Chapter 54 The Bodyguards
Ethan and Emma finally understood.
"Oh, that's why Mommy agreed to let us continue going."
"So when Mommy talked to us tonight, she was giving us basic safety education. She wants us to stay alert too and not get careless just because we have bodyguards protecting us," Jasper summarized.
Ethan and Emma nodded emphatically, admiring Jasper even more.
Although they were triplets, they all listened to Jasper and felt he understood everything.
After Emily returned to her room, she sat on the sofa with mixed feelings.
The reason she didn't tell the children about the bodyguards was that she worried that knowing about them would make the kids reckless and run around without any restraint.
It seemed Jasper had already figured it out, but fortunately, he was sensible. He hadn't told Ethan and Emma, and he hadn't let his guard down because of it.
"This child..." Emily smiled helplessly, though she felt somewhat relieved.
With Jasper around, she could relax a little, but she also knew this was only temporary.
Those who wanted to harm the children wouldn't give up easily. She had to stay vigilant at all times to protect her three precious kids.
As night deepened, the children had already fallen asleep.
Emily gently pushed open their bedroom door and looked at the three sleeping faces. She kissed each of their foreheads and whispered, "Good night, my darlings. I'll always protect you."
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains into the room as the three children woke up on time. After breakfast, the driver was already waiting downstairs to take them to school.
In the car, Ethan and Emma were still excitedly discussing their riding lesson for the day, while Jasper remained unusually quiet, his eyes occasionally glancing out the window.
He was observing, confirming whether the bodyguards protecting them in secret were following.
The car reached an intersection and encountered a red light.
Jasper suddenly spoke to the driver. "I think I left my art supplies at home. I need them for today's class. Could you please go back and get them?"
The driver was taken aback and said somewhat reluctantly, "But we're almost at school. If we go back, you'll be late."
"It's okay, the school isn't far from here. We can walk the rest of the way and won't be late. You can just deliver the supplies directly to school after you get them."
Ethan and Emma looked at Jasper with some confusion, not understanding why he would do this. But out of trust in him, they remained silent.
The driver hesitated, thinking Jasper made sense, and since the school really wasn't far and there shouldn't be any danger, he nodded, "Alright then, be careful on your way. I'll get the supplies and come right over."
The driver pulled over, and Jasper led Ethan and Emma out of the car.
After watching the car leave, Jasper pulled Ethan and Emma to a street corner, lowered his voice, and said a few words.
Although Emma and Ethan were somewhat confused, they still nodded obediently. "Okay."
The three walked together into the alley on the left.
Not long after, Emma's tearful scream echoed from the alley. "Who are you? Don't touch me!"
As soon as the sound rang out, several men in plain clothes rushed toward the alley from different directions—they were the bodyguards Emily had hired.
The lead bodyguard charged into the alley first, but found only Emma, standing there perfectly fine with no danger in sight.
He paused, looking at Emma in confusion. "Are you alright?"
Emma stuck out her tongue, and before she could speak, Jasper's voice came from the alley entrance. "Thank you for protecting us all this time."
Only then did the bodyguards realize what had happened. They quickly turned toward the alley entrance to see Jasper and Ethan standing side by side, blocking their exit.
The lead bodyguard frowned. Had they been outwitted by three kids?
Jasper showed no panic as he emerged from behind the wall corner, looking at the bodyguards with calm eyes and asking, "You're the ones my mother hired to protect us, right?"
The lead bodyguard hadn't expected these three children to use such a method to draw them out.
He nodded, "Yes, we're here to keep you safe."
Jasper nodded back. "I saw what happened yesterday afternoon and evening. Thank you."
The bodyguards were even more surprised. This child's composure and deliberate thinking were nothing like those of a five-year-old.
Jasper continued, "I know your job is to protect our safety, and we are very grateful for that. But sometimes we might encounter situations that we can't tell our mother about, or need some help, and that's when we might need your assistance."
The lead bodyguard hesitated. Their task was to protect the children's safety and follow Emily's instructions; they had no authority to act independently for the children's other needs.
Jasper seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "I know you only take orders from my mother, but think about it—if we encounter some small troubles that we can't solve ourselves and don't want to worry our mother about, wouldn't helping us out also be a better way to protect us? Besides, we wouldn't ask you to do anything against the rules, just provide some small assistance when necessary."
He paused and added, "For example, if we lose something at school and want your help keeping an eye out for it, or if some troublesome classmates are bothering us and we want you to help scare them off. These aren't big things, but they're important to us, and they wouldn't interfere with your main duties."
The bodyguards exchanged glances, finding Jasper's reasoning sound.
These were just small school matters they could handle in passing.
The lead bodyguard thought it over and nodded. "Alright, Jasper, we can agree to that. But the condition is that your requests can't violate our duties or put you in danger. If something major happens, we'll still have to tell Ms. Johnson."
Jasper smiled. "No problem. Deal."
"Deal." The lead bodyguard nodded as well.
Only then did Jasper step aside, saying to Emma and Ethan, "Okay, we should get to school now."
Emma and Ethan ran to Jasper's side, looking at the bodyguards with traces of smugness on their faces.
Jasper was truly worthy of being their big brother.
Watching the children's retreating figures as they left the alley, the bodyguards couldn't help but discuss among themselves.
"Only five years old, and he could think up such a method to draw us out, with such a detailed plan."
"Yeah, I've protected so many employers' children, and I've never seen one this smart and composed."
"This kid is something else."
"But with him around, maybe our job will go more smoothly. At least he understands what we do."
The lead bodyguard looked in the direction the children had gone, saying thoughtfully, "Maybe it's quite the opposite. What he asks us to do in the future probably won't be small school matters."