Guarding the Heiress: Between My First Love and My Bodyguard

Celeste’s POV

It was my twenty-first birthday, and I felt completely empty. The silk sheets were freezing against my skin. The giant bedroom was too quiet, making my chest ache. I looked out the big glass walls at the London skyline. People thought money bought happiness, but it did not. It just made me feel like an object in a museum.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it fast, hoping for something real. My heart sank as I looked at the screen. There were over forty messages.

"Happy birthday, Celeste! Can't wait to work with your brand again," one said.

"Happy birthday to the Lindstrom heiress," read another from some business boss I met only once.

It was all fake. Every single bit of it. They just wanted a piece of my family's money. I threw the phone down and sighed. Then, a special ringtone went off. It was a private sound. My thumb shook as I picked it up and unlocked the screen.

12 o’clock. Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. Happy birthday, little star. — A.

A sharp gasp left my mouth. Heat rushed straight through my body. Adrian. My heart did a wild flip, and the heavy weight in my chest disappeared. He remembered. Of course he did. He was the only person in the whole world who really knew me. Not my money. Not my name. Just Celeste.

"I can make it to twelve," I whispered to the empty room. I pressed the phone against my chest, my heart beating fast. "I just have to survive the morning."

I got out of bed and dressed quickly in a plain black sweater and jeans. I walked down the grand stairs to the dining room. The table was long enough to seat thirty people, but only my dad sat there. He had a tablet in one hand and a fork in the other. He did not look up when I walked in.

"Sit, Celeste. Eat fast. I have a call with Tokyo in fifteen minutes," he said, his voice cold and short.

"Good morning to you too, Father," I said. I pulled out a chair three seats away from him. "And thank you."

He looked up, blinking like he just remembered what day it was. "Ah. Yes. Happy birthday. Twenty-one. A big year." He pushed a small velvet box across the dark wood table. "From your mother and me."

I opened it. A bright diamond bracelet sparkled back at me. It was very expensive, but it felt dead. "It is beautiful. Where is Mom? Is she coming back from Paris today?"

"Her flight was delayed by the weather," he said, lying easily. His eyes were already looking back at his screen. "She will call you later."

"She did not call last year either," I muttered. I pushed my food around my plate. "Does she even know how old I am? Actually, Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Make it quick, Celeste."

"Can you please turn off the screen? Just for five minutes? It's my birthday. Can't you spend any time with me today?"

He sighed, finally locking his screen and setting the tablet face down. "Celeste, I have a multi-billion-dollar empire to run. What do you actually plan to do today anyway, since it's your birthday?"

"I'm going out with Adrian," I said, a small smile finally breaking across my face. "He planned something special for me today. I don't even know what it is yet."

My dad's expression softened, and a real smile touched his lips. "Your older brother really sweet. He always takes care of you."

"Yeah," I whispered, my chest tightening with a strange emotion. "He does."

"You two go enjoy your day," Dad said, standing up and smoothing his suit jacket. "I promise Celeste, we will eat dinner together tonight to celebrate your birthday. Just the two of us. No screens. Okay?"

"You promise?"

"I promise. Now I have to take this call." He walked away, already typing on his phone.

An hour later, a heavy knock sounded on the front door. I ran down the stairs, my heart pounding in my ears. I threw the door open, and there he was. Adrian stood on the porch, wearing a black leather jacket and dark jeans. His messy dark hair fell perfectly across his forehead.

"Hey, little star," he said, his deep voice sending a familiar shiver down my spine.

"Adrian!" I threw my arms around his neck.

He laughed, a low, rumbling sound, and wrapped his strong arms around my waist, lifting me completely off the ground. He swung me around once before setting me down. He reached out and ruffled my hair, a classic, playful brotherly gesture.

"Come on, birthday girl. We have a reservation," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward his black Audi.

We arrived at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse right at noon. The restaurant was beautiful, dark wood and white tablecloths. Adrian sat across from me, watching me with an intense look in his dark eyes.

"So, twenty-one," he said, leaning forward on his elbows. "How does it feel to be ancient?"

"Shut up," I laughed, throwing a crumpled napkin at him. "I don't feel any different. Just tired."

"Well, today you don't get to be tired," he said, his voice dropping to a softer tone. "Today is all about you."

When the food arrived, I immediately started eating, starving from missing breakfast. Adrian chuckled, reaching across the table with his cloth napkin. He gently wiped a bit of steak sauce from the corner of my lip.

"Slow down, kiddo," he teased, his thumb brushing against my chin for a second too long before he pulled away. "The food isn't going anywhere."

"I'm just hungry," I mumbled, my cheeks turning slightly pink.

After lunch, we spent the whole afternoon walking around the city. Adrian kept his arm looped through mine, guiding me through the crowded streets. Whenever a bicycle or a fast walker got too close, his grip would tighten, pulling me firmly against his side to protect me. To anyone watching, he looked exactly like a deeply protective older brother. He bought me a ridiculous, oversized cotton candy, laughed when it got stuck to my nose, and chased me down a small alley when I tried to wipe it on his expensive jacket. For the first time all year, the heavy weight in my chest was completely gone.

At exactly six o'clock, Adrian pulled the car up to a massive amusement park on the edge of the city. I looked out the window, confused. The parking lot was completely empty. The giant rollercoasters were lit up, but there were no crowds, no lines, and no noise.

"Adrian? Why is it so empty?" I asked, turning to look at him.

He smirked, leaning over to unbuckle my seatbelt. "Because I rented the whole park for you. No crowds. No whispers. Just us."

My jaw dropped. "You did what? Adrian, that must have cost a fortune!"

"I don't care about the money, Celeste," he said, his voice suddenly very serious. "I told you. You deserve a perfect day."

We spent the next few hours running around like little kids. We ate greasy corndogs, leaving mustard stains on our fingers. We played random arcade games, and Adrian spent fifty dollars just to win me a giant, stupid-looking stuffed bear.

"Here," he gasped, shoving the massive bear into my arms after a intense game of basketball shooting. "Hold this so you don't get lost, shorty."

"I am not short!" I yelled, laughing as I kicked his shin playfully.

He groaned, clutching his leg, but the massive grin on his face showed he wasn't actually hurt. We ran toward the center of the park, the bright neon lights reflecting in his hazel eyes. It was perfect. It was the best day of my life.

But then, the clock moved close to midnight.

We were walking past the closed game booths when my phone violently vibrated in my palm. I pulled it out, thinking it was my dad cancelling our dinner. My breath hitched. It was an unknown number. I opened the text message, and all the air completely left my lungs.

It was a photo. A picture of me from this exact morning, walking down the steps of my dad's house. It was taken from far away, behind some bushes. I could see the sad look on my own face. Under the photo, there was only one word written in deep red text.

Soon.

"Celeste?" Adrian's voice cut through the cold air. He noticed my sudden silence, his eyes instantly dropping to my shaking hands. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-I..." I choked out, my chest moving up and down fast. Panic filled my throat like sharp glass. "Look."

I handed him the phone. I expected him to freak out, to yell, to pull me away. But he didn't. Adrian took the phone, his jaw tightening for a brief second as he looked at the screen. Then, his face became completely calm. He looked up at me with a reassuring smile, his eyes warm and completely steady.

"Hey, look at me," Adrian said softly, shoving the phone into his pocket. He wrapped his big, warm hands around my freezing shoulders. "It's just a stupid prank. Some idiot from your university is trying to mess with you because of your family's name. Don't let them ruin your night."

"But Adrian, they were watching me," I whispered, a tear escaping my eye. "They were right outside the house."

"I am right here, Celeste. Nothing is going to happen to you," he murmured, his voice incredibly soothing. He wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Come on. Look up. The ferris wheel is waiting for us. Let's go see the view."

He guided me gently toward the giant, glowing wheel. The ride operator, who Adrian had hired, opened the door to one of the private glass cars. We stepped inside, and the machine started to move, lifting us slowly into the dark night sky.

The city lights began to stretch out beneath us, a massive blanket of gold and silver. But I couldn't look at the view. I was still shivering, my hands clenched into tight fists on my lap.

Adrian moved across the small car, sitting right next to me. He didn't hesitate. He pulled off his heavy leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. It smelled like him—expensive cologne, leather, and fresh rain. The heat from the jacket instantly started to melt the ice in my veins.

"Adrian, I'm scared," I whispered, my voice trembling as I looked down at my shoes. "What if they want to hurt me? What does 'Soon' mean?"

Adrian reached out. His big, warm hand cupped my cheek, forcing me to look up. The playful, brotherly look he had worn all day was completely gone. His hazel eyes were burning with a dark, raw intensity that made my breath catch in my throat.

"Listen to me very carefully, Celeste," he said, his voice dropping into a low, deadly whisper that vibrated right through my skin. "I will never let anyone hurt you. I will protect you no matter what happens. No one will ever touch you as long as I am alive."

"Adrian..." I breathed, my heart doing a completely different kind of wild flip.

"I mean it," he murmured, his thumb softly tracing my bottom lip. His face was leaning down, closer and closer, until his warm breath was touching my mouth. "You are everything to me. You are my little star."

The space between us completely disappeared. The heavy, unspoken secret we had spent years trying to guard suddenly melted away, dissolved by a pure, suffocating heat. My hands reached out, gripping the front of his shirt as we drew closer, driven by a desperate, forbidden hunger.

And then, his lips crashed into mine.

It wasn't a brotherly kiss. It was deep, heavy, and full of absolute possession, his tongue sliding against mine as the ferris wheel reached the very top of the world.