"Sam?"

Sam cleared her throat, "It's me, dad, I'm here with Mr. Rodrigo. Is mom there with you?" There was a pregnant pause, before her father sputtered, "Well, yes, she's home, but not with me right now. I'll call her over right now." 

They heard him shout, "Monica! Come over here, our daughter's calling!" It was followed by the sound of footsteps, then her mom's soft voice came out of the speaker, "Is that you, Sam?" She replied, "Yes, it's me, mom. I'm here with Mr. Rodrigo." 

There was another pause, before Mr. Rodrigo spoke. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I am Robert Rodrigo, CEO of Rodrigo Corps. United, and I'm speaking to you today regarding you daughter."

He paused to let the information sink in, then continued, "I've decided to hire her, since her skills are certainly up to standard and we need her on duty right away due to current circumstances. And so, I need her to sign a contract before she can start working. Yet, she tells me that you've told her not to sign anything without your permission."

"Well," her father sounded in shock, "We did tell her that. But if you really need her to start working right away, we can drive over and we can discuss things in person." Mr. Rodrigo thought for a moment, then asked, "How long will that take?" 

He replied, "Under ten minutes, Mr. Rodrigo."

He seemed satisfied with that answer. "Alright then, I'll send someone down to the lobby to take you both to the conference room when you arrive." Sam's mother chimed in, "Thank you, Mr. Rodrigo." He responded, "No problem. Also, please call me Robert, no need to be so formal. We look forward to your arrival." 

Then, he hung up.

Sam felt excited and nervous once more. This could be life changing for her. She was also curious what had happened to cause Mr. Rodrigo to be so upset. It probably had something to do with his daughter, since that was who she would be guarding. She hoped she wasn't hurt or anything.

Mr. Rodrigo noticed the worried look on her face and told her to relax, although he seemed worried and nervous himself as well. He picked up his phone again, and started using it. 

Sam wasn't so sure what to do, and felt slightly scared to have such a big responsibility on her shoulders if she did start working here. She started questioning if she even wanted this job. 

Each second felt like a century to her. Since she had nothing to do, she started playing on her phone just to try and take her mind off of things. 

It didn't work very well, so she kept peeking at Mr. Rodrigo. He looked neutral and calm, at least for the moment.

Sam decided to pick the contract up and read it again while they waited. She didn't fully understand some of the terms, and saw something that she'd somehow missed before. It was a contract for 3 years. She wasn't sure if she was ready to make such a big commitment. 

She'd never been a part of something so serious before.

Just as she felt as though she were about to explode with uncertainty, there was a gentle knock on the door. She looked up and saw her parents, who looked uneasy, and Mr. Cullingworth. Cedric opened the door, and her parents walked in. He then closed the door and backed out.

Mr. Rodrigo stood up. He seemed confident, and not at all like someone who was desperate and scared. "Please take a seat, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. We're delighted to have the chance to welcome you here, at Rodrigo Corps. United. I believe that we haven't been properly introduced yet."

He shook their hands firmly, and pulled out a chair for both of them. Her dad answered for the both of them as they sat down. "Thank you, Robert, the pleasure is all ours. I'm William Johnson, and this is my wife, Maria Johnson. You can call us by our first names as well."

Mr. Rodrigo had returned to his seat, and was smiling like a good host should. "Alright, William and Maria, I'm sure you already know who I am. I'm Robert Rodrigo, owner of Rodrigo Corps. United. You're here to discuss your daughter's contract."

He extracted two more copies of the contract from the briefcase and handed them to them. He continued, "Take as long as you need to look over it, and feel free to ask me about anything or if you want anything changed. But please keep in mind that there is currently an emergency, and that we cannot afford to waste any time."

Her parents nodded in acknowledgment and continued reading it. Sam clasped her hands together, fidgeting around, She felt beads of sweat form on the back of her neck. She thought, 'Is it just me, or is too hot in here?' 

Her mother looked up from the contract and gave her a comforting smile, as though sensing her feelings.

She then put down the contract and said, "It seems reasonable enough, Robert. But ther only part that I'm a little worried about is that the contract lasts 3 years. Don't you think that it's a little long? Sam has never even done bodyguarding before. Are you this confident in her?"

Mr. Rodrigo stroked his goatee as he thought, and replied, "I understand your concern, Monica, but we need her. We're a bit short on personal bodyguards and my daughter is in grave danger. As I told Sam earlier, I can only disclose information regarding the situation once the contract has been signed, in case of an information leak."

He sounded really serious. Sam's mom looked worried. She asked, "Is this job going to be that dangerous?" Mr. Rodrigo realised that this wasn't really helping his case, if not making it worse. "There's going to be a certain degree of danger, Monica, but it's nessesary."

He seemed somber and slightly anxious now. Sam could tell by the way his mouth twitched. "I don't have much of a choice. I can promise you that we will take certain measures to try and ensure her safety but being a bodyguard is of course, dangerous."

Sam's mom seemed very indecisive and didn't know what to do anymore. At this moment, Sam's dad, who'd been quietly reading the contract during their conversation, put the paper onto the table and looked up.

Sam, Sam's mom, and Mr. Rodrigo both looked at him expectantly. He twiddled his thumbs as he said, "I think the contract is in order. I have a few questions though, Robert." Sam knew that the thumb twiddling was a sign that her dad was worried. She felt concerned since he was rarely worried about anything.

Mr. Rodrigo seemed weary and responded, "Fire away, William."

Sam's dad seemed apologetic, seeing how desperate Mr. Rodrigo was. He picked up the contract again, and asked, "Why isn't she allowed to disclose any information regarding her cilent's situation to anyone?"