Chapter 143 - New Bodyguard (2/2)

Once the director exited the break room with Scarlet in tow, the staff started whispering. Scarlet had always maintained a cheerful front in front of everyone so to see her looking so worn out and distraught made them worry.

”Max, can you come over for a second? We need to talk.”

The bodyguard froze for a moment when he heard the last sentence. Talk? That didn't sound good at all. He knew that the orders coming from Orita and Jasper were a little tougher than his usual job scope but the bodyguard thought he was doing a perfect job of it. Jasper said to not let Scarlet do anything dangerous and protect her from harm. Orita said not to let any creeps get near her daughter. Max was doing his best to fulfill both orders so why wasn't Scarlet pleased? He didn't exactly get in the way of her work, did he?

When they finally had the talk, Raven was embarrassed. Scarlet looked genuinely exhausted explaining to Raven about her job as an actress and when it was alright to step in as a bodyguard. Raven might be a good combatant and strategist but he was sometimes lacking common sense and took things a little too literally.

”For now, please stay with the camera crew whenever I'm on my job. In fact, stay with Pamela. You only step in when something is out of the norm when the director looks like he's genuinely worried about something during the shoot. Usually, the rescue team will be activated if something goes wrong with a stunt and that's the only time you'll assist during a filming session. Most of my stunts are performed by a stunt double so you won't have much to worry about. Just sit back and relax a little, okay?”

Max nodded after Scarlet's stern warning. The bodyguard sighed in relief when Scarlet returned back to work and apologised to everyone once more because of him. Claire did warn him about being overly enthusiastic about the job and threatened to replace him if Scarlet complained. It was only the first day of his new job and already, Raven felt as if he was going to be replaced by someone more capable.

Pamela caught sight of the crestfallen new bodyguard and chuckled. Although the man was strong, he was a little dumb. Instead of berating him further, the manager offered him a canned coffee and sat down beside him.

”You know, you should have a little more faith in your lady. She's been practicing very hard to get those moves right. Besides, you should conserve your energy for times when you would really need it. I don't know it entirely but Scarlet has been hanging out with some really dangerous looking folks in the industry. It's not the stalking fans that bother me as much as the creepy celebrities and politicians at the parties who are very attracted to her.”

”Politicians?”

Pamela nodded. ”Scarlet attends a lot of charity events and you meet politicians among many other kinds of people there. Businessmen from all over have been giving Scarlet marriage proposals. Politicians are trying to get Scarlet to perform for them at a private party. Celebrities are always trying to get closer to a Wilde daughter. It's a real whack job working in this industry. Sometimes I don't know how Scarlet handles everything with a smile.”

Raven looked over to Scarlet who had just finished her scene. The wire-aided backflip looked incredible even from this distance. Pamela was right. Scarlet was really capable at what she did. That backflip was done beautifully and even to an untrained eye, it was obvious that Scarlet practiced very hard to perfect it for the camera. Raven felt slightly ashamed that he didn't put more faith in Scarlet's abilities and kept on assuming that she was that weak girl who constantly needed help. Back when Scarlet was twelve, he remembered the girl constantly struggling physically. When the young writer turned fourteen, she was lagging behind Jasper and Alex because her growth spurt just wasn't doing her justice. Claire had even stopped being so harsh on Scarlet during the self-defense classes because the petite girl couldn't keep up. It was also the time when Raven first knew the second mistress of the Wilde family.

”First impressions are hard to change, I still see her as that fragile second mistress that I had to protect. I suppose I was wrong. She did grow up splendidly after all. Thank you, Pamela. I suppose I should let her do her thing and watch her back from the shadows. Now, about those creeps you were saying…”

The manager laughed. Raven looked like he was out for murder when he demanded to know a few names. Luckily for him, she was in a talking mood. Raven recorded the names of those who approached Scarlet and made plans to do a background check on all the people mentioned. Once he was done, he would report back to Claire for further investigation and action.