Theo, who was sitting beside Samson, shifted his body a little as his gaze swept over Rosalie
briefly. The wind blew so hard that he could practically taste the salty seawater on his lips.
Seeing that, Rosalie fell silent.
Strangely, she grew increasingly determined to protect him.
Soon, they arrived at Tilan Palace. As expected, Zylan was waiting at the entrance.
When he spotted them, he immediately waved for the staff to take action. Someone stepped
forward and pinned Theo down once he got out of the car.
Thud!
A punch was delivered to his belly. Before Rosalie realized what was going on, Theo grunted in pain
and bent his body.
The sight snapped Rosalie out of her reverie. âWhat are you doing? Who said you could hit him?â
she screamed as raw anger shot through her.
Hearing her questions, Zylan came to her and explained, âMs. Rosalie, it was all my fault for
choosing the wrong person. Iâll take him away and deal with him. Donât worry. Iâll select a better
bodyguard for you later.â
He was about to order his subordinates to bring Theo away when Rosalie scurried forward to grab
the latterâs arm, effectively preventing them from leaving.
She had never shown any resistance against such matters, and this was the first time she fought
back.
âDonât you dare bring him away!â she snarled menacingly.
âMs. Rosalie-â
Rosalie glared at the loyal house steward and interjected, âDid he do anything wrong? You hired
him so that he could protect me, right? I ran into danger at the Tharman residence, and he resolved
my problem. Isnât that what you told him to do? He didnât do anything wrong, did he?â
Zylan was stunned as he had no idea that the usually docile young lady would stop him from taking
action against Theo.
His eyes widened as he asked, âMs. Rosalie, donât you know that he broke Mrs. Tilanâs wrist?â
âSo what? She wanted to slap me at the Tharman residence in front of an audience. Isnât it normal
for him to break her wrist? My father will be humiliated if I get slapped in public, right? He stopped
that from happening. How is that wrong?â Rosalie retorted defiantly in a shrill and loud voice.
She didnât even know why she got this emotional. Previously, she couldnât care less about the
housemaids and bodyguards tasked to serve her.
However, she stopped Zylan from taking Theo away today and got all worked out to defend him.
Zylan observed her for a while before deciding to spare Theo for the time being. He then led Theo,
Rosalie, and Lacey to meet the owner of the house, also Rosalieâs father.
âMs. Rosalie, you surprised me today. I donât know what the bodyguard did to you, but I have to
take action if your father refuses to let him stay. If thatâs the case, I apologize in advance,â Zylan told
Rosalie.
âIâll make sure he stays,â Rosalie vowed.
They went to the top floor of the building.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary bodyguard wouldnât get to go all the way to the
penthouse, for this was where the owner of the building lived. It was also the base of the entire Tilan
dynasty.
âMr. Tilan, Iâve brought them here,â Zylan reported politely.
âCome on in.â A middle-aged manâs voice boomed out from the penthouse.
At once, everyone felt a dangerous and imposing aura descending upon them.
Rosalie felt the same way, too.
She feared her father immensely even though they rarely met. It would only take one look from him
to reduce her to a trembling mess every time they met.
Rosalie acted that way because she once saw how he slayed someone with his own hands.
Walking inside, she observed the unfamiliar penthouse carefully. Her jaw dropped when she saw a
man wearing glasses with his hair slicked back standing In front of the window, leaning on his cane.
âF-Fatherâ¦â she stammered as dread clawed up her throat.
When their gazes met, she shivered profusely and wanted nothing more than to leave this
penthouse.
Similarly, Zylan dared not lift his head. He kept his head bowed as he told his men to drag the
bodyguard in to face his cold and ruthless employer.
âItâs him?â
âYes.â Zylan nodded.
Rosalie dared not make a sound. She watched as her father glanced at the bodyguard before
coming to the latter with his cane.
âFather!â Rosalie finally summoned her courage to speak out loud. âHe didnât hurt me. I saw how he
resorted to harsh tactics to protect me earlier. Father, ever since my elder brother died, no one had
ever treated me this way.â
She gripped the hem of her dress and managed those words between gritted teeth before her father
reached the bodyguard.
She finally realized the reason why she didnât want him to die.
Meanwhile, Hugo said naught a word.
However, he stretched his cane out to lift the bodyguardâs jaw and force the latter to meet his gaze
as he scrutinized the young manâs unfamiliar face sharply.