Aliyah entered the office and saw that the general was too relaxed. General Aryster gestured for Aliyah to sit down. The room was silent for a moment as both of them were just staring at each other when the general decided to drop the bomb.

"I already talked to your chief and he agreed to relieve you of all the duties you currently have here so that you can focus on your new assignment." A smile bloomed from the general's face after seeing the young lady's shocked expression.

Aliyah was clearly dumbstruck at what she heard. She decided that no matter what happened, she would not accept the general's offer. But with what the general said, it seems that she couldn't do anything to refuse it.

"Are you for real!?" She stood up and did her best to control her anger. She gritted her teeth, "stooping this low just for the mere position of a bodyguard, do you think I will accept this with a smiling face?"

"No, I actually expected this kind of reaction from you." He smiled and continued to leisurely drink his coffee. After their first meeting the general already had a general understanding of the woman's temper and he had also observed her ever since he offered her that job.

Aliyah was fuming in anger as the general had no qualms in making her life more difficult. He really would do everything just to force her to do what he wanted. With a clenched fist, Aliyah strode out of the room.

"Be at the Aryster Manor at 0700 tomorrow. I expect you to be on time enforcer," the general reminded before she could leave the room.

The loud banging of the door being closed echoed in the station but the woman did not care. That day did not end well for Aliyah. She was so angry that she wanted to destroy anything on her way. 'How dare that general threaten her.' She fumed in her mind. She didn't know what the general was playing at but she would not accept any defeat.

She would make sure that her new boss's days would be a living hell. Aliyah could be so hard-headed and strong-willed that she wouldn't easily bend for that willful general. She wouldn't care whoever it was that she would be guarding.

After informing Aliyah of her new task, Leroy Aryster left and returned to his manor on the outskirts of Matrix City in a happy mood. His black car stopped in front of the manor and he alighted with a smile on his face. This perhaps was one of those days that genuinely made him happy.

"Welcome back Master." The butler greeted him as he reached out for his jacket. He led the man to the dining room where dinner was already served.

"Where is Aizel?" he asked the butler after he sat down. He was looking forward to eating with his son for dinner but he was nowhere to be found.

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"He is currently locked inside the library," the butler answered as he started to serve the food. Leroy sighed because it was like that every day. Even though he had reminded his son so many times to eat with him, he would still come occasionally.

"Hmmm, has he eaten yet?" he rubbed his head. His son was really a person who liked to be alone. Throughout the years, he tried to coax him but the child was aloof and didn't want to mingle that much.

"Yes, I have served his dinner in the library," the butler once again answered to which the general nodded. He could only sigh and eat his dinner alone.

After his lonely dinner, he went to the manor's library and found Aizel sleeping on the couch with a book in his hand. Leroy couldn't help but smile at the scene. He sat down on a seat in front of the couch and picked a random book to read.

He was already engrossed in the novel he randomly picked and was already on its climax when he heard a movement from the couch. He closed the book and watched as Aizel slowly blinked and opened his eyes.

"How long have you been here?" Aizel asked in a soft voice. He sat up while rubbing his eyes to clear his hazy vision from his sleep.

"Thirty minutes ago, I think," the general answered with a soft smile on his face that was rarely seen. It was a smile reserved for the people close to his heart.

"Oh," Aizel nodded and placed the book he was holding on the table. His eyes looked at the windows and saw that it was already late in the night.

"How was your day?" Leroy asked. It was a question he would always ask whenever he went home.

He was aware that these were trivial questions but he would still ask them anyway just to engage his son in a conversation. He was already lacking a social life because of his circumstances so he'll need to at least step up as a father and talk to him whenever he has time. It was one of those things that became so natural to him ever since Aizel became his family.

Aizel tilted his head like he was thinking before he answered. "It's okay, I guess. Still the same."

Leroy nodded. It was the same answer he had been getting for the past years but he would act as if it was always something new. He hoped that when Aliyah comes tomorrow, his son would give him a new answer. "Tomorrow the person I have assigned to be your bodyguard will come and start her new duties."

Aizel raised an eyebrow at his father's words. "Did you perhaps bully her into coming?" He knew his father well. He could do whatever he needed to do to achieve his goals, even playing dirty tricks or just plainly using his authority to get what he wanted.

Nobody wanted to work for him because of his attitude and because he could be overbearing most of the time. His father hired some bodyguards before but when they discovered his secret they would immediately quit and they would be threatened to shut their mouth about it. After that, rumors about how the son of General Leroy Aryster changed bodyguard like he would change his clothes became well known. Add to that the fact that he had a bad attitude made it even worse.

No one wanted to apply as a bodyguard anymore even though it would give them the chance to build a connection with the general himself. Thus, the general would use every trick he knew to hire bodyguards that would always quit. After a few more tries, the general finally gave up and assigned one of his elite men to be Aizel's temporary bodyguard. Honestly, he was getting tired of such useless routines that his father was imposing but he did not say it out loud.

Leroy didn't speak and just smiled. He knew that Aizel knew him very well so no need for any explanations. "Well, it went well in general. Although she was really angry about it, I'm sure that she will adjust well."

Aizel let out a sigh. His father has not changed at all. He was already anxious about meeting her and now that his father used his methods to force that person into becoming his bodyguard, he feared that the following days would not be easy. He had seen her during his father's first appearance at the Enforcer Station. The urge to walk up to her and just hug her tightly almost overcame him but thankfully he managed to control himself because he did not want to shock his sister.

His mind wandered a bit before he finally snapped out of it. Aizel looked at his father who remained silent the entire time before giving him a slight bow and bidding him good night. If she was coming tomorrow then he would need the strength to face him so he needed to rest early. This was also his way of calming his excited and anxious heart.