?Chapter 1026:


    The woman wore a ck leather jacket that entuated her curves, paired with ckbat boots and bold red curls. Her eyes were captivating, highlighted with sharp white eyeliner.


    Corrine raised an eyebrow at Nate.


    Nate spoke. “This is Mandy. She’ll be working with you from now on.”


    “With me?” Corrine eximed.


    Corrine nced over again, giving the tall, slender woman another once-over.


    Mandy’s face remained unreadable. “Miss Hond, my name’s Mandy. From today, I’ll be your personal bodyguard.”


    “I don’t need one,” Corrine shot back.


    She wasn’t speaking to Mandy—her words were meant for Nate.


    Nate handed her a bowl of fruit sd. “Mandy keeps to herself. She won’t get in your way. She’ll only step in when needed, so you won’t even notice her most of the time.”


    Corrine reached for the bowl. “That’s not the point, and you know it.” It wasn’t that Mandy’s presence bothered her. She had simply spent years handling things alone. Having someone constantly nearby meant an adjustment she wasn’t sure she wanted to make.


    She plucked a strawberry from the bowl, but the sharp tang caught her off guard, making her lips press into a slight frown.


    Noticing her reaction, Nate quickly grabbed a tissue and motioned for her to spit it out.


    Mandy, standing a short distance away, froze. It was as if she had been struck by lightning. She stared at Nate, utterly stunned.


    What happened to him while he was away from the Independent Continent? This was Nate—the head of the Hopkins family, the master of the Dark Pavilion, a man even the Elder Council feared. And now he was fussing over a woman like this?


    Nate’s voice broke the silence. “Let her drive for you.”


    Corrine nced at him, hesitated briefly, and then let out a reluctant sigh. “Fine.”


    By this point, refusing would only make her seem ungrateful.


    But Mandy wasn’t thrilled. She had endured grueling training, outperformed countless others, and earned her spot at the top. And now, after all that, she was being reduced to a chauffeur for some pampered woman?


    If her teammates ever got wind of this, they’d be howling withughter.


    The five of them—Saul, Presley, Mandy herself, and two others—had always yed distinct roles, each dedicated to serving Nate. And now? She had been summoned overnight—just to drive for this woman?


    “If you don’t want to, no one’s forcing you,” Corrine said.


    She had caught the flicker of emotion in Mandy’s eyes.


    Mandy hesitated, about to suggest finding someone else, but then she felt Nate’s gazend on her—cold and razor-sharp.


    Swallowing her words, she straightened. “It’s my honor to serve you, Miss Hond.”


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