Six

As days flew by, Mabel and Violet became close friends, studying together and having fun, while Shawn was busy with his normal business, fighting the bad guys in the underworld. Violet and Mabel were in the library, studying together, with Violet’s guard standing two feet away from them, his eyes scanning the room.

Mabel stole gazes at the guard curiously. "Is he going to follow us around every time?" she asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Your Dad ordered him to follow you around? Are you being hunted by bad guys?" she asked.

Violet hesitanted, her eyes avoiding Mabel’s gaze. She hadn’t told Mabel the whole story.

"Yes, my Dad did. We are kinda surrounded by too many enemies,"

"Oh, now I understand," she said, continuing to stare at the guard. Her face turned pink, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "He looks cute though," she said, blushing.

"Do you like him?" she tease.

"No, I am just admiring him. He is so serious with his job... What’s his name?" she asked.

"I don’t know," she said.

"How can you have a bodyguard with no name?"

"He doesn’t speak much to me, so how am I going to know his name?"

"Try and ask him his name, I know he will tell you,"

Violet nodded, as she glanced at the guard standing a few feet away.

"So, are you free this weekend?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" she asked curiously.

"My stepbrother is having a birthday party this weekend, so, I am inviting you," she said.

"Cool, I will be there, I have never been to a birthday party before,"

"Really? Don’t you have friends? Don’t your dad throw parties to celebrate your birthday for you?"

"No, I don’t, my dad is a strict person," she said.

"That’s bad...but not to worry, you are going to have fun," she said, her voice reassuring.

Violet smiled, her as Mabel brought out a note and jotted down the address to her house on the paper. She handed it to Violet, who took it with a smile.

SHAWN’S MANSION

Later at home, Violet and Shawn sat at the dining table, eating their meal. Violet told him about the party, looking excited, Shawn’s appearance turned cold.

"You are not going," he said, focusing on his meal.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I say so,"

"You can’t do that, Mabel is my friend, and I already promised her that I will be there," she said.

"You know I don’t like repeating myself, my words still stand, you are not going to any party as long as you are still my slave and you are under my roof," he said, his voice firm.

"Can’t we just have a normal conversation without using the word ’slave’?" she asked.

"That’s what you are, you can’t go to a party simply because someone you met a few days ago asked you to a birthday party," he said, his voice firm, as he scoffed.

"I am not going alone, the guard you assigned for me will come with me, since you are scared I might escape," she said.

"I am not scared, you will not go to that party," he said and resume his meal.

at a cold-hearted man," she muttered tiredly.

"I heard that," he said, focusing on his meal. She scoffed, as she continued eating her meal.

The next day, Violet continued to try and persuade Shawn to let her go to the party. She kept showing him her innocent face, hoping to wear him down. She found him alone in the garden, on his balcony, and even by the pool, but Shawn kept ignoring her.

Undeterred, She followed him to the veranda, where he was seated reading a newspaper with a glass of red wine on the table in front of him. His men stood behind him, their eyes fixed on her. She made puppy eyes at Shawn as she sat down on the floor next to him. She started massaging his feet, her hands gentle as she worked out the kinks. Shawn sighed tiredly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Giving you a leg massage, do you like it?" she asked, her voice sweet.

"If you think doing all these and showing your face to me everywhere will make me change my mind, no, I won’t," he said, his voice firm, as he continued reading his newspaper.

"Why are you so hard to please? You old man,"

"Do you just call me old?" he asked, his eyes flickered up.

"Yes, you don’t know what it means for a young lady like me to have fun...you are old, so what do you know," she teased.

"My no still stands," he said, standing up and walking away.

Violet watched him go, and sighed in frustration, but she refused to give up. She was determined to find a way to go to that party.