billion dollar woman || nanowrimo 2k18

one

"Hello?" the English-accented voice comes out roughly. He'd been sleeping.

She feels uneasy for waking him and almost goes back on her request. "It's me," she says softly.

"Yes, Miss Camila?" he replies with no hint of anger toward her. He's always been the kindest to her.

She asks if they can go to the superstore and he tells her he can go himself with a list she'd provide. Camila scoffs at that and says, "It's 3am, Alfie. I'm sure you and I can handle going to the store."

"Why? What'd you need that's so important?" he asks, curiosity in his voice.

"Christmas lights."

She hears a light sigh on the other end, but she knows him. That's his 'I can't believe I'm going to agree to this' sigh. The sigh that lets Camila know that he'd do anything she asked, whether he worked for her family or not.

She smiles widely when Alfie finally says, "I'll be 'round in ten minutes."

Alfred Zhao was hired by the Fuentes' over five years ago now, back in 2018. He was placed along with five other men to protect each member of the family. Alfie got Camila, and he hated the gig at first.

There stood this 18-year-old girl with no concept of her own safety, not understanding that with winning the 3.5-billion-dollar lottery came targets on your head. It was his job to protect her. He drove her wherever she needed, being that she had never bothered to get her licence. His eyes scanned every room she set foot into, watching out for those who posed the greatest threats. He never balked when she started calling him Alfie.

And he saved her life two years ago when that bullet zipped through her shoulder, thanks to a stalker who'd found her online and developed an imaginary yet violent relationship with her in his mind. It took Camila six months to walk outside her home again, and she rarely left Alfie's side the whole time. After that incident, she stopped complaining about needing a bodyguard, and she hasn't left his sight in public since.

Alfie pulls up to the Kensington home in the black armoured BMW 3 series he drives for Camila. He steps out of the car and into the dim streetlights, doing up the middle button of his blazer as he walks up the steps to the front door while simultaneously scanning for pedestrians.

Camila's waiting there for him, not bothering with the door because she knows not to even try anymore. Alfie opens the entrance, signalling for her to walk to her car. He looks at her up and down-noting the jeans and long sleeve rather than anything warmer this December first in the middle of the night.

Once they're buckled up and on their way to the store, Alfie comments, "You're not wearing a jacket."

She chuckles bemusedly, "It's barely 10 degrees."

"Sweater's in the pocket in front of you," he tells her, more of a demand.

Camila meets Alfie's eyes in the rear-view mirror. He raises an eyebrow, challenging her. She relents, grabbing the wool fabric. "Always protecting me, aren't you?" she says rhetorically.

"It's what I'm paid to, Miss Camila," he deadpans, not realizing the way she swallows thickly at the statement.

Of course, she knows he is her bodyguard, paid to be at her side for whatever danger comes her way. But every once in a while, she feels like they're almost friends-until he says something like that.

She'd never admit it, but she had quite the crush back when Alfie first started. She was eighteen and Alfie is evidently quite attractive. Almond shaped eyes so brown they're nearly black, dark hair slicked back while he's working, enough stubble at his chin and above his lip to call is a beard, and he's tall-so tall. He's broad enough to shield her, and he's got this intimidating look whenever someone gets near, yet he always softens his features when he's looking at Camila.

She got over the unfortunate crush about a year into knowing him. Though dating is never easy with more zeros in her bank account than most. Many would think she'd have endless people throwing themselves at her, and that's just the thing-they do. But she never goes for any of them for fear that they don't want her, but her money.

The last three people she'd been seeing were precisely that: gold diggers. She had a good boyfriend in Canada before the family won. After that, they decided to break it off because he couldn't follow her to Ireland.

Alfie's the only one so far that doesn't treat her differently than he would without her money. However, Camila does have to be grateful because, without it, she would have never met him.

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posted nov 01.18