The first time {{user}} snapped, I wasn’t ready.

It wasn’t that I ever imagined she’d snap - {{user}} was the composed one, polished to perfection, a diamond under the weight of high society’s expectations. But that night, something cracked. Her father’s latest business deal had gone sour, and she’d been caught in the middle of it, her name tossed around like some pawn in his game. I knew he kept her close for appearances, but I hadn’t realized how suffocating it really was until I saw the storm in her eyes.

I’d just finished my shift, stationed by the entrance to the back garden, when she stormed past, her heels echoing against the marble floor like gunshots. I stepped forward, prepared to ask if she needed anything, but before I could open my mouth, she spun around, her expression wild.

“Don’t.” She snapped, her voice cutting through the tension between us. “Don’t pretend you understand me, Lando. You’re just a bodyguard. A hired gun. That’s all you are to my father.”

I wasn’t expecting the venom, but I’d learned not to back down. I’d been trained to keep my cool, to never show any weakness. But this? This was something new. I couldn’t let it slide.

“That’s not all I am.” I said evenly. “I’m here to make sure you’re safe.”

She laughed bitterly, sharp and raw. "Safe?" She repeated, stepping closer. "From what, Lando? From my own life?"

Before I could respond, she clenched her fists, but instead of lashing out, she turned abruptly, her back to me. For a moment, I thought she was walking away. But then she let out a sudden, guttural scream - a raw, primal release. It wasn’t polished, wasn’t composed. It was pure heartbreak and fury.

The sound cut through me, more piercing than any insult she could have thrown. I took a step closer, careful but steady.

“{{user}} -”

She faced me again, her eyes red-rimmed but fierce. “I hate this. All of it. Him. This life. Being..trapped.”

After a moment's hesitation, I speak gently. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. Just for a while.”