134: A pot calling the kettle black

A pot calling the kettle black

"Introduce yourselves." Dane Zhang ordered, standing behind the couch where Heaven and Dominic perched.  2

The bodyguards introduced themselves one after another and as they did, Dane walked over to the side of the couch. 

"Here are their papers, Madam," Dane politely said, handing over a folder to Heaven. 

Heaven blinked, snapping back to reality. She only glanced at her husband's assistant, receiving the folder in a daze.

"Thanks," came out a muffled voice, glancing up at the bodyguards before them. 

When she opened the folder, the profiles of each bodyguard were in it. The documents were arranged in order, so Heaven could follow through with their documents as they introduced themselves.

"My name is Bear Cruel…" Upon hearing the next bodyguard speak, Heaven froze. 

'Bear… Cruel?' she cast him a quick glance before checking his profile. The first thing she noticed was the man's name. 

'Seriously… haha.'she mentally chuckled in ridicule. 'Did he… did he change his name to this?'

Bear monotonously recited his experiences while Heaven studied the papers.

Unlike how she skimmed through the documents of other bodyguards, Heaven took her precious time to read the man's profile. Her face twitched the more she read about it. Almost everything in the information was true.

Aside from his name, his age, his nationality, and his work experiences were all true. She knew this man from inside and out, and she was even aware of his other work experiences. Still, why did he choose to change his name?!

The name Bear was an alias he got working for Hera's father. In the underground world, having aliases was no surprise. They would work with someone without knowing anything about that person. It wasn't that important, after all. 

Even so, it was a little surprising.

Before Hera perished, she made sure all her people could start anew. She erased all the information about them, giving them the chance to start a new life with new names, identities, and such. It was their decision how they would live that second chance in life. 

'Cruel… did he really have to carry my family name?' she wondered with a sigh, raising her head as the last bodyguard finished his introductions. 

All of them were exceptional in their fields. She didn't read the rest of the information, but she kept her ears open as they made their introduction. 

"What do you think?" inquired Dominic, cocking his head back as he looked at his wife. 

"I'm impressed." She forced a smile, facing him squarely. "Dom, a word?"

Dominic arched a brow before casting Dane a look. The latter immediately got what that look meant, turning to the bodyguards. 

"Let's step out for a moment," said Dane to the newly hired marshals. 

The bodyguards didn't refute, nodding in understanding. And just like that, they left the mansion's lobby with Dane Zhang. The moment all of them left, Heaven jumped to her husband's side. 

"Dom, are you in danger?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I mean, is there someone threatening you? Is it a business rival?"

"What?"

"Please be honest with me, Dom." Determination flickered across her eyes, studying his face intensely. "Don't lie. Tell me. Are you in danger?"

Dominic furrowed his brows, assessing the look on her face. "No, I'm not." He shook his head mildly. 

"If you think I am because of the qualifications of the bodyguards, you're mistaken." Dominic reached for her hand, squeezing it mildly. "The reason I raised the qualifications is that I want someone reliable with my wife and son's side. Anyone ordinary, it'll be useless for Basti."

There was a moment of silence between the two, staring into each other's eyes. Heaven paid extra attention to studying him, detecting the slightest dishonesty in him.

There was one particular reason she didn't want to meet anyone in her previous life. Not just Bear, but all the people in the underground — be it her ally or enemies. Meeting those people in this life only meant danger. 

All the people in Hera's life, including her, were crazy. Sure. Bear was someone she could trust and one of the most logical people in the organization. However, that didn't change the fact Bear could tear a person's limb with his bare hands!

It was the reason he earned the nickname Bear. 

He might be loyal and quiet, but he was a beast.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, getting a nod from Dominic. 

"I wouldn't just hire a few of them if my life and my family are in danger," Dominic reassured her. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No — nothing." Heaven shook her head mildly, clearing her throat as she gazed down at the documents on her lap. "I mean... I know I agreed to have a bodyguard, but can I add my conditions?"

"Of course." Dominic nodded. "They were yours and it's your call how you make use of them."

He held her hand, eyes fixed on her. "I know this can be hard at first, but give this a try. If you don't like having someone following you from a distance, then I'll dismiss them."

Her lips were drawn into a thin line, considering his offers. Marriage was a give-and-take situation. It was just a trial. If Dominic said so, then she wanted to at least try for the sake of his peace of mind instead of outright changing her mind.

She couldn't blame him. After all that had happened from a week ago and until now, she understood where Dominic was coming from. 

"Fine," she huffed. "But if a bodyguard's presence is making Basti uncomfortable, I'll change my mind."

"I understand." Dominic nodded in agreement.

For now, this was the only option he could think of to secure his family. Perhaps it was also another way of establishing Heaven's position in the Zhu Family. 

As Heaven and Dominic agreed on the terms of hiring her a bodyguard, she shifted her focus to the documents. 

"By the way, this other man… isn't he a little old for this?" Heaven showed him Bear's profile. "Just look at him. He's twice my age!" — how could Dane allow this man his age to work as his boss's wife's bodyguard?

Just how incompetent Dane Zhang was? Not to know Bear was a felon?! But then again, she couldn't fully blame her husband's assistant. How could she? She used her last months working in dissolving the organization and erasing all traces of her men from the underground. 

In other words, it was her fault that Bear could get into the LYON Group with a clean criminal record!

Stress.

"I know he is quite old for this job. However, the General recommended him when he heard I was hiring capable bodyguards," Dominic explained, keeping it short and simple. "Why? Does this bother you?"

"The General recommended him?"

"Mhm. As you can see, he has quite an outstanding record, working for politicians in the past."

"Are all those politicians alive?" she blurted out in a murmur.

"Hmm?"

"Hehe. Never mind." Heaven laughed nervously, reading Bear's profile once again. "If the General recommended him, then he must be really good."

"If you don't like him, there were other choices."

"May I ask where these other marshals will work if I didn't choose them?"

"They'd be assigned to work in the headquarters." Dominic shrugged. "Maybe I'll keep a few of them to assist me."

Heaven glanced at Dominic and secretly sighed. "I'll take him." She tapped on Bear's profile, eyes on Dominic. 

"Him?" Dominic arched a brow as he glanced at the oldest candidate to be her bodyguard. "Are you sure?"

"Mhm." Heaven nodded, leaning back as she relaxed her body. 'If there was someone to keep an eye on Bear, that should be me. Even if I trust him, I can't let such a dangerous person lurk around my husband's shadow. Moreover, he'd be a good sparring partner. Hitting the gym isn't enough to regain my strength.'

Heaven mentally nodded in agreement, not considering the most dangerous person in Dominic's life was her. Compared to Bear, she was a hundred times more dangerous. Talk about a pot calling the kettle black. 

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