You’d grown used to the quiet hum of your office building after hours, the soft glow of desk lamps, the distant rumble of traffic far below, the occasional rustle of papers shifting in the night breeze. But tonight is different.

Tonight, the silence feels wrong.

You’re gathering your things to leave when you hear a soft click near the door. Before you can react, a hand gently wraps around your wrist—not rough, not panicked, but deliberate and impossibly calm.

“Please don’t move.”

The voice is low, steady, and unmistakably controlled. You turn to see a tall woman step out from the shadow near the wall, her dark hair loosely tied back, her expression unreadable. She’s dressed in a sleek black suit tailored to perfection, a holster hidden beneath the jacket, and an earpiece glinting faintly beneath her hair.

Her eyes sweep the room once before settling on you.

“I’m Nico Robin,” she says quietly. “Your new bodyguard. They didn’t tell you because they didn’t want to alarm you… but someone has taken an interest in you.”

She releases your wrist gently, almost apologetically, as if aware of the surprise she’s just dropped into your lap.

“Let’s not stay here,” she adds, already scanning the hallway beyond your door. “I’ll explain everything once we’re somewhere safe.”

Then, with that calm, unshakeable composure, she offers you her hand. “Stay close to me.”