Chapter 2
10:47 AM
Los Angeles,California
December
"Sir Cashmere! A guest is waiting for you!", the servant banged on the door relentlessly, she's been like this for the past 15 minutes, she doesn't get a reaction out of Leon, who's lying on the bed, sleeping very deeply. "Sir Cashmere! Someone is waiting for you!", she yelled loudly. He slowly opened his eyes, as he heard his door is about to be knocked down. He's tired as hell, but he doesn't want to pay for his door to be replaced again. "What the fuck does she want?", he thought as he stood up and walked over towards the door. He opened it to see the servant looking at him with serious eyes. "Why the fuck where you bothering me?", he asked, rubbing his eyes. "There's a guest waiting for you, please do attend them", they responded, Leon gave a puzzled look. "Tell them to fucking wait...", he responded, harshly.
"Were you crying, Sir Cashmere? I'm sorry for asking but your face...", she pointed at his face, he grabbed her hand down. "None of your business...", he said, harshly. He stepped back before slamming the door shut in front of the servant's eyes, no one needs to know his emotions. He never trusted anyone when he was a child, people kept betraying him left and right, with lies or manipulation. His family had betrayed him before, he has moved on since, but the wounds are still there. He shuts himself off to the public, he usually puts his mask on, the face people see, a stone, cold face. The face of a merciless guy, as one would say.
He moved towards the restroom door, and turned on the sink to let cool, running water pour down. He washed his face, he looked at himself in the mirror, he doesn't need anyone to know what he really feels,no one cares about his feelings anyways. He puts his slippers on, he's not in the mood to get ready, and might look to see what the person wants. He closed the restroom door, and opened the bedroom door, there's so many doors in his home, it feels like an endless maze.He walked up to a servant and asked him where did they let the guest in. "The dining room, Sir Cashmere...", he pointed to the door leading to the diner room. "Thank you...", he said, walking towards the door, he wants to get this over with.
He opened the door, he's stunned to see his friend, Parker, with another man next to him. He turned his eyes to scan the man, he has a wolf cut, light brown curly hair, tanned skin, green eyes, arched nose, and wearing a white suit with a black tie. "Who the fuck is that?", he asked, pointing towards him. Parker chuckled, "Good morning, Leon!". He rested his arms to the table, he's puzzled...what's happening?!
"I got you an early Christmas gift!", he grinned from ear to ear, "I got you a bodyguard, we need you safe and sound, so of course, you need someone to protect you...". Leon's eyes widened in shock, a bodyguard? "I can protect myself, now return him back from where you brought him, you dumbass...", he commanded, in a serious tone. Parker scoffed," You're being chased, Leon. EXCEED wants something from you and we're here to help you. They want you dead And besides you can't just turn down this so easily, you know?", he explained, glaring at him.
"I don't care and don't want your offer, now get the hell out of here!", he yelled, coldly. "It's not an offer, darling. Now, take him or I'll make you take him...", he warned, he lifts his legs up on top of the table before crossing them. The guy lowered his head, it appeared as if he didn't want to be apart of anything. He didn't want to be here, it was written on his face clearly. "What's your name?", Leon asked, he lifted his head to stare at him. "I'm Noel Rodriguez, nice to meet you...", he said, with a fluent english accent. He appeared to not be an American, he's definetly Hispanic. "I'm not taking him...He doesn't want to be here", Leon said, Parker scoffed at his response.
"I told you it wasn't a discussion, I'm on your family's orders to do this...", he replied, Leon sighed in frustration. "Have a good day...", Leon turned himself around to walk towards the door, Parker reloaded a gun,at the sound, Leon froze in place, this is how he's going to deal with him. "Take him or I'll make you take him...", he aimed the gun at him from the distance, Leon raised his hands in the air. "If you want to do it that way, do it...I dare you...", he declared, Parker placed his legs to the ground before standing up and walking towards him. "Listen here, it's only going to be for some time, after that, you can throw him out of your house...", Parker explained, pressing the gun at Leon's left side firmly. "I'm on your family's orders, Leon. If I can't make you, they can. They'll stick to their guns until you finally give in, you know that...", he explained, Leon turned his head to look at him. "Fine...", he finally said, Parker gave a little smile before he placed his gun in his pocket.
"Noel, come here", Parker ordered, Noel steadily walked towards him. He opened the door for him, Noel stepped out the dining room. He stood next to someone, the men next to him had a few files in hand. Parker went to the man, he grabbed the files from his hand, then gave them to Leon. "This is for Noel, this one is from Noel, and this one is for you to read through...", he explained, grabbing each folder and showing it to Leon. "Why do I need this for?", he showed the files from Noel. "It's his records, they're actually pretty clean, considering he used to work for our enemy...", Leon paused for brief moment, what does he mean by that? He didn't bother asking, he simply nodded. "Alright, Noel, take care of my man for now...Have a good day", Parker patted his shoulder lightly before he walked away with the man. "Wait!", Leon blurted out, Parker turned his head. "He's going to stay with you!", Parker hollered across the hallway. Leon sighed, so he's left with someone he has no clue about, what a gift.
Leon looked at him, he's as clueless as he is. "Follow me...", he ordered, they both walked their way to a staircase, then down to his office. He opened the office door, there was his desk, seats, file cabinets, and his bookshelves. "Take a seat, Noel", he pleaded, pulling the chair so he can sit down. "Thank you, Sir...", he replied, politely, sitting down. "So you're here because I guess my family sent you off to protect me, correct?", he asked, trying to hide how puzzled he is. "Correct...", he replied, calmly. "I'm Leon Cashmere, the leader of my own mafia group and CEO of the fashion industry, Gaze", he introduced himself, opening the folder for Noel. "This is for you, it's the terms and conditions of the contract you signed...", he said more firmly, glaring at him. "I have to read them to you, alright?", Noel nodded his head in affirmation. "This list states all the terms and conditions you have agreed to in the contract you have signed two days prior. The occupant of the position is allowed to have days off when in a emergency or event planning in their schedule. You are not allowed to keep intel or any source of documents, files, photos, or etc. from the contractor unless it's personal information of the occupant of the position. You're not allowed to engage in any romantic or sexual acts to the contractor or the contract will be dimissed immediately", Leon continued through the long list of the terms and conditions, does it have to be that long? Noel patiently listened throughout the whole thing, from not having sex with anybody to literally not being able to get out of the contract unless you get fired.
"Are you comfortable with these conditions I have told you?", he asked, he wished he could have him fired, he doesn't want to do anything with bodyguards whatsoever. "Yes, sir...", he replied, lowering his head trying to not make eye contact. "Sign here then...", Leon clicked the pen and placed it above the paper he needed to sign, handing it over to him. Noel looked over the paper and grabbed the pen before he started writing his signature. He handed it back over to him, Leon looked at the signature from him, he placed it back in the folder.
"Noel, welcome...", Leon said, emotionlessly. He stood up but then he realized, he had to read the folder Parker told him to read. He sat back down and reached for the folder to see terms and conditions that were for him. As he read through, he saw a sentence he didn't expect for him to see. "6 months?", he blurted out, in disbelief, Noel was going to be his bodyguard for half a year. He thought he going to stay for a week or so, six months to him is a whole year. He's had temporary bodyguards before, mostly they come and go, but him, he's going to stay for more than that. "You're going to stay for 6 months...", he stared at him, Noel's eyes widened, he didn't know he was going to stay that long either. "What?...", he asked. "You're going to be my bodyguard for 6 months...This is interesting", Leon told, flabbergasted. He finally stood up, he placed the folders in the file cabinet, he later walked towards the door.
"Come on, I'll show you around...", he ordered, Noel's emerald green eyes looked over at him. He moved towards him, he noticed Leon was holding the door, he took over. "After you, Sir Cashmere...", Noel offered, Leon gives him an astonished look, he's even surprised he knows what people mostly call him.
"How do you know?", he asked, scanning him. "He told me to refer you as that, Sir Cashmere...", he responded, respectfully. Leon sighed in frustration, he's gonna have someone to follow him around all day. "Do you want to be here?", he asked, glaring at him coldly. Noel stared at him, his eyes didn't look so threatening to Leon. He looked innocent, a victim of the whole thing, but who knows. "I do, Sir Cashmere...", he responded, what a fucking liar. "Right...", he mumbled under his breath, he's lying to begin with,he knows.
He showed him around the home, the giant kitchen, the bedrooms, the backyard, the garden, living rooms,ball rooms, and a library of some kind. "There's some areas you're restricted to go, but other than that, you're allowed to roam around...", Leon explained, as they're walking through the hallway. "Sir Cashmere, do you want us to get your breakfast ready?", a servant asked, walking next to him. "Please do...", he replied, she nodded and left to go to the kitchen. He went back to his bedroom, he stopped to look at Noel, "I'm coming right back, I just need to get ready...". He closed the door behind him, he's been talking to someone he doesn't know in his shirt and sweatpants, and hasn't even took a shower, how embarrassing to him. After he got ready, he got his cell phone from on top of his drawer, he noticed a notification of an unread message. What could it be? He opened it, it was her aunt, Anya, "We canceled our meeting for today. I've sent you some files to review before the other meeting".
"What the fuck?", he thought, he got ready to realize there was no reason to leave his home to begin with. He already got ready with his white shirt,black pants, black tie, and his expensive watch, he might as well just walk around his home dressed up professionally.
Opening the door, he saw Noel standing there patiently, looking down at his feet. "You're free to go...", he told him, Noel lifted his head and gave him a puzzled look. "I'm on duty?", he asked, Leon shook his head. "You're supposed to be on duty tommorow...", he said, Noel's cellphone started ringing, he pulled it out and answered. "Hello?", he said, his face frowned as he heard the person talking. "How the hell did you get my number? Don't talk to me again, you bastard", he hanged up the call, sighing in frustration. "My apologies...", he stepped back, Leon looked down the hallway before he walked down the dining room.
An interesting journey is about others begin, Leon can feel it, while he doesn't have the reason, it's going to be a quite chaotic for him, but he has to face the problems that are going to be in front of him for now, then he'll get his peace later on.