The days were passing peacefully for Laila Hasanović, former Captain of the Jaeger Corps, Denmark’s elite Special Operations Division. Her life in the Kingdom was so tranquil that she sometimes wondered if it was all just a dream.
After being dishonourably discharged from the Danish Army, she had fled to Russia and worked under Imperial Heaven, evading an Interpol arrest warrant for five long years. During that time, she never imagined she’d one day enjoy a peaceful life again.
Everything had changed the day she fought Raphael Blanc, and that idiotic man had the nerve to ask his boss to bring her to the Kingdom. Despite the thousands of questions swirling in her mind, she decided to take a leap of faith. Her job under Imperial Heaven had been slowly destroying her from within.
Now, that leap had proven to be the right one.
She lived a peaceful, disciplined life here. No one asked her to do anything shady or bothered her outside her working hours. She had a real identity now... Laila Monroe, a proud citizen of the Kingdom with a valid passport and a respected job.
Laila now served as the Protocol Officer to the Chairman of Heimdall Technologies Limited. She also oversaw security operations at Nexabyte Technology’s Trafford Command Center. Though she juggled two jobs, technology made her work efficient... and truthfully, it didn’t take much of her time.
But she couldn’t relax.
Her biggest concern wasn’t the workload... it was the safety of her Chairman, Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor.
That concern wasn’t even part of her job description. As protocol officer, her responsibilities were clearly defined: schedule management, security coordination, travel logistics, and discretion. It was all there in the contract.
Yet reality told a different story.
From the moment she moved into the villa complex where Eleanor lived, Laila felt like she had entered another world. Other employees lived there too, but the security shocked her to her core. Having seen the elite level of protection around Eleanor, Laila quickly realized the job wasn’t as simple as it looked on paper.
She had experience with NATO’s most advanced weaponry during her special ops missions. But here? Ordinary security guards carried customized versions of those weapons like they were nothing. Each of them exuded the presence of a battle-hardened soldier. Laila was certain... every guard here was stronger than she was.
The command center of this villa complex had surveillance systems so advanced, they bordered on science fiction. She once witnessed a tiny magpie trigger an alert, only to be tracked continuously by automated cameras until it flew out of range. All this, just for the protection of one woman.
But considering Eleanor’s massive wealth, it all made sense. The young woman was worth more than ten times Denmark’s national budget. With that kind of financial strength, Laila’s sense of responsibility only deepened.
She had lost her family young. Starting over in a foreign land wasn’t easy. But she was grateful for this second chance... not everyone got one. She’d grown close to Teresa, Cassandra, and Anastasiya, who lived in the same villa complex. Sometimes Maya and Lily visited and stayed over. They all knew her real identity, which helped her settle in.
She didn’t have any other friends outside this circle, except for Raphael. He visited her from time to time, and over the past few weeks, they had really grown close. She could tell that he was in love with her. And truthfully, she liked him too... this seemingly foolish man who always wore a goofy grin whenever he was around her.
From a distance, she’d seen him act like a dignified soldier while on duty... serious, disciplined, professional. But the moment he saw her, he turned into a clumsy fool... stumbling over nothing, grinning like a teenager. It was obvious to everyone around them what was going on. And yet, Raphael had never confessed his feelings.
That morning, Laila was sitting in the lobby of her villa, lost in thought, waiting for Raphael. It was her day off, and he had invited her out for lunch. She was thinking about how far her life had come... when the doorbell rang.
She stood up and opened the door.
Just as she had expected, Raphael was standing there, his trademark grin in place. His eyes locked on her and didn’t move. He didn’t say a word.
The weather outside was slightly chilly, with the sun hanging lazily in the sky. Laila wore a pink overcoat over sky-blue jeans and a deep red top. She hadn’t done much makeup, just a light touch of lipstick... a soft, red hue.
That little detail did the trick.
Raphael was captivated. He had never seen her with red lips before, and for a few seconds, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from them. The way he stared made Laila slightly uncomfortable, so she gave a small clearing of her throat.
He snapped out of it immediately.
"Let’s go," he said, finally finding his voice. "I’ll take you to my favourite restaurant."
Laila didn’t say anything. She simply smiled faintly and followed him outside to the car waiting for them.
Once inside, Raphael said, "It’ll take about half an hour. We’ll drive through the suburbs... the scenery is really beautiful this time of year."
"Uhmm," Laila responded, settling into her seat.
Raphael didn’t talk much during the drive. He seemed a little tense. He took Oldham Road, turned right onto Ashton Road at Failsworth, then followed it to Cutler Hill Road. After more than half an hour of smooth driving, he finally stopped in front of an unassuming off-white building.
Laila read the sign, "Sul Lago Ristorante Pizzeria." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel✦fire.net
It was clearly an Italian restaurant.
After getting out of the car, Raphael led her up a narrow staircase to the first floor. A small gate bore a sign that read CLOSED, but Raphael ignored it and walked in like he owned the place. Laila followed, a bit curious.
Several staff members inside came forward with warm greetings. It was obvious they knew Raphael well. One of them escorted the pair through the restaurant to a beautiful outdoor area where tables were arranged on a lush green lawn.
The air was fresh, the surroundings peaceful. A quiet river flowed nearby, shimmering under the sunlight.
Laila instantly fell in love with the setting.
After they were seated, she glanced at Raphael and asked, "Did you book the whole place just for us?"
Raphael nodded, his grin reappearing. "Yeah. Just for our lunch. They open to the public in the evening. We’ve got at least four hours alone here. Order anything you like... the food will blow your mind."
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