[Chapter 54: Collision with Beauty]
After finishing dinner, John watched Maria, Joseph's wife, clean up the mess. Everyone gathered in the living room to chat.
Kenny and Mansour were both fascinated and impressed by John. An orphan who, by age 17, had become a multimillionaire, able to support and run a household singlehandedly -- it was beyond what most could imagine.
The more they interacted with him, the more they questioned their own lives. Given his experiences and the way he spoke, it was hard to believe he was just a 17-year-old. To Kenny and Mansour, John truly seemed like a prodigy, someone born to achieve greatness.
They couldn't help but admit that comparing themselves to him was pointless. Both were considered young talents, but their success was built on family foundations. Without that, neither believed they could reach the level John had achieved.
Now, they regarded John as an equal, treating him as a peer, but didn't underestimate him. That was the first of John's goals fulfilled.
Before long, Kenny and Mansour invited John to join them for a day trip to Santa Monica Beach the next day. Though John had already been there, he agreed given their circumstances. Once they heard his yes, Kenny and Mansour took their leave.
Initially, John suggested they just rest at his place for the night since they had been drinking, but Kenny said they'd already booked a room nearby at the Hilton. Soon, a car arrived to pick them up.
---
The next morning, Kenny and Mansour quickly arrived at John's villa. At that moment, John was just waking up.
As John, Joseph, and Bob got into the car and left, they noticed another vehicle trailing behind Kenny and Mansour's car -- probably security. The three cars lined up and headed toward Santa Monica.
The drive only took about half an hour. The lead car didn't stop until they reached a luxurious, two-story beachfront mansion occupying at least 5,000 square feet.
John couldn't help but be speechless. 'I'm just here to hang out -- do we really need to be this extravagant?'
"John, what do you think? Nice place, huh?" Kenny grinned, noticing John's gaze surveying the surroundings.
As everyone disembarked, John realized besides the three of them, Kenny and Mansour's group had five others -- likely security detail.
When the three security guards approached, John's eyes lit up.
...
Not because he was impressed by their strength, but because he finally saw what real personal security professionals looked like in person.
He'd never dealt with top-tier security before.
Though Joseph and Bob acted as his bodyguards, they were better suited for offense rather than protection. Joseph, a former Navy SEAL, specialized in taking out enemies, while Bob's background was in underground fighting. Neither was truly trained as personal security professionals.
The three men all wore suits and ties, sporting earpieces for communication. John sensed they were armed as well, clearly licensed to carry.
He thought, 'When I start my own security company, I want Joseph and Bob to get certified and trained properly. Then I'll have a real team to show off.'
For now, he could only admire them from afar.
...
Kenny then led everyone inside the mansion. As John looked around the lavish house, he realized just how far off he was from the world of old money and elite families.
Kenny assigned rooms and mentioned there were plenty of casual clothes available for them. After all, no one came to the beach in suits and ties.
...
John didn't wait long. He changed into fresh swim trunks and a short tank top, threw on sunglasses, and slung a Leica camera -- nicknamed the "King of Cameras" -- around his neck. He looked every bit the casual tourist, just like Kenny and Mansour.
Bob and others stayed in formal wear. Especially Bob, who would've likely switched to casual if not for mimicking the professional vibe of Kenny's security team.
Finally, John, Kenny, and Mansour walked out of the mansion laughing and joking, while Joseph and Bob trailed behind.
Bob occasionally whispered to Joseph, sometimes pointing at the professional security guys, probably asking what it took to become a personal bodyguard.
Though Joseph was more of a combat expert, he'd occasionally done security work during his special forces service and was more than capable of coaching Bob.
---
The three friends strolled along the famous Santa Monica Beach, cameras snapping as beautiful women in bikinis passed by.
Many of the women boldly struck poses before their cameras, feeding the trio's excitement with frequent shutter sounds.
Amid all the sights, John, focused on framing a perfect shot, suddenly felt a soft body bump into his back accompanied by a gentle "ouch."
Startled, he turned to see a woman in a pink, sheer summer dress who had stumbled on the sand, supporting herself with her hands. She was wearing sunglasses and frowned slightly.
"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?" John immediately lowered his camera to help her up.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. But be careful -- you don't want to start knocking people over while you're taking photos," she replied, adjusting her sunglasses as she looked at him.
"I'm really sorry, I'll be careful," he said, carefully helping her to stand comfortably.
Kenny and Mansour stood nearby, chuckling at John's misstep, occasionally nodding and commenting, earning John's eye-roll.
"Do you want to check if you need medical attention?" he asked, still worried.
A fresh scent of perfume mixed with her natural scent wafted past him.
"No, I'm fine. You just be more careful next time," she said with a smile. John realized his youthful face still spared him a lot of trouble and sometimes special treatment.
"Good to hear, beautiful. I'm John Leighton, from Los Angeles, just here for some fun," he said, still unable to get a full look at her face behind those large sunglasses but feeling a sense of familiarity.
From what he could tell, she had clear skin, stunning looks, elegant bearing, and a tall figure -- a rare beauty indeed.
"I'm Aishwarya Rai; I'm here on vacation," she replied.
*****
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