The Little Bodyguard Part 3: Daddy’s Little Bodyguard
The Little Bodyguard
Part 3: Daddy’s Little Bodyguard
The library door burst open.
Julian turned just as one of the intruders raised a weapon.
“DOWN!”
Mason tackled the man before he could fire.
Another guard rushed in from the hallway.
Within seconds, the intruders were disarmed.
But nobody noticed Mia standing behind the enormous curtains.
Nobody except Julian.
“Mia?”
The little girl stepped out.
Her face was pale.
“Boss?”
Julian crossed the room immediately and dropped to his knees.
“What are you doing here?”
“Protecting you.”
“You shouldn’t have come near this room!”
Mia’s lower lip trembled.
“I heard the noise.”
Julian looked at her tiny hands.
She was shaking.
For a moment, he forgot about the intruders, the security breach, and everything else.
He simply pulled her into his arms.
“Are you hurt?”
Mia shook her head.
“Are you?”
“No.”
She studied his face carefully.
“Then my job is successful.”
Julian held her a little tighter.
Franklin watched silently.
He had never seen Julian hold anyone like that.
Not even during the years when his closest friends had remained loyal.
A few minutes later, the security team confirmed that the intruders had been sent by Victor Hale, a former associate who had recently begun challenging Julian’s control over several shipping operations.
But Julian barely listened.
His attention remained on Mia.
“Agent Hayes,” he said softly.
“Yes, Boss?”
“Your assignment is over for today.”
Mia frowned.
“Why?”
“Because I need you to stay somewhere safe.”
“But who’s going to protect you?”
Julian looked at her.
“I have thirty guards.”
Mia glanced around the room.
“Then why did those men get inside?”
Nobody answered.
Julian slowly exhaled.
She had made a point.
That afternoon, Julian requested a private meeting with Emma.
She entered his office looking nervous.
“Mr. Cross?”
“Please sit down.”
Emma remained standing.
“Did Mia do something wrong?”
“No.”
He paused.
“Actually, I need to ask you something.”
Her expression tightened.
“What is it?”
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Julian placed the old photograph on the desk.
Emma’s face lost its color.
For several seconds, she couldn’t speak.
Then she whispered:
“Where did you get that?”
“Franklin found it.”
Emma looked down.
The memories came rushing back.
The man who had called himself Vince.
The quiet hotel.
The unexpected tenderness.
And the morning she had discovered that he had disappeared.
“You knew who I was?” Julian asked.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emma gave a bitter laugh.
“Tell you what? That I had fallen in love with a man who vanished without leaving a phone number?”
Julian looked down.
“I didn’t know.”
“You never asked.”
Silence filled the office.
Then Julian asked the question he had been afraid to ask.
“Is Mia my daughter?”
Emma’s eyes filled with tears.
She looked toward the door.
“Yes.”
Julian didn’t move.
The most feared businessman in Chicago suddenly looked like a man who had lost something precious.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I couldn’t find you. And when I finally discovered who Vince Carter really was, I was terrified.”
“Of me?”
“Of the world around you.”
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Emma wiped her cheeks.
“I didn’t want my daughter growing up surrounded by enemies, armed men, and people who would use her to hurt you.”
Julian slowly stood.
“She’s been living in my house for months, Emma. I watched her eat breakfast. I heard her laugh. I let her call me Boss.”
His voice cracked.
“And I didn’t know she was mine.”
Emma looked away.
“I wanted to tell you eventually.”
“When?”
“When I knew it was safe.”
Julian walked toward the window.
For the first time in eleven years, he didn’t know what to say.
Then the office door opened.
Mia appeared, holding a small drawing.
“Mommy?”
Emma quickly wiped her eyes.
“Sweetheart, you should be resting.”
Mia looked at Julian.
“Why is Boss sad?”
Julian knelt in front of her.
“Can I tell you something, Mia?”
She nodded.
“I knew your mommy a long time ago.”
Mia looked between them.
“Before I was born?”
“Yes.”
“Then you knew me?”
Julian swallowed.
“No, sweetheart. I didn’t.”
He gently took her little hand.
“But I wish I had.”
Mia thought about that.
Then she held up her drawing.
It showed a large house, a tiny girl wearing a black jacket, and a tall man standing beside her.
Above them, she had drawn a yellow sun.
“That’s you,” she explained. “And that’s me.”
Julian smiled sadly.
“What am I doing?”
“Standing with me.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my boss.”
Mia paused.
Then she added:
“And maybe you can be my daddy too.”
Julian’s eyes filled.
He pulled her into his arms.
“Only if you’ll let me.”
Mia wrapped both arms around his neck.
“Okay, Daddy.”
Emma covered her mouth.
Franklin turned away, pretending to examine a bookshelf.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then Mia suddenly pulled back.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Do I still get hot chocolate?”
Julian laughed through his tears.
“Every day.”
“And biscuits?”
“As many as you want.”
Emma shook her head.
“Don’t spoil her.”
Julian looked at his daughter.
“I’m already four years late. I think I can make up for it.”
But the happiness didn’t last long.
That evening, Franklin received a message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Mia standing beside Julian in the library.
Underneath it were seven words:
WE KNOW WHO THE LITTLE GIRL REALLY IS.
Franklin immediately showed Julian.
His expression turned cold.
Victor Hale hadn’t merely discovered Julian’s weaknesses.
He had discovered his daughter.
Julian slowly folded the message.
“Double the security around the house.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And nobody approaches Mia without my permission.”
Franklin nodded.
Julian looked toward the staircase, where Mia was happily showing Emma her collection of stuffed animals.
For years, he had believed that the only way to survive was to make everyone afraid of him.
Now he understood something different.
There was one person in the world he couldn’t afford to lose.
His little girl.
He walked upstairs, lifted Mia into his arms, and kissed her forehead.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Tomorrow, can I wear my security jacket again?”
Julian smiled.
“Absolutely.”
Mia beamed.
“Good. Because I have another project.”
“What project?”
She leaned close and whispered:
“Protecting my daddy from bad people.”
For the first time in years, Julian Cross laughed without feeling the weight of the world.
But downstairs, his security team was already preparing for a war.
Because Victor Hale had made one terrible mistake.
He had threatened the daughter of Julian Cross.
And he was about to discover that the most dangerous man in Chicago had finally found something worth fighting for.
