The Consortium’s Heir by Benjamin_Jnr

"Darius isn't asking about our level of expertise for his personal benefit," Bridget thought, touched that

Darius had bothered to learn more about her abilities. It meant he was genuinely listening and learning

about his bodyguards.

"I once won first place in a hacking competition," she elaborated, "And Edward can do many things with

his skills. Only he, among the other bodyguards, is able to perform challenging surgical operations."

Darius leaned against the seat’s backrest, falling into deep thought. It took a while before he spoke.

"Both of your levels of expertise seem superior to other experts in those respective fields. One can

even say you're both top in the world at what you do.”

Still groveling on the ground, Shelvin's eyes shot open once he heard Darius ' words.

"I didn't find out about that information beforehand. If I had known, I wouldn't have shown up today."

With that thought, Shelvin did not hesitate to tear up and plead,

"Mr. Reid, please forgive me! I didn’t know your background before overhearing the conversation

between you and the lady next to you. I wouldn't have come here if I knew you were from the Reid

family!"

Darius chose not to respond and continued focusing on Bridget. "It must’ve been challenging for you

two to endure bodyguard training camp." 1

"Not at all, Mr. Reid." Another genuine smile curved on Bridget's face.

"We had food, clothes, and a roof over our heads. Furthermore, our lives weren't under any threat.

You've just reunited with the Reid family, so you probably aren't aware of this-several wealthy families

and consortiums require their bodyguards to kill one another during training. Only those that survive

can become official bodyguards, who'll remain alive temporarily until threatened."

She paused to breathe before resuming, "However, none of that ever happened during the Reid

family's bodyguard training camp."

Darius nodded. He was initially furious to learn of how other families trained their bodyguards. It baffled

him, and he could not understand their methods.

He saw all human life as precious gifts. Hence, it upset him to learn some wealthy people thought

differently. Yet, he soon felt pride, knowing his family respected life as much as he did instead of

supporting those cruel practices.

Seeing that Darius remained silent, Bridget continued, "Edward was one of those who lived a pitiful life.

Several years ago, he struggled to keep himself fed. He grew up in a less fortunate background. Even

after becoming the Reid family's bodyguard and receiving a high salary, his financial struggles

persisted. That's because he previously took out a loan with a high interest rate to survive his poorer

days.”

Darius finally sensed something was off, his eyes narrowing at Bridget." You've sung many praises

about him and his future this entire night. If you're implying something, I hope you'll speak candidly

about it."

Bridget scratched her head while flashing an apologetic smile at him." Sorry, Mr. Reid. I'm unsure of

how you currently feel toward Edward as he has made many mistakes, and you didn't seem to like him

before."

Not a word came from Darius.

Feeling awkward, Bridget rubbed her palms together and continued, "Mr. Reid, I personally think

Edward struggled with his life before becoming a bodyguard. So, he's probably uninterested in dating

or maintaining good relations, especially with women. That's also why I think he's lying and taking the

blame for everything. I bet he has some difficulties.”

Again, only silence came from Darius, who pondered the matter.

He thought about Sarah just then. After all, even when he was penniless, he was still willing to be in a

romantic relationship with her and even thought about marrying Sarah. Thus, he could not fully confirm

that Edward was uninterested in love, even if the latter was poor at the time.

That was when Edward returned.

Seeing Darius and Bridget share a look made Edward nervous, and he curled both fists on the sides of

his body while gulping. He then greeted Darius with a trembling voice,

"I’m back, Mr. Reid."

Darius could sense Edward's growing anxiety, so he explained, "I just learned about the Reid family’s

bodyguard training camp and some issues with your character. Now, I'm giving you one last chance to

tell me the truth."

Every part of Edward's face stiffened as he stood silently.

"Honestly," Darius added, sighing and flashing a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"I don't think there's a need for you to behave this way. I'm sitting here, patiently advising you that it's

your last chance to come clean. If you continue lying, this man on the ground next to you knows

everything and won't bother helping you hide the truth."

Despite facing the former's dark gaze, Edward chose to stay silent.

However, Shelvin could not take it any longer. He pressed both hands against the ground, propping

himself upward and exclaiming,

"Enough! I'll tell you what happened! Edward owes many loans with high interest rates and has no way

of repaying them. So, someone approached him and promised to erase all his debts as long as he

disclosed your whereabouts."

Bridget's jaw fell agape when she heard that. She had never imagined such a thing would happen.

Disapproval soon brimmed in her eyes that fixed on Edward.

Yet, if one were to look closer, one would notice there was also a hint of an apology in her stare.