ary nodded. \u201cFor now, this really is the best option.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finding a stand\u2013in for the real Nicole doesn\u2019t require her to step forward and claim the identity herself. As long as there was a slight trail to follow, more people would shift their attention to the decoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But doing this would carry some risk for the stand\u2013in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Chandler and the person behind him focused their target on the stand\u2013in, she would definitely be in danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFind a girl with strong situational awareness. Pay her well,\u201d Irene said. She felt a bit uneasy, but for a job this dangerous, plenty of people would be willing as long as the money\u2019s right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This stand\u2013in would basically serve as a human shield, drawing all attention away from the mastermind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d Gary nodded. \u201cI\u2019ve got someone. An orphan. She was adopted at five and taken to Tenesia by her foster parents. After that, she fought in underground boxing rings there. She looks soft and weak on the surface, but she\u2019s extremely capable. She worked as a mercenary for a few years. A few years ago, I saved her during a mission when I was still in the military. After I retired, she came back to the country and joined me. She\u2019s the only female bodyguard by my side.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene fell silent for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew the female bodyguard around Gary. Her name was Mae, which was supposedly a codename. No one knew her real name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year, when Irene attended an offline fan meeting, Gary worried about her safety and had that bodyguard protect her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The girl looked good. She was cool with an androgynous vibe and a detached air. You could tell she\u2019d been through a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Irene\u2019s very female intuition also clearly sensed something else. Mae had feelings for Gary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d stayed by Gary\u2019s side for years and was one of the people he trusted most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she reliable?\u201d Irene asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This had to stay absolutely confidential. Whoever they used had to be trustworthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she isn\u2019t reliable, then no one is,\u201d Gary reassured her. \u201cBack when I was undercover in Southeast Astoria, she knew my identity. She was beaten and interrogated for three days straight and never sold me out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s into you. You know that, right?\u201d Irene was always cautious. She didn\u2019t allow any loose ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just like back then, when she realized Adriana resembled her niece, she immediately pulled her hair for a DNA test. She hated guessing and especially waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to make sure she\u2019s completely trustworthy. I\u2019m just putting all the risks on the table,\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
16:00 Wed, Dec 31 G\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 276 See What Happens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
+30 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feelings aren\u2019t torture, but sometimes they\u2019re what shake people the most,\u201d Irene added when she saw Gary freeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gary stayed silent for a long time. He was a bit slow in this area. If someone else joked that Mac liked him, he wouldn\u2019t have believed it. But if Irene said it, he did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He thought back carefully. \u201cShe followed me at first, and I thought it was gratitude. Later, I thought it was for the money. I pay her very well. But the way you\u2019re saying this\u2026 I do need to think it through. Still, all these years, she\u2019s never crossed any lines. Even when I got drunk, she\u2019d call another male colleague to come get me. She knows boundaries.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mae was someone with a strong sense of boundaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hid her feelings for Gary very well. \u201cEven colleagues who shared the same space never noticed anything. How did you figure it out?\u201d Gary was genuinely shocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a woman is in love, her eyes give it away. That year, when that crazy fan rushed at me, you were the first to step in and protect me. Her assignment that day was to protect me, but instinctively, she moved in front of you. That\u2019s when I knew. The look in her eyes when she shielded you was too obvious\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene had never mentioned this to Gary before. First, she didn\u2019t really care whether someone might try to steal Gary away. Men weren\u2019t the most important thing in her life. Second, she trusted Gary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ll switch to someone else,\u201d Gary said. He didn\u2019t want Irene worrying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not necessary. Do a risk assessment yourself. If you think she\u2019s fine, then we\u2019ll go with her,\u201d Irene said, looking at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what drives people crazy about you?\u201d Gary\u2019s voice carried a hint of helplessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene rolled her eyes. She was rebellious from head to toe. Everything about her annoyed people. How would she know?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never get jealous of me. If you already knew she had feelings for me, why bring it up only now?\u201d Gary was a little unhappy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone could fall for you. It\u2019s their right. But whether you respond or get led astray is your self\u2013control issue. If you could be taken so easily, what use do I have for a worthless dude like you?\u201d Irene reached out. He grabbed Gary\u2019s tie, pulled him close, and straddled his lap. \u201cThere are over 3.5 billion men in the world. I can trade up anytime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gary looked at Irene with dark eyes. After a moment, he retaliated, pulling her close and biting down in a kiss. \u201cGo find someone else and see what happens\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When Time Tried to Heal Me But I Refused to Listen by Kael Niro Senn 276 ary nodded. \u201cFor now, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-comeback-queens-crown-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24187\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}