Smart Bluetooth Headset—this was the official name of Nick's product abroad. Compared to the Intelligent Voice Assistant, this name was more indicative of its function. Naturally, it also wouldn't attract too much attention from industry regulators. After all, using the name Bluetooth Headset could save them a lot of bureaucratic trouble. If it were called an Intelligent Voice System, things would be much more complicated with the compliance boards.
After chatting with Tyler and the others for a while longer, the gathering finally ended with a phone call. In fact, even without the call, the party was nearly over. Since they had to work tomorrow, they couldn't get completely wasted.
The call was from Vivian. Today was the 'late holiday' weekend, so she called to ask him out to check out the winter street festival downtown. Nick was originally feeling a bit buzzed from the bourbon and wanted to decline, but upon hearing Vivian's voice, he unconsciously agreed.
Nick went home, took a quick shower, changed his clothes, and arrived at the entrance of the agreed-upon shopping district. Vivian was already waiting there for him, carrying her purse.
Today, she was wearing a red, cropped puffer jacket paired with a black, low-cut knitted sweater underneath. She wore black skinny jeans and a pair of combat boots, giving her a very sharp, confident look. Of course, what satisfied Nick—or rather, what made passersby turn their heads—was her tall, athletic figure and striking face.
"What took you so long?" Seeing him walk up, Vivian quickly stepped over and complained playfully.
"Sorry, I'm late." Nick adjusted the baseball cap on his head and apologized. Since there were massive holiday crowds out tonight, Nick had put on a simple disguise to avoid being recognized by tech enthusiasts and causing an unnecessary scene.
Jeans, clean sneakers, a cropped bomber jacket similar to Vivian's puffer, plus a baseball cap—Nick looked very much like a fashionable college student.
"You look pretty handsome tonight, why haven't I seen you wear this before?" Vivian examined his street style and couldn't help but praise him.
"Really? I just bought it the other day." Nick chuckled.
Vivian walked closer, sniffed the air, and then frowned, saying, "You've been drinking."
"I literally just took a shower, and you can still smell it? What are you, a bloodhound?" Nick sniffed his own collar.
"You're the dog!" Vivian made a motion as if to kick his shin, then wrapped her arm tightly around his and said, "If you had told me you were drinking with the guys, I wouldn't have made you come out."
"Haha, it's fine. It's actually nice to come out, take a walk, and get some fresh air." Being suddenly held by Vivian, Nick awkwardly cleared his throat twice.
Seeing that Nick didn't pull his arm away, Vivian held onto him even tighter, her cheeks flushing slightly from the winter chill. "Where is that shadow of yours today?"
The "shadow" Vivian referred to was naturally Ryan. Whenever Vivian dragged him out to hang out during the holidays, Ryan would always follow at a distance, so Vivian had developed a slight grievance toward his constant presence.
"Ryan's off duty today, so the firm sent someone else. That's him right behind us." Nick gestured subtly toward a tall, muscular young guy about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a long winter coat, standing roughly twenty-five feet away.
This guy was named Marcus, twenty-four years old. Marcus had previously served in an elite reconnaissance platoon within an Army Airborne Brigade. He had once placed second in a military-wide tactical combat competition and possessed incredible physical skills. When Wallace and the HR team went recruiting at the veteran transition events this year, they immediately targeted this young man.
Many private security firms wanted him, but Wallace and his team managed to recruit him into their corporate division first. After a grueling series of background and tactical assessments, the security department finally assigned him to Nick's permanent personal security detail.
Besides him, there was one more person joining Nick's protective team. This person was a young woman, a recently discharged veteran named Taylor, who was twenty-three this year. Unlike Wallace and Ryan, she came from the Navy, specifically an elite Marine Corps amphibious reconnaissance unit.
As the company scaled up, the security department urgently needed a female tactical squad to handle protective operations under certain special circumstances. For example, conducting routine physical security checks on female guests; male security personnel would find this incredibly awkward and it could accidentally trigger corporate liabilities. Therefore, the security department established this specialized detail, and although the team was still being fully vetted, they assigned Taylor to the CEO's office first.
The primary reason for having a woman join his security team was to handle close-protection tasks in low-profile environments. After all, guys like Ryan and Marcus were too physically imposing and stood out way too much in high-end social venues. Conversely, a female security agent like Taylor, dressed in sharp business attire or casual plain clothes, following him would look completely natural and wouldn't disrupt the atmosphere.
Of course, Taylor had another corporate role: his personal assistant, responsible for managing some of his private schedule and day-to-day administrative matters. Previously, his secretary Sarah and Ryan had handled these logistical duties concurrently without a dedicated hire. However, as Sarah's corporate desk became increasingly swamped with board meetings, she certainly couldn't manage his personal life. Moreover, since the company's internal restructuring, her executive workload had skyrocketed, and she had even been assigned two administrative subordinates.
And since Ryan was the operations director of his personal security detail, it was no longer appropriate for an elite operator to act as an assistant picking up coffee and breakfast every morning, so a dedicated professional was needed to streamline those tasks.
Since his full security team was now officially active, a strict shift rotation system began. Previously, Ryan was responsible for the entire workload alone, meaning the operational pressure on him was immense. This time, Nick specifically ordered him to take a few extra days off during the winter holidays, allowing the two new operatives to adapt to the client's routine first.
So tonight, Nick only brought Marcus out with him. Perhaps because it was his first time executing an independent executive protection mission, and Nick had specifically ordered him not to crowd the client, Marcus was incredibly tense. He was constantly scanning the crowd, his eyes tracking every movement around Nick, completely prepared to intercept any threat.
Of course, his nervousness wasn't just due to flying solo for the first time; it was also related to being somewhat disconnected from civilian life after serving in intensive combat zones for so long. Reintegrating into normal society made him feel slightly out of place. Everyone adapts to civilian employment at a different pace; for Marcus, the time needed to adjust to a corporate rhythm was just going to take a little longer.
Vivian glanced back at him, then excitedly squeezed Nick's arm and said, "Let's go, let's get into the festival market! I heard this year's winter displays are supposed to be incredible."
"Heh, the city council says that every single year," Nick teased with a smile.
"This year is totally different! I heard they brought in local designers for the light installations," Vivian pulled his arm, quickening her pace.
"That marketing line sounds pretty familiar too."
Although Nick was playfully complaining, he still allowed Vivian to pull him along as they quickly walked down the crowded sidewalk. Seeing the movement, Marcus, who had been monitoring their perimeter from behind, instantly adjusted his pace and followed.
The moment they entered the main festival grounds, Vivian became as excited as a kid, pulling him around to look at the vendor booths.
"I want cotton candy!" Vivian's eyes lit up as she spotted a small stand spinning multi-colored carnival candy.
"You're an executive woman, and you still eat that stuff?" Nick joked.
"I don't care, I want some," Vivian whined playfully, shaking his arm.
"Fine, fine, let's get it. We need to line up first!" Nick said helplessly. How could a woman who was normally so sharp and capable in business become so incredibly clingy the second she let her guard down?