inside with an amused smile.

"Adrian, must you always be rude to your employees?"

Adrian didn't look up.

"They'll work harder and stay focused if they know I'm watching."

Michael pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Or they'll develop ulcers from working for you."

"That's their problem."

Michael shook his head, chuckling.

Adrian finally leaned back in his chair and reached for his glass of whiskey.

"Are the models ready for the campaign?"

"Yes. Everything is going according to plan."

"Good."

Michael watched him take a sip before deciding to bring up another subject.

"By the way, what about Vanessa?"

Adrian's expression immediately soured.

"Oh, please. Don't start telling me what she told you."

Michael grinned.

"Bro, she's your girlfriend. Your future wife, remember?"

Adrian slowly lowered his glass.

"Who said I was going to marry her?"

Michael burst into laughter.

"You're unbelievable!"

"What's so funny?"

"You need to see how she behaves whenever your name comes up. She's so excited about the whole marriage thing that I'm beginning to feel sorry for her."

Adrian rolled his eyes.

"Exactly. She's always acting so—"

He paused, searching for the right word.

"Clingy," Michael supplied helpfully.

"Thank you."

Michael leaned forward, his smile fading slightly.

"Listen, bro. She's not a bad person. She's just different from you. Maybe that's what you need. Someone who can calm you down."

Adrian turned towards the glass windows.

Outside, the city continued its endless movement, completely unaware of the conversation taking place above it.

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "I know."

He took another sip.

"I'll try to tolerate her until she gets tired of me."

Michael stared at him.

"That is possibly the worst relationship advice I've ever heard, and you're the one giving it."

Adrian smirked.

Before Michael could respond, his phone began ringing.

He glanced at the screen and immediately stood up.

"Sorry, my wife is calling."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"You're running away?"

"I'm choosing peace. Something you clearly know nothing about."

Michael headed for the door, laughing.

"Try not to insult anyone else before lunch!"

"No promises."

The door closed behind him.

Adrian was alone again.

He set his glass down and stared through the windows, his expression gradually becoming distant.

For a man who had everything money could buy, silence was the one thing he never seemed to escape.

---

Later That Night

The city lights shimmered beyond Adrian's bedroom windows.

After taking a shower, he changed into his night pyjamas and walked over to his dog, who was resting comfortably beside the bed. He ran a hand over its fur, and the animal responded with a soft, contented sound.

"At least someone in this house doesn't annoy me," Adrian murmured.

He gave the dog one final pat before climbing into bed.

Within minutes, sleep claimed him.

But the peace didn't last.

In his dream, Adrian found himself standing in an unfamiliar place. The air felt heavy, and a strange light illuminated the darkness surrounding him.

Then he saw him.

A man stood some distance away, bound by chains that seemed to glow faintly against his skin.

The stranger slowly raised his head.

His expression was furious.

"You rude brat!" the chained man shouted. "Of all the people I could have been assigned to protect, I get stuck with this arrogant little punk!"

Adrian frowned.

He couldn't make out every word, but two words came through clearly.

Brat.

Punk.

"Who the hell are you calling a punk?" Adrian demanded.

The stranger opened his mouth to respond, but a brilliant light suddenly flooded the entire space.

Adrian jerked awake.

His breathing was uneven, and sweat dampened his forehead.

"What the—"

He threw back the covers and hurried into the bathroom. Turning on the tap, he splashed cold water onto his face before lifting his head towards the mirror.

Then he froze.

The reflection staring back at him wasn't his own.

A handsome young man with tousled, blondish hair stood where Adrian's reflection should have been. His features were striking, but his expression suggested he was thoroughly unimpressed with everything around him.

Adrian stumbled backwards.

"What the hell?"

The stranger raised both hands.

"Relax. Don't be afraid."

"Don't be afraid?" Adrian repeated incredulously. "I'm looking at a stranger in my own mirror!"

The young man sighed.

"My name is Lucien. I'm an angel."

Adrian stared at him.

Silence.

Then he let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

"Right. An angel. Of course."

"I'm serious."

"And I'm the king of England."

Lucien rolled his eyes.

"Believe whatever nonsense makes you happy. I'm here to protect someone from something, and the fact that the One Above sent me to you means you must be connected to that person somehow."

Adrian rubbed his forehead.

"Nope. Absolutely not. I've been working too hard. That's it."

He turned away from the mirror.

"I'm going back to bed."

"Fine. Go to bed, rude punk."

Adrian stopped.

Slowly, he turned back.

"What did you call me?"

But Lucien had already disappeared from the mirror.

Adrian stared at his reflection for several seconds before leaving the bathroom.

He returned to bed, pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes.

I'm exhausted. That's all this is, he told himself.

Then a voice sounded inside his head.

Goodnight, rude punk.

Adrian's eyes flew open.

He sat upright.

"WHO'S THERE?"

Nothing.

He glanced around the room, checking the corners and even looking behind the curtains.

No one.

Then the voice returned.

"I'm in your head, genius."

Adrian went completely still.

Slowly, he turned towards the bathroom.

He scrambled out of bed and hurried back to the mirror.

Lucien's face appeared in the reflection again, wearing the most irritatingly satisfied smile Adrian had ever seen.

"You!"

"Me."

"What have you done to me?" Adrian demanded, his anger rising.

Lucien looked offended.

"Oh, please. Don't blame me. Blame the One Above for linking us together."

Adrian looked up at the ceiling.

"Heavenly idiot," Lucien muttered sarcastically.

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

"Did you just insult God?"

"Would you prefer that I insult you instead?"

"I swear—"

"You're welcome, by the way."

"For WHAT?"

"For being blessed with my presence."

Adrian stared at him in disbelief.

"This is a nightmare. It has to be."

"Unfortunately for you, it's not."

Adrian dragged a hand down his face and took several deep breaths.

"I need to process what's happening to me."

"Take your time. I'm immortal."

Adrian ignored him.

He left the bathroom, descended the stairs, and headed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a cold beer, and leaned against the counter.

After taking a long breath, he finally spoke.

"Okay. Let's start again."

Lucien appeared in the reflective surface of a nearby cabinet, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Adrian pointed towards him.

"Who exactly are you supposed to protect? And what do you want from me?"

For the first time that night, Lucien's smile faded slightly.

"That's a very good question, Adrian Blackwood."

He paused.

"Unfortunately, the answer is more complicated than you think."

Adrian closed his eyes.

"Of course it is."

And just like that, his perfectly controlled life began to fall apart.