The elderly man examined the document, flipping through its pages one by one before placing it down on the desk.
"Reine Kue, age 25. I see you were a detective for two years before becoming a paramedic. What made you leave that position?" he asked, resting his hands behind his head.
"Reporting, sir. I left for personal reasons," Reine responded.
"Personal reasons?"
"It was due to health issues," Reine clarified.
The old man's eyebrows raised in confusion. To him, Reine appeared perfectly healthy.
"Alright, I'll have Freeya show you around," he said.
Reine nodded in acknowledgment.
The office was neither too big nor too small, and the number of employees was limited.
"Here's your desk, umm, Mrs. Kue," Freeya said awkwardly.
"Just call me Reine," she replied.
Freeya nodded in understanding.
"There's not much to show you, as you can see. I'm surprised you even applied for this job. Of course, Larc is a cool guy, but I didn't expect him to hire someone else, especially given our financial situation. Many people have been let go, so I hope you can keep this job for a while," Freeya said.
Reine settled in at her desk, organizing her belongings.
Before long, a phone rang. Freeya answered and quickly headed to Larc Pickerin's office.
Larc Pickerin seemed like a laid-back and relaxed guy. Reine wondered how her Captain and Larc became acquainted, and for him to accept Reine's transfer request, they must have a close relationship.
After about twenty minutes, Larc rushed out of his office.
"Alright everyone, we have an offer coming in. As you may have heard, Zachard Leighton was shot recently. Although the perpetrator has been caught, he remains under tight security. His team has offered to pay us five times everyone's yearly salary for whoever agrees to be his bodyguard for the remaining year of his college."
"Does that mean we could earn $200,000 for just a few months of guarding him?!" one employee exclaimed.
"I'll do it!"
"Me too, sir!"
The excitement in the room grew louder.
Larc cleared his throat. "While we have this offer, you all must pass a test before getting the job. Just so everyone knows, we aren't the only ones who received this offer. So, (clears throat) everyone has to work twice as hard as the others, is that clear?"
Gradually, the noise subsided.
"What do you think? Are you applying?"
"No."
Freeya asked, "Why not? It's a good opportunity. Plus, I heard he's quite attractive." She chuckled, blushing slightly.
Reine looked at her.
Freeya scratched her head. "It's been a while since we've had a girl here, so don't mind my enthusiasm. But are you really not applying? If I were you, I would, but sadly I'm Larc's secretary and have no skills," she said with a frown.
Reine smiled at her.
Freeya said, "Oh, I should get back to work."
The day felt long, and before Reine knew it, she was walking out to her car.
Deciding to stop by the grocery store before heading home, she unloaded her items into the back of her car when she noticed a girl inspecting a black car.
Reine wanted to mind her own business and pushed her cart toward the cart return area.
Then she caught a whiff of something freshly painted. Turning around, she saw the girl had splattered red paint on the car. The girl began cursing aggressively, kicking and slamming a hammer onto the car window.
"You bastard! How could you do this to me?! After all I've done, you worthless piece of trash!" the girl continued to vandalize the car, even tearing and popping the tires.
What a crazy woman, Reine thought, shaking her head.
"Hello? 911? Yes, there's a crazy woman—"
The woman quickly fled the scene at the sound of Reine's call.
Reine put her phone down; it was a false alarm—she hadn't called anyone. She picked up the empty spray bottle on the ground and glanced at the light pole where cameras were positioned. Whoever owned that car would surely be able to identify the perpetrator if they checked the CCTV footage.
As she was about to pass the car, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
In an instant, Reine flipped the person over her shoulder, pinning them to the ground.
"Let go, you crazy stalker! Not only did you destroy my car, but you're also hurting me?"
So, he must be the car's owner.
Reine quickly released him and brushed the dust off her hands. "It wasn't me who did that to your car."
"I caught you red-handed, and you're denying it?" he scoffed.
Reine glanced at her hand, noticing red paint had gotten on her from picking up the spray bottle.
"I can explain."
The man looked at her with suspicion. "As if. How long do you plan to stalk me? Will you stop only if this gets into the hands of authorities?"
Reine sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder.
He glared at her, clearly agitated and suspicious.
Reine pointed to the camera. "Why don't we check the evidence?"
Soon, they found themselves in the security office, reviewing the CCTV footage.
As it turned out, Reine was not the culprit.
The man was taken aback. "Well, you were acting suspiciously."
Reine scoffed.
He cleared his throat. "You could have mentioned that sooner."
"Well, sir, I did. You just didn't listen," Reine replied before exiting the room.
"Wait!" he called out.
Reine turned back to him. "Should I call for someone?"
He approached her. "Give me a ride; I'll pay you."
Reine was about to refuse.
"My parents are strict. If they find out something like this happened, they'll make a huge fuss."
Reine relented; he seemed genuinely desperate.
"Hop in, I'll give you a ride."
They soon arrived at a lavish estate. As the man got out of the car and reached for his wallet, Reine drove off.
Looking in her rearview mirror, she saw him standing there in shock as he watched her car disappear.
He must be a rich kid or something; that estate was quite impressive.
The man stood there, watching as Reine's car faded from view.
He chuckled softly, "What a day."
"Mr. Leighton, your mother has arrived."
Zachard Leighton sighed as he entered the gate.
"Zac," his mother, Selene William, rushed over to hug him. "What is that smell, and why are you such a mess? Where's your bodyguard?"
"Mom, I'm fine; it's just spray paint. And I don't need a bodyguard; I've told you countless times."
"Zac, how could you say that? It's only been a few days since you were shot! I'm still furious about it. That guy needs to be locked away for life for committing such crimes." Selene looked at her son. "I heard Mike said someone dropped you by, where's your car?"
"Ruined."
"What?! Ruined? What do you mean?" she asked.
"My stalker got to my car while I was on my way to the grocery store."
"Zac! This is exactly why I said you need more bodyguards! That stupid stalker of yours—you should have just had her arrested!".
Zachard shook his head. "I'm going to take a shower, mom."
"Zac, wait! Do you not hear me?! Whatever happens, you're getting more bodyguards! It's your father's order!"
Zachard sighed as he closed the door. His father, Caesar Leighton, was one of the wealthiest businessmen and politicians, but with his recent international collaborations, there had been a lot of tension. Zachard was surprised when the first attack occurred, but he soon adjusted to the reality of it all.