Chapter 68 - Mall Adventures
To Cassidy, they\'re just simply chatting around and spending time leisurely, but to her four debonair bodyguards, they feel as tense as when they first had their job interviews for this position.
Her acting so affable and friendly to mere workers like them is quite an experience to have. It\'s their first time working for her, so they really didn\'t have any particular expectation regarding her personality. What\'s more, they had been reassigned with only a short notice.
As far as they recall, Cassidy had no permanent bodyguards back then.
She was seen being accompanied by her husband\'s assistants most of the time. Rumors also say that since she didn\'t go out to public places that often, no one in the family really bothered to give her a personal attendant.
"So then, may I know your names? With your shades on, you guys look almost exactly the same for me. But I\'ll just try to remember you with your haircuts!" Cassidy started again while they continued to have their breakfast.
Just as she thought, this feels better for her.
Even though the other customers keep glancing at their direction - probably finding it strange to see a lone woman surrounded by four tall men in black, she still feels at ease. She\'s already used to people\'s attention, anyway. But as long as everyone else is having a good time, that\'s fine for her.
"My name is Seven, Ma\'am."
"It\'s Rupert, Ma\'am."
"I\'m Floyd, Ma\'am."
"The name\'s Greg, Ma\'am."
"Wow..." was all Cassidy could think of as a reaction after such an emotional and dramatic introduction - insert sarcasm here, of course.
On second thought, it might be hard for her to know if her bodyguards are really having a good time or not.
Although they are obeying her, they remain as expressionless and formal as possible. It even appears comical since they somehow resemble a human statue.
Now that she thinks about it, they also kind of remind her of those palace guards that she used to see on television. Despite how shaken, disconcerted or befuddled they\'re probably feeling, they keep looking straight-faced and fierce.
Nevertheless, that only shows how devoted and grounded they are to their duties.
"And that makes them quite the interesting ones. I enjoy making strict people break their own rules, after all~" Cassidy mused silently while recalling how she threw a house party with their houseworkers back at their mansion last time.
With that in mind, she proceeds to spend the morning with her bodyguards slash playmates in tow.
First and foremost, they have to shop for clothes. Cassidy learns that Seven and Floyd share the same taste in fashion as her. They know a lot about various leather pieces and other cool wardrobe staples. That\'s why despite their gender, they\'re a great help in choosing the right sets of outfits for her.
"How about this guys? It\'s just as you thought, leather can be for all seasons."
As Cassidy said this, she stepped out of the dressing room and flashed them a cool attire - composing of a black leather skirt with a white turtleneck top. Both Seven and Floyd remained straight-faced but still gave their salutes and compliments.
"Fabulous," the former said.
"Perfect," the latter seconded.
Despite how short their answers are, she simply smiles and thanks them. The next time they shop, she\'ll just do them the favor of bringing score cards for them to use so she can at least tell a difference.
After hopping from one boutique to another, Cassidy proceeds to purchase a whole bunch of personal uses that she needs. Ranging from personal care products to other household items, she uses her husband\'s cash as easily as how the cashiers swipe his debit card.
With that, she ended up spending the most excessive amount of money that she had ever spent for herself, but even after that, the debit card\'s balance barely lessened. She\'s still a few digits away from using up half of the amount.
"Bossman\'s really crazy rich. This debit card alone could sustain my living expenses in the past - perhaps, for a whole year even," Cassidy thought as she carefully held the card as if it\'s the most expensive jewelry in the world.
Despite the pleasures and delight that this entire shopping experience is giving her so far, she knows one certain thing here that can be a lot more enjoyable.
There\'s a specific location in this mall that she really has to go to no matter what. It\'s something she used to visit whenever she entered this kind of place before.
In fact, she would even cut classes just to go here sometimes.
"Brace yourselves, gentlemen! The real game is just about to start!" Cassidy enthused with an ecstatic grin splattered across her face.
As soon as her bodyguards found out what in the world she had been gushing on and on about, they simply remained expressionless and tried not to judge. It ended up to be not as grand as what a woman of her status would make a big deal about.
It just happened that Cassidy took them all the way to the mall\'s arcade.
"Oh, come on! What\'s with the underwhelming reception? Ain\'t this a fun place to be...?" she humored them before dramatically spreading her arms wide as she stood below the flashy lights at the entrance.
"I\'ll take care of your tokens, so play as much as you want!"
At this, the four bodyguards take a moment to look at one another, still not getting the hype brought by a children\'s playground to adults like them.
Yet time and again, they just simply comply to her wishes. All the while, they still make sure to keep their guards up. That\'s why they take it upon themselves to switch places for lookouts without her noticing - wherein two of them would play and the other two would guard.
In the end, however, all four bodyguards soon find themselves wrapped around her playful fingers.
Cassidy managed to make them ride on bump cars with her, play tons of arcade video games, do some karaoke, and mess around with every crane machine in there. As one of the exciting highlights in their arcade experience, they held a mini Just Dance competition.
There\'s a dance machine right in front of the entrance, which is a perfect spot to attract passersby outside and gather the attention of the other customers inside.
"Woohoooo...! Go break a leg, guys!" Cassidy cheered from the side as two of her bodyguards prepared to get in the groove.
After the five of them competed earlier, the last players to emerge for the final round are Rupert and Greg. Their two other co-workers, on the other hand, are standing beside her. Along with a larger audience, they all spectate this dance contest of theirs from the sideline.
With their formal uniforms on and those expressionless faces, they managed to attract quite a huge crowd - perhaps, huge enough that the manager would come thanking them later.
"Those two are really good~!" Cassidy mused out loud in evident astonishment.
As soon as they start dancing to some K-pop music and hitting it off flawlessly, everyone is immediately drawn. While some appear entertained, others are amazed. But despite the rounds of applause that the players keep receiving, they did not even smile nor show any expression other than fierce during the whole time.
"Now, I\'m not sure what\'s more amazing - their dance moves or their incredible devotion to their jobs," Cassidy then mumbled to herself with an incredulous look splattered across her face.
That\'s when she suddenly hears Seven getting a phone call.
When he answered it, she\'s a bit taken aback to find him talking formally and using a respectful tone. He then hands his phone to her out of nowhere, much to her surprise.
"It\'s President Millicent, Ma\'am. He informed me that you still hadn\'t gotten his contact number for your new phone, so he called me instead," Seven explained as she hesitantly took his phone from his hand.
"Oh, I see. Thank you..." Cassidy replied before turning away from him for a bit and answering the call.
"Uhhhh... You there, bossman?"
"Yeah, it\'s me. Are you still shopping?" Adrian chimed in from the other side of the line.
"No, not really. We\'re still in the mall, though."
"Hey, wait, what\'s that noise? It sounds awfully loud right there."
"People are cheering."
"Cheering...? Why\'d they do that in a mall? Just where exactly are you now?"
"Hmmmm... Wanna video chat?"
"Huh?"
With an idea in mind, Cassidy asks Seven if she can show where they are right now to Adrian. He simply obeys to this and puts them in video chat. It takes a few more seconds before her husband returns the call.
When he finally does, she finds him looking as confused as ever. She can see that he\'s inside the car at the moment.
With an amused smile on her face, she then focuses the camera lenses to her two dancing bodyguards in front, making his eyes widen in flummox almost instantly.
"What in the world..."
"We\'re at an arcade, bossman. They\'re dancing live. They might go viral at this rate, you know."
As Cassidy made this smug remark while sounding like a proud mother who raised her children well, Adrian could only muster an incredulous and nonplussed expression.