Total Badass
When Autumn Lopez woke up, she found out about the friction between her bodyguards.
Mrs. Turner looked at Autumn, her face etched with worry. “Should I tell Mr. Bennett to get you a new team?”
Autumn shook her head. “Ella and Grace are great. As for the three guys outside, I don’t anyway. I can just think of them as an escort detail.”
They were still good for driving her around and keeping crowds at a distance.
n for much
Besides, Autumn already felt that hiring bodyguards was a huge spectacle. If she hired and fired a team right away, the gossip would paint her as some kind of CEO’s mistress.
She didn’t personally care what people thought, but she had to consider the Bennett family.
They were already stressed out dealing with the mess the Xu family had made, and Autumn didn’t want to
add to their troubles.
“In that case, ma’am, you should have the two female bodyguards stick close to you whenever you go out.”
Autumn glanced at Mrs. Turner with a smile. “Why are you so on edge, too?”
Autumn genuinely didn’t think she was in any real danger.
But everyone around her seemed absolutely convinced that the Xu family would come after her.
Mrs. Turner’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She remembered Mr. Bennett’s instructions and ultimately
decided to keep quiet.
“Anyway, ma’am, you have to be vigilant when you go out. People are crazy these days.”
Autumn nodded. “Don’t worry. When it comes to my own safety, I’ll definitely be careful.”
She just felt like they were all being a little too paranoid.
It was starting to make her feel a little on edge herself.
“Well, ma’am-”
Before Mrs. Turner could finish, Autumn’s phone rang.
“Hello.”
Autumn answered, and Nina’s voice, buzzing with excitement, burst through the phone. “Autumn, guess who I just saw?”
Autumn had no idea. “Who did you see?” she asked directly.
Nina muffled the phone, her voice filled not with any particular emotion but with the sheer thrill of witnessing
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drama. “I saw Hannah King.”
“You know, the girlfriend of that guy who caused a scene the other day. He got out, and I just saw him corner
Hannah on the street and beat the hell out of her.”
“And Autumn, guess what?”
“It looks like Hannah’s pregnant. She was bleeding after he hit her. Who knows if the bu, s okay.”
Autumn couldn’t believe Nina had stumbled into something like this.
“Where are you now?”
“I’m on my way to the hospital.”
“They’re heading to the same hospital where Mars Wright is staying. I wonder whose baby it really is. This drama is getting crazier by the minute.”
“Your scumbag ex–husband really gets around, doesn’t he?”
Autumn had to agree.
She had assumed Mars was just messing around with both Lydia and Hannah.
After all, he couldn’t even get it up anymore.
Who would have thought he was capable of something like this?
It was a complete and utter shock to her.
“Send me the address.”
Autumn had zero feelings for Mars, but the memory of him crashing Owen’s proposal still infuriated her.
If there was a chance to watch Mars’s life implode, Autumn wasn’t going to miss it.
Ideally, she wanted him to get a taste of what it felt like to have a moment of pure joy s..
Then he would know just how furious she had been.
He started it, so now nobody was allowed to have a happy ending.
“You’re coming? Awesome, awesome!”
away.
Nina sent Autumn a location pin. “But be careful, Autumn. That dirtbag will probably try to latch onto you again the second he sees you.”
Autumn let out a cold laugh. “If he dares, I’ll have my bodyguards break his legs.”
Nina whistled. “Yes, yes, yes! You’re such a badass, Autumn!”
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Autumn didn’t waste any more time with Nina. She got dressed and swept out the door with her entourage of
bodyguards.
“Mrs. Bennett, from today on, we’ll be in charge of your safety. Please let us know if you need anything at all. We are consummate professionals, dedicated to serving our clients.”
As soon as Autumn settled into the car, the bodyguard named Anthony Hughes leaned fawning expression.
said this with a
Autumn frowned. Considering it was their first day, she figured his eagerness was just an attempt to build a good relationship with his employer, so she didn’t say much.
She responded politely and gave him the destination. “Take me to this hospital.”
While signaling for his partner to drive, Anthony looked at Autumn with concern. “Mrs. Bennett, are you feeling unwell?”
“We’ve also been trained in first aid. You can describe your symptoms to us, and we might be able to help you
feel more comfortable.”
His words made her extremely uncomfortable.
She glanced at Anthony and saw the blatant attempt to curry favor in his eyes. Her expression hardened.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I’m going to the hospital for a reason.”
“You just focus on driving.”
Autumn thought that would be the end of it, but Anthony, emboldened, refused to back down and pressed on. “Mrs. Bennett, is it that you don’t trust our skills? You really should. We’ve been bodyguards for a lot of important people over the years, including-”
“Anthony!”
Grace Wright wanted to throw the show–off moron out of the car.
Did he have no sense of awareness? Was he blind? The client’s displeasure was written all over her face. Who did he think he was, talking to her like that?
“What are you yelling for?”
Anthony’s attitude toward Grace was completely different.
“You think I can’t hear you?”
He shot Grace a vicious glare before turning back to Autumn with a smile. “Don’t mind her, Mrs. Bennett. Grace just loves to meddle. We actually get along quite well.”
Total Badass
“Now, where was I? Oh, right, my former clients. Speaking of them, I-”
“Hold on.”
Autumn, at the end of her rope, cut him off.
“You seem to have misunderstood something.”
Autumn stared directly at Anthony, her gaze chillingly perceptive.
“First, my husband should have emphasized this to you: you are to call me Ms. Lopez, not Mrs. Bennett.”
The whole point of hiring bodyguards was to prevent people from targeting her because of her connection to the Bennetts. This man, with his constant stream of “Mrs. Bennett,” was practically screaming to the world
that she was Owen Bennett’s wife.
“Second, my husband hired you to protect me, not to be my conversation partner. Do your job as a bodyguard. I have other people for conversation.”
“Finally, let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re a talkative person. That doesn’t mean I require you to be. Before starting a job, shouldn’t you have inquired about your employer’s preferences and acted accordingly? I expect silence in the car. Can you manage that?”
Anthony had assumed that Autumn, with her delicate appearance, was just some trophy wife coddled by
Owen Bennett.
He never expected that when she spoke, her presence would be so powerful it completely intimidated him
into silence.
“Yes… I can.” Anthony lowered his eyes, hiding the resentment that flared within them.
Your Brother Hired Me All These Bodyguards
Your Brother Hired Me All These Bodyguards
Autumn Lopez didn’t give Anthony Hughes a second thought.
Friction and conflict were bound to arise in any relationship, let alone one involving money
Autumn figured bodyguards were professionals who were unlikely to do anything rash, so
it at that.
As the employer, she had made her request. All the bodyguards had to do was follow her instructions, which wasn’t a difficult task to begin with.
“Would you like some water, Ms. Lopez?”
Grace Wright offered her the thermos. “If you’d like it warm, I can add a little cool water.”
Autumn nodded. “Half a cup is fine.”
All that talking had actually made her thirsty.
“Of course.”
Grace poured Autumn a cup of hot water. After slowly finishing it, Autumn handed the cup back and closed her eyes. “Wake me up when we get to the hospital.”
Grace agreed, keeping the exchange brief.
Sitting in the front, Anthony watched them, his expression still sour.
He wouldn’t dare blame his employer, of course, but he knew Grace had done that on purpose.
*Those two scheming bitches have probably already charmed Ms. Lopez, which is why she gave me no face and showed zero tolerance.*
Anthony lowered his gaze. *Since those two bitches started it, they can’t blame me for getting ruthless.*
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