I hear voices around me.My head aches and I groan in pain.

I have to blink a couple of times as my eyes adjusts to the bright lights above my head.

My father is the first person I see, his expression one of worry ,the dark circles under his eyes tell me he hasn't gotten any sleep either.

"Dad."I croak.

"Sophia."He says gripping my hands. "Oh thank God ."

"What happened ?"I ask as I try to sit up.

My mind is still hazy .

"One of the kidnappers was about to shoot you but one of our family's close acquaintances ,Leonardo Patterson saved you....However you fainted right after. "

At the mention of the name 'Leonardo' , alarms ring off in my brain as images of him start clouding my mind.

"Is he okay?"I demand before I could stop myself.

Why did it even matter to me?

"He's perfectly fine."Another voice answers,I spot my sister Lana on the chair behind my father, noticing her for the first time since I'd opened my eyes.She seems surprised at my concern for him but doesn't comment on it.

"How are you feeling ?"She asks moving closer to the bed.

"I'm okay ."I respond.More images of the night before flood my mind and I gasp.

Floyd!

"What about Floyd. Is he okay ?"I ask in a panicked voice.

My dad stiffens at the mention of Floyd and I try to prepare myself for the worst.

"He was shot in his arm and is recovering in the hospital as we speak."He replies."On that note, we have some important things to discuss."

I inwardly groan,I was definitely about to get a long lecture about my careless behaviour .Not that I didn't deserve it, I definitely did after putting so much persons life in danger.

"I am positive you already know that your actions yesterday were very careless .Since you were small your mother and I have always taught you that every action of yours have repercussions. Because of your careless behavior , you put everyone around you in danger , things could have been a lot worse .Floyd could have been dead today .You could have been really hurt as well .I need you to promise me that you'll never do something this crazy again."He says.

I nod my head."I promise father."

"Good."He comments. "Now that we have that out of the way .We have to discuss your new bodyguard."

I look up to my father in confusion."My new bodyguard?"

"Yes.Since Floyd is injured I've given him a leave of absence for a few months .Till he gets better I've assigned you a new bodyguard."

"Who is it?"I question curiously.

"Leonardo Patterson."

I swear my heart sunk at the mention of that name.I try not to show my excitement at this news.If my father was given any reason at all to believe that I had any feelings of the sort for him he would surely reconsider hiring him as my bodyguard.

I look at my sister and she doesn't seem fooled at all with my emotionless disguise.She raises a brow at me and I quickly blush looking away.

"Do you remember the rules ?"My father continues."You are not to have any personal relationship with your bodyguard. He is there to carry out his job and that's all he's there for..."He warns.

Pretty much giving me the same speech he gave me before Floyd became my bodyguard a few years ago.

Could I really not have a personal relationship with Leonardo ..I mean he practically saved my life .

I guess only time would tell.
***********************************
Leonardo's POV:
I groan out loud as my mind unconsciously goes back to the princess.

Grabbing the water bottle from the table I quickly splash some onto my face before dropping to the ground to continue the push ups.

The princess was the last thing I wanted on my mind right now.

She wasn't important.

Feeling content with the amount of work out  I'd accomplished for the day , I rise up from the ground before grabbing the towel from the stand next to me.

My eyes snap to the door when the sound of footsteps catch my attention.Grabbing my gun off the stool ,I patiently wait for their entrance.

The door opens and I aim the gun in the direction of the sound .

"Christ."Edwin mutters raising his hands in the air."Do you have to do this every time ?"

"If you call before coming here it wouldn't have to happen each time."I point out tucking the gun into my pants."Who else came with you ?"I ask.

He raises a brow at my question."You already know I didn't come alone?"

I don't answer his question.When we spent our time in the army we were trained to listen to footsteps ,that is something he knows well as we trained together.

"Okay.Okay."He says raising his hands."I already know the answer to that question."

I take a seat on the chair next to me,waiting for him to explain.

"He knows you're here."He calls to our guests.

I watch in surprise as a few familiar faces enter the room.These men , they were the bodyguards who helped in the mission yesterday to rescue the women.

Why was the king's men coming to see me?

"What's this about?"I question ,straightening my posture.

"Mr. Patterson."They greet me as the leader turns to me to speak."The king has asked us to deliver a message onto you.He wants you to be the princess's bodyguard from tomorrow."

I stare at the men with an incredulous expression on my face."You want me to do what?"

"Become the princess's bodyguard. "He repeats in a strained voice.

I study the bodyguard in front of me.He seemed as though he didn't agree with the king's decision to appoint me as her bodyguard.From the looks of it , he wanted the job...a lot more than I did.

"Not interested."I reply as I grab my phone off the stand .

The Bodyguard looks both irritated and relieved at my response."It's a direct order from the king."He adds.

"I said I'm not interested."I grit out.

Before he could respond , my phone's ringtone interrupts me and I quickly excuse myself , happy for the interruption .

"Hi mom."

"Leonardo ."She answers."Where are you right now?"

"The training apartment."

"Oh.Are they still there ?"She asks.

They?

So mother already knew of this arrangement , which meant I couldn't get out of it easily no matter how much I wanted to.

"If you're referring to the king's men, then yes."

There's a quiet pause before she continues."I hope you haven't said anything to rash.Your father has  spoken to the king and already agreed for you to be the princess's bodyguard.This is not something you can refuse."

A frustrated sigh escapes my lips as I turn to look at the men in front of me."I understand ."I reply before cutting the call.

The Bodyguard now has a knowing smirk on his face ."What time should I be there tomorrow?"I question roughly.

Tomorrow...I would see the princess again.

A/N:
Thank you for all of the support on this book so far , it means a lot to me that a lot of you have been with me since the beginning of the Patterson series .I hope everyone enjoys this story as well ❤

I would like to dedicate this chapter to:
Shanijohnson124
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Hope everyone enjoyed this update😊

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Until next time 💓💓💓💓