Lariette was nothing against Chairman Delaney’s shield of worries.
Under her grandfather’s suggestions, including his long list of possible dangers, she reluctantly agreed to have bodyguards following her.
"In one condition. Only if they won’t show themselves around unless necessary."
Lariette didn’t want n in black trailing after her wherever she went. Even if they wore casual clothes to blend with the crowd, it was not any better either.
"Great! I know who to accompany you."
Chairman Delaney clapped his hands once, happy that Lariette finally agreed albeit reluctantly. This would put his mind at ease, as well as allowing him to sleep better at night.
Ruediger, Declan and Rafael also shared the sa sentint as Chairman Delaney. For once, the three young n wore the sa look as each other, one imbued with relief.
Lariette refrained from sighing out loud. She understood they were simply worried about her but, she couldn’t say she was comfortable with the arrangent.
Narrowing her eyes, Lariette turned to look at Ruediger. He was the one who brought up the subject of her safety.
"Why?"
Ruediger stared at Lariette, his brows arching. She shot him a look, seemingly showing her displeasure with him. Her sapphire eyes glinted under her silky chocolate brown fringes.
"..."
Ruediger held back from laughing. He finally understood what led Lariette to give him one of her rare murderous looks.
The lady might seem sulky but, she still looked adorable, especially with her pouty lips. He had to stop himself from reaching for her twitching nose to pinch it.
"Oh, Lari, don’t be mad with Eddy," Chairman Delaney chid, noticing what happened between the newlyweds, "He has a good point. Your old grandpa here wouldn’t be able to sleep if I thought of it late."
Declan and Rafael nodded quietly. Their focus was on Lariette and Ruediger whose current body language seed to indicate how close they were.
Tearing her gaze away from the sheepish Ruediger, Lariette heaved a sigh. She turned to look at Chairman Delaney, thinking that she saw a slight guilt in her grandfather’s eyes.
"It’s okay, Grandpa. I rarely have bodyguards around so, I don’t know what to think."
Lariette was speaking the truth. Unlike Stephanie who often had bodyguards following her around, she could count her experience with numbers.
Lariette didn’t mind having her freedom with the lack of bodyguards. She never wanted one. Yet, she understood she might be thrown into the ss created senselessly by Leon.
"It’ll just be for a short ti. Also, Eddy is with you. No one can do anything to you even if the bodyguards didn’t get to guard you close."
Chairman Delaney softened his voice, hoping to soothe Lariette’s conflicted feelings. At the sa ti, he sounded confident as he ntioned Ruediger’s na.
"Grandpa is right," Declan chid in, imdiately showing his approval, "He handled the two bastards himself. The bodyguards will only be there for precaution."
Blinking, Lariette had a hunch to once again look at Ruediger. She shifted her eyes away from Chairman Delaney, staring at the crimson-haired man beside her.
As expected, he looked smug from her grandfather and eldest brother’s complints.
Lariette side-eyed Ruediger to which he let out so chuckles as if he was amused by the situation. She swept her gaze across the room, back to Chairman Delaney.
"Alright. I’ll have two bodyguards at most and they must be hidden."
"Sure! Your old grandpa will arrange that. As soon as today!"
Lariette smiled in helplessness. She didn’t expect to return ho with two bodyguards but, yeah, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Once the discussion ended, Chairman Delaney told Declan and Rafael not to leave yet. He called Helga to serve the yogurt panna cotta made by Ruediger. The two brothers were dumbfounded hearing that.
Helga brought five servings of the panna cotta, including the compote and so honey. She placed them on the coffee table in the ho office.
"Eddy is an expert cook and baker! You have to try this."
Chairman Delaney hurriedly grabbed one in a glass cup before putting so compote inside with a little honey. His antics earned laughter from Lariette and Ruediger.
Declan didn’t enjoy sweets, unlike Rafael who ate most food. Still, the forr took one cup and dropped so compote inside. He forwent any honey.
"This is good," Rafael said once he took a bite, his eyes sparkling with delight, "What else have you made, Mr. Ruediger? Do you cook often? Seems like Lari only eats good food now."
Before Ruediger could answer, Lariette imdiately boasted about his culinary skills. She almost listed all the food, including desserts he had made for her.
Lariette also bragged about the ti she brought Ruediger’s desserts to a school eting. Her intonation and the beaming look on her face were enough to tell how happy she was.
"My colleagues loved his mango coconut pudding and lemon blueberry loaf cake so much! They have asked if he could make more things in the future."
Chairman Delaney lowered his voice, asking cautiously, "Can you make those for too?"
"Grandpa," Lariette threw Chairman Delaney a knowing look, "Have you forgotten what your doctor has said?"
Chairman Delaney made a sad face, "Oh, but... the tummy wants what it wants."
"I’ll look for healthier version recipes for you," Ruediger chuckled, entertained by Chairman Delaney and Lariette’s interaction, "I can tweak the recipes a little. I’ll bring them to you if I succeed."
"Good!"
Declan and Rafael silently watched their interaction before they exchanged a look. They couldn’t deny how easily Ruediger chard his way into their grandfather’s heart.
But...
Seeing how well Ruediger treated Lariette and Chairman Delaney, both Declan and Rafael understood this was inevitable. They also no longer felt wary around the crimson-haired man.
Wasn’t this a good outco?
Ruediger might co from the Alvord family, the one despised by their father Jonathan but, he was not his father Matthew Alvord.
Declan and Rafael had accepted the fact of how badly they mistreated Lariette in the past decade. If she was genuinely happy with Ruediger, they wouldn’t oppose their relationship.
That was the least they could do.
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