Dear Sweetheart

Chapter 46

Chapter 46 Hands Off

“I was on my way back from work, so I figured I might as well swing by to send Ms. Kristie lunch,” the assistant said.

Gabriel was unaware that James took up the job on his friend’s behalf since the latter was also from the same school as Gray Wolf, so it went without saying that Gabriel took James as Gray Wolf.

James rubbed his nose and noted, “You should’ve come earlier. She just had my lunch.”

“What?” Gabriel was stunned.

He was bewildered when he saw Kristie eating the greasy food on the table.

The picky eater had never fancied oily food throughout Gabriel’s time with her. Kristie’s meals were all tailor-made for her by particular restaurants, so Gabriel was surprised when he saw her eating regular food.

“Ms. Kristie, I thought you didn’t like food like this? They’re greasy. You’ll put on weight,” Gabriel exclaimed.

“Stop nagging. You’re annoying,” Kristie said, rolling her eyes. My appetite’s good today, so why does he have to make a huge fuss out of it?

The assistant was rendered speechless.

He put the food he had brought on the table and called James aside so he could talk to the bodyguard alone.

“Are you free next month? I might need you to go abroad,” Gabriel inquired.

“I thought you said I only need to take care of her for a week?” James asked with a frown. He had taken up the job only because he needed some extra money. “I don’t have a passport and won’t do anything illegal.”

“We’re flying in a private jet, and everything has been arranged. You don’t need a passport,” Gabriel replied, pushing his glasses and smiling. “It’s not something against the law. Mr. Faymon has a business negotiation and is afraid someone might want to harm him. I’ve arranged for a few men to go along so you won’t be alone. All you need to do is keep watch from the dark to ensure his safety. I can wire you fifty thousand in advance if you agree to take this assignment. That’s half of the total payment.”

One hundred thousand?

James thought for a moment and nodded in the end. “I’m down for it if I just need to keep an eye on him.”

“We have a deal,” Gabriel uttered gladly with a sigh and shook James’ hand.

To Gabriel, anyone from James’ school would never disappoint, and he felt assured that someone like James could follow Curtis along for that trip.

“What are you guys talking about?” Kristie weighed in unhappily with her plate in her hand. “Why are you guys whispering behind my back? Can’t you all just say everything in front of me?”

“We were talking about those dangerous fans of yours and how we need to ramp up security to protect you,” James answered, grabbing her head and turning her away. “Go back and eat.”

“Don’t touch my hair! Get your dirty hands off me!” Kristie shrieked.

“I’ll let you go if you go back to the kitchen.”

“Let me go first!”

Gabriel shook his head, looking at the playful duo, and glanced at James.

His first impression of the young man was that James was reliable. He treated everyone the same, which was why Gabriel was assured that James would not harbor ill intentions toward Kristie.

Not long after that, Rayna received a call from James saying he would be home for the weekend, yet it so happened that that was when Rayna was discharged from the hospital, so she asked him to pick her up at the hospital before they went shopping for clothes and going home.

“Why are you at the hospital, Rayna?” James interrogated the moment he saw his sister at ten that morning. After getting Rayna’s address and ward number, he went to the hospital.

“A spoiled brat drove her golf club into my knee during a business trip, so the doctor asked me to stay at the hospital for a few days. Luckily, it’s no big deal.”

“Like the doctor would ask you to get admitted if you were really okay,” James disagreed with a gloomy face. “I would’ve broken both her legs if I were there!”

“Thank God you’re not there, then. Things would’ve gone haywire if you were with me,” Rayna joked.

She felt James had grown taller after not seeing him for some time. He looked dependable in his crew cut and black casual wear, and Rayna thought she was beginning to see signs of manhood in the youth.

Rayna raised her hand and compared her height to James’. When she realized she was only at his shoulder height, she could not help but utter, “It’s only been months, and you’ve shot up!”

“I’m one hundred and eighty-nine centimeters tall now.”

“Wow!” Rayna was astonished. She took a closer look at him and found out the clothes James was wearing were those she had bought for him last time, but because he had grown taller, his trousers looked shorter.

“There are three women at home, so I’ll have to grow taller to protect all of you,” James commented proudly with his brows arched. “Can you walk, Rayna? I can carry you if you can’t.”

“No, thanks. I’m not crippled,” Rayna said, glaring at him.

James rubbed his nose silently and followed her.

After they checked out of the hospital, Rayna brought James to a shopping mall to buy him some clothes. Rayna also called Linda to ask if she needed her to bring any food home, but Linda said no, so the siblings continued shopping on the sixth floor of the mall, where they found all the brands of male apparel.

Rayna went into every store with James to check out the clothes. Given James’ strapping build and attractive face, along with Rayna’s graceful bearing because of her profession as a translator, many salespeople came up to them the moment they entered.

“Rayna, I might grow taller in the future, so we should just go for something cheaper,” James noted as he looked at the price tags. He felt spending thousands on a piece of clothing was unnecessary.

“We can buy new ones when you grow,” Rayna assured, stuffing some clothes in James’ hands. “I can afford all these. Go try them out.”

“Okay.”

Because James’ body figure was impeccable, everything suited him, making him look like a model, so Rayna bought all the items, and the two left the store with a few bags.NôvelDrama.Org content.

“James, who’s the girl I heard over the phone the other day?” Rayna suddenly asked as she elbowed him. “I thought you said your school separates girls from guys according to classes?”

“She’s really just a schoolmate. She came to borrow something,” James explained.

“Yeah. Like I would believe you. It felt more like she was trying to act cute,” Rayna dissed.

She wasn’t acting cute. She was shouting at me.

Seeing James did not reply, Rayna added, “I’m not against you dating at this age. You just have to make sure you don’t cross the line. She’s her parents’ treasure, too, so you shouldn’t toy with people’s feelings.”

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Rayna,” James said with curved lips before changing the topic. “What about that guy you talked about when we went out that time? I haven’t heard much about him from you lately.”

Like Roxanne, James was also of the opinion that Rayna was way out of Julian’s league, but to Rayna herself, she was not good enough for that man. Because James did not think they were a good match, he had never addressed Julian as his brother-in-law.

Rayna’s face darkened when James mentioned him. She fell silent for a brief moment before she spoke again. “You must’ve not heard about it since you’ve been at school. We divorced. He cheated on me.”

“W-What? You guys divorced?” James stammered, still unable to reconcile with what he had just heard.

“What’s with that face?” Rayna asked, looking at him from the corners of her eyes. “Roxanne reacted the same way too.”

James put his hand over her shoulder, saying, “It’s nothing. I’m just happy for you. He’s scum, so it makes total sense for you to dump him. I can even get rid of him completely if you want me to.”

“Watch what you’re saying. Don’t spew nonsense! I don’t want you getting involved in anything illegal. Besides, I’ve dealt with him on my own, so you have nothing to worry about,” Rayna warned.