Reborn: No Longer His Shield

An old but powerful voice pulled me out of the endless darkness.

"You're the one, Lily Stenson."

I looked around the York family's indoor training grounds. The one who had just spoken was Emily Harrison.

It was then that I realized that I had been reborn.

I was surrounded by dozens of other elite bodyguards, who were clad in black training uniforms just like mine. They were the cream of the crop of other security companies within the country and were sent to participate in the competition.

Feeling a little dazed, I hesitated to step forward to answer Emily's summons.

The air turned strange. Everyone directed their gazes toward me, looking at me with a mixture of doubt and confusion.

"Wait!"

A clear, masculine voice, laced with urgency, shattered the silence.

The doors of the training grounds were flung open. The heir of the York family, Jonah York, dashed into the room. He was breathing heavily as he swept his gaze over everyone. Panic and fear flickered in his eyes when he looked at me.

"I don't want her, Grandma," Jonah said while pointing at me, his tone making it clear that there would be no room for compromise. "I want Rose Stenson to be my personal bodyguard."

Chaos erupted in the room.

I burst into laughter as I took in the urgency in Jonah's eyes.

It turned out that he had also been reborn.

In our past lives, when Emily chose me to be Jonah's personal bodyguard, he had simply stood on the sidelines and silently accepted her decision.

Jonah had treated me as a sharpened blade while I did everything I could to protect him from all attacks, acting as his shadow for five years.

I assumed that he would warm up to me after five years of being glued together. However, moments before my death, he chose my sister, Rose Stenson, who only knew how to play coy, without any hesitation.

My own lingering feelings of hesitation melted away as I recalled the tragedy that befell me in my past life.

I stepped forward and nodded at Emily before saying, "It's perfect, Mrs. York Senior. Mr. York has chosen the person he trusts the most. I also believe that my sister is capable of taking up this responsibility."

I paused before continuing in a clear voice that rang across the training grounds, "Also, I'm officially resigning from Golden Shield Security Company as of today. So, I can't accept this contract from the York family."

Silence descended upon the training grounds the moment the words left my lips.

The panicked expression on Jonah's face disappeared, replaced by bewilderment and disbelief. He probably assumed that I would behave as I did in my past life, silently trailing after him like a loyal dog, no matter what he did.

Unfortunately for him, that version of Lily Stenson was dead.

"Nonsense!" Emily roared, slamming her cane onto the ground with a loud thud. "Do you have any idea what you're saying, Jonah?"

It was clear that she was truly enraged. She pointed at me before turning to Jonah and exclaiming, "Lily is the most capable one here! When she escorted an oil baron to safety without any casualties when they were being ruthlessly hunted down, the brat you chose was still wiping her snot in the training camp.

"Lily's combat prowess and decision-making skills will absolutely guarantee your safety and cannot be bought with money. Yet, you're letting her go to choose this brat who only knows how to run her mouth?"

Emily didn't sugarcoat her words in the slightest.

Rose, who was standing behind Jonah, immediately turned pale.

"Grandma…" Jonah mumbled, looking like he wanted to argue.

Rose took a step forward and tugged on his sleeve. A bitter smile stretched across her lips.

"Forget it, Jonah," she said in a broken voice. "I should go. Mrs. York Senior is right. I… I'm totally outclassed by Lily. Only she can guarantee your safety. I'm fine as long as your safety is secured. Really."

Rose subconsciously lifted her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes as she spoke, revealing a fresh wound on her wrist that hadn't scabbed over yet.

"What happened to your wrist?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jonah immediately grabbed Lily's wrist. His eyes brimmed with concern and heartbreak as he demanded, "Who did this to you? Tell me!"

Lily hastily retracted her hand and hid it behind her back. However, her gaze flicked in my direction for a split second before she swiftly hung her head.

Jonah's temper exploded in an instant. He whirled around to face me and immediately began berating me. "How could you be so cruel, Lily? How dare you use such underhanded tactics when you're already an adult! How childish can you be?"