Chapter 143 - New Bodyguard

Scarlet wanted to groan. Jasper and Elfie weren't joking when they said they were going to stick one of the best bodyguards they knew on her after the stunt she pulled. She had severely underestimated them and their threats.

"Greetings, Miss Scarlet. I hope you've been well."

Scarlet groaned. "Max… why is it you?"

The bodyguard was a muscular New Zealander with short blonde hair in a buzz cut and piercings on his lower lip. Raven Max was the head of security in the main Wilde household but after Jenna and Orita sent him over, he was now Scarlet's personal bodyguard.

Scarlet scowled. She still remembered the day she was first introduced to Raven Max. Claire had been busy with her sparring sessions with Dragon back in the days so Raven had become her self-defense teacher. He was certainly just a cut under Claire but he was good enough to take down most people Scarlet knew, including Dragon. Raven was good at his job even if Scarlet thought his name was slightly weird. However, she had never been fond of him. Raven was like a dog that followed her everywhere she went to the point of driving Scarlet crazy. She needed her privacy and the overly dedicated head of security didn't permit it.

Raven had been reassigned when Scarlet complained about it to Orita. It turned out, Raven was a hardcore fan of Scarlet's and had read all her books. From that incident forth, Scarlet stopped calling him Raven and started calling him Max instead because it sounded more like a dog's name. The head of security didn't mind and took that as a compliment much to Scarlet's vexation. She didn't exactly hate the man but he was hard to handle and annoyingly good at his job.

"To answer your question, it was because Jasper recommended me for the position. Don't worry, I have found a suitable person to replace my position. Your mother's security will not be compromised."

Scarlet groaned again. "Listen, Max. I have a shoot in two hours. You can do whatever you do as long as you don't get in the way of my work. I don't know what Jasper or mom told you but just don't get in the way of my work. We're going to be hanging from wires today for the fight scene so I don't want you jumping in every time a flip fails or a fall happens. Understood?

Max grinned. "Yes ma'am!"

It wasn't even half an hour into shooting that the director called out cut for the fifth time. Usually, Scarlet would have completed her scene in two takes, three at most. However, with Max around, it wasn't going too well.

"Xiu Wen," director Zhang smiled and called out. "Can we have a little talk?" he asked in mandarin and Scarlet nodded, glaring at Raven to stay.

Once they reached the staff break room, the director sighed and got straight to the point. "I know that you are a very important person and that this new bodyguard is probably sent by your over worried parents. However, I cannot continue shooting if that giant doesn't stay out of the way. Every time we move the camera, he will be captured in the frame and I have to cut the scene. Can you ask him to wait elsewhere? Behind the cameras would be good, in the break room will be better."

Scarlet bowed in apology with her cheeks aflame. Instead of making her life easier, the bodyguard was only a hindrance. She didn't have anything against the man but he could be a wood block at times. Scarlet thought that it was common sense when she said "don't get in the way of my work" but Raven didn't get it entirely. Whenever there was a stunt scene, the bodyguard would always rush over and be prepared to catch Scarlet just in case something went wrong. His actions were thoughtful but they always ruined the shoot and Scarlet was at her wits end. She wanted to cry and complain but couldn't because she brought this mostly upon herself.

Once the director exited the break room with Scarlet in tow, the staff started whispering. Scarlet had always maintained a cheerful front in front of everyone so to see her looking so worn out and distraught made them worry.

"Max, can you come over for a second? We need to talk."

The bodyguard froze for a moment when he heard the last sentence. Talk? That didn't sound good at all. He knew that the orders coming from Orita and Jasper were a little tougher than his usual job scope but the bodyguard thought he was doing a perfect job of it. Jasper said to not let Scarlet do anything dangerous and protect her from harm. Orita said not to let any creeps get near her daughter. Max was doing his best to fulfill both orders so why wasn't Scarlet pleased? He didn't exactly get in the way of her work, did he?

When they finally had the talk, Raven was embarrassed. Scarlet looked genuinely exhausted explaining to Raven about her job as an actress and when it was alright to step in as a bodyguard. Raven might be a good combatant and strategist but he was sometimes lacking common sense and took things a little too literally.

"For now, please stay with the camera crew whenever I'm on my job. In fact, stay with Pamela. You only step in when something is out of the norm when the director looks like he's genuinely worried about something during the shoot. Usually, the rescue team will be activated if something goes wrong with a stunt and that's the only time you'll assist during a filming session. Most of my stunts are performed by a stunt double so you won't have much to worry about. Just sit back and relax a little, okay?"

Max nodded after Scarlet's stern warning. The bodyguard sighed in relief when Scarlet returned back to work and apologised to everyone once more because of him. Claire did warn him about being overly enthusiastic about the job and threatened to replace him if Scarlet complained. It was only the first day of his new job and already, Raven felt as if he was going to be replaced by someone more capable.

Pamela caught sight of the crestfallen new bodyguard and chuckled. Although the man was strong, he was a little dumb. Instead of berating him further, the manager offered him a canned coffee and sat down beside him.

"You know, you should have a little more faith in your lady. She's been practicing very hard to get those moves right. Besides, you should conserve your energy for times when you would really need it. I don't know it entirely but Scarlet has been hanging out with some really dangerous looking folks in the industry. It's not the stalking fans that bother me as much as the creepy celebrities and politicians at the parties who are very attracted to her."

"Politicians?"

Pamela nodded. "Scarlet attends a lot of charity events and you meet politicians among many other kinds of people there. Businessmen from all over have been giving Scarlet marriage proposals. Politicians are trying to get Scarlet to perform for them at a private party. Celebrities are always trying to get closer to a Wilde daughter. It's a real whack job working in this industry. Sometimes I don't know how Scarlet handles everything with a smile."

Raven looked over to Scarlet who had just finished her scene. The wire-aided backflip looked incredible even from this distance. Pamela was right. Scarlet was really capable at what she did. That backflip was done beautifully and even to an untrained eye, it was obvious that Scarlet practiced very hard to perfect it for the camera. Raven felt slightly ashamed that he didn't put more faith in Scarlet's abilities and kept on assuming that she was that weak girl who constantly needed help. Back when Scarlet was twelve, he remembered the girl constantly struggling physically. When the young writer turned fourteen, she was lagging behind Jasper and Alex because her growth spurt just wasn't doing her justice. Claire had even stopped being so harsh on Scarlet during the self-defense classes because the petite girl couldn't keep up. It was also the time when Raven first knew the second mistress of the Wilde family.

"First impressions are hard to change, I still see her as that fragile second mistress that I had to protect. I suppose I was wrong. She did grow up splendidly after all. Thank you, Pamela. I suppose I should let her do her thing and watch her back from the shadows. Now, about those creeps you were saying…"

The manager laughed. Raven looked like he was out for murder when he demanded to know a few names. Luckily for him, she was in a talking mood. Raven recorded the names of those who approached Scarlet and made plans to do a background check on all the people mentioned. Once he was done, he would report back to Claire for further investigation and action.