Chapter 18
Laurel pov
Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
The house carried a strange kind of calm like something had shifted, but no one was ready to acknowledge it yet.
Eun Woo stood by the door, luggage beside him.
"I'll be heading back to Korea now, Miss Davis," he said politely.
I nodded once.
"Send updates immediately if anything changes."
"Yes, ma."
He turned slightly.
"Goodbye."
"Safe trip," Nicholas replied from the couch.
Eric gave a small nod.
"Bye."
And just like that
He was gone.
The door closed.
Silence settled again.
"I'm heading out," Eric said after a moment. "School… then gym."
"Alright," I replied without looking up from my phone.
Everything sounded normal.
Too normal.
Until i went to work.
"Miss Davis, Mr. Charlie is requesting your presence."
" Why ?" I asked.
" He didn't say ma, but i think it was about the meeting with the CEO " my said said. " Okay" i replied.
I walked into the meeting room without hesitation.
He was already there.
Sitting comfortably.
Smiling.
"Miss Davis," he greeted.
"Mr. Charlie."
I didn't sit immediately.
"You've been busy," he said, leaning back.
"I always am."
He chuckled.
"Must be nice."
I didn't respond.
Then he said it.
"I guess that's what happens when you're sleeping with the CEO." he said smiling in my face.
Silence.
The room shifted.
"And here I am," he continued casually, "getting the smaller projects while you climb your way up."
I looked at him.
Slowly.
"Careful," I said.
He smirked.
"Or what?"
The air tightened.
For a moment
I almost moved.
But I didn't.
Instead, I straightened.
"You're not worth the energy," I said calmly.
Then I turned
And walked out.
But the anger?
It stayed.
By the time I got home
I was exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Nicholas looked up as I entered.
"You're back early."
"I'm tired," I said simply.
He studied me for a moment.
Something in my expression must have told him enough
Because he didn't push.
"Alright," he said.
I walked past him.
Upstairs.
I didn't want to deal with anything else today.
Not work.
Not people.
Not.....
The front door downstairs opened.
"Is Laurel back?" Eric's voice came through.
"Yes," Nicholas replied.
Footsteps.
Then silence.
Something felt off.
Nicholas noticed something was wrong .
"You're still wearing that?" he asked.
A pause.
"It's nothing," Eric replied.
The heater was on.
There was no reason for a scarf.
"Take it off," Nicholas said.
"I'm fine."
That was enough.
I stepped closer to the railing.
Nicholas didn't argue.
He just reached forward
And pulled the scarf off.
Silence.
"What is this?" he asked.
Then
"Who did this to you?"
That was it.
"Who did what to who?", i asked.
My voice cut through the space as I moved.
Fast.
By the time I reached them
Eric had already stepped back.
"It's nothing," he said quickly. "I fell while rushing on the stairs."
Nicholas didn't even look convinced.
"That isn't nothing."
I didn't say a word.
I just grabbed his arm, turned him and checked his neck , hands , i pulled his shirt slightly and they were all bruises on it.
My jaw tightened.
Everywhere.
This wasn't a fall.
This was deliberate.
Eric tried again.
"Laurel, it's fine"
I let go of him.
Turned.
Walked straight to the table.
Picked up my car keys.
"Let's go."
Nicholas stood up immediately.
"Laurel."
He moved in front of me.
Blocking my way.
"Step aside." i said.
"Let's do this properly," he said calmly. "Let's ask him what happened first."
I didn't look at him.
"I'm not going to say this twice, Nicholas."
Silence.
"Move."
Eric stepped forward.
"Laurel… I'm fine. I don't want you to lose your job. Those people are powerful. They can"
"Get up."
My voice dropped.
Lower.
Colder.
"Walk."
I stepped closer to him.
Close enough for him to see my face clearly.
And that was enough.
He froze.
Because he understood.
This wasn't negotiable.
Nicholas exhaled slowly behind me.
Then stepped aside.
We walked out.
No one spoke.
Not on the way to the car.
Not inside it.
Not even when the engine started.
Because we all knew
Something was about to happen.
Something that couldn't be undone.
The car came to a slow stop, the engine still running as silence settled inside. No one spoke. The air felt thick, heavy with everything that had been left unsaid since they left the house. Eric's fingers tightened slightly on his lap before he finally lifted his hand and pointed ahead.
"That's them."
I followed his gaze.
They were outside, exactly where he said they would be laughing, relaxed, completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened. As if they hadn't left bruises on someone else's body and walked away without consequence.
My eyes moved across them slowly.
And then i saw him.
Recognition came instantly.
One of the Page family's grandsons.
Of course.
A quiet breath left me, but there was nothing calm about it. If anything, it made the tension sharper, more dangerous.
"So that's how it is," I muttered under her breath.
The boy noticed us almost immediately. His expression shifted into something arrogant, almost amused, as if he had been expecting this. He straightened slightly, tilting his head as l stepped out of the car.
"Look who's back," he said lazily. "What? You Couldn't handle it alone, so you brought backup?"
I didn't respond.
She simply walked forward.
Slowly. Deliberately.
Each step measured, controlled, but carrying something beneath it that was anything but calm.
Behind her, Nicholas stepped out as well, his gaze already scanning the situation.
"Laurel," he said quietly, just enough for her to hear. "Go easy on them."
But it was already too late.
The boy smirked and gestured with his hand.
"Go."
They rushed her.
It happened fast movement, footsteps, fists coming from different directions. One came from her left, and I dodged easily, my body reacting on instinct before I struck back.
Another tried to grab me, but I twisted out of his hold and hit him harder than necessary.
I didn't think.
I didn't hesitate.
My body remembered.
Every movement was precise, efficiently.
And for a moment
I almost lost herself in it.
"Laurel don't."
Nicholas' voice cut through the chaos.
I paused.
"They're minors."
The words landed flatly.
My jaw tightened as i exhaled slowly, forcing herself to step back. The boys hesitated, clearly confused by the sudden shift. They didn't understand what had just stopped me, and they didn't need to.
That wasn't the point.
I reached into the car, pulling out the rope I had grabbed earlier. Within seconds, I and Nicholas moved again and before they could react, they were already on the ground, restrained, struggling against something they couldn't break free from.
The laughter from earlier was gone.
Replaced by panic.
I turned to Eric.
"Which ones?"
He hesitated, his eyes moving between the boys before finally settling on two of them.
"…Those two."
I nodded once.
"Good."
I loosened the rope just enough for them to move but not enough to escape.
Then she looked back at Eric.
"Hit them."
He froze.
"What?"
"The bruises on you," I said calmly. "I want them on their bodies."
"Laurel…" His voice came out softer this time, almost pleading. "Don't let us do this. I don't want you to ruin your life because of me."
I stepped closer.
There was nothing soft in her expression.
"You either do it," I said quietly, "or I will."
The silence that followed felt endless.
Nicholas stepped forward then, placing a firm hand on Eric's shoulder.
"Do it," he said in a low voice.
Eric didn't move.
Nicholas' grip tightened slightly.
"Or what happens next… will be worse."
Eric swallowed hard.
Then, slowly, he stepped forward.
The first hit was weak.
"Again," I said.
This time, it was stronger.
And then again.
With each hit, the hesitation faded, replaced by something else, something heavier. The boys stopped struggling, their earlier confidence completely gone as reality settled in.
Laurel watched the entire time.
Expressionless.
When Eric finally stepped back, breathing uneven, she moved again.
I walked straight to one of them, grabbing his hair and forcing his head up until their eyes met. Fear stared back at her, wide and uncontrollable.
Good.
"Listen carefully," I said, her voice low and steady.
"You touch him again…"
I paused, letting the words sink in.
"I wipe out your entire family."
The boy nodded immediately, too afraid to even speak.
"Do you hear me?"
Another quick nod.
I let go.
"Get in the car."
No one argued.
Nicholas guided Eric back gently, his hand still on his shoulder as they walked. The silence returned, but this time it was worse.
I got into the driver's seat and started the car without a word.
The drive back was tense.
I drove faster than usual, the road passing by in a blur as the anger I had held in earlier finally found somewhere to go.
"Laurel," Nicholas said. "Slow down."
I didn't respond.
"Laurel, get a hold of yourself."
The car came to a sudden stop.
I got out immediately.
The cold air hit me, but it didn't do much to calm the storm inside.
Eric followed her.
"Laurel"
She turned sharply.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want everything you worked for to go down the drain."
She stared at him.
"My parents already caused you pain," he continued, his voice shaking slightly. "I didn't want to add more."
"Things have changed, Eric."
"But one thing hasn't," he replied. "I didn't need your help then, and I don't need it now."
My expression hardened.
"He could have killed you," she said.
Silence followed.
"All of that for nothing."
Eric didn't answer immediately.
"Isn't that better?" he asked quietly. "Than you getting your hands bloody? Or your future going to waste?"
Something in me snapped.
"My future doesn't go to waste," she said coldly. "Unless I decide it does."
She took a step closer.
"And if anything happens to you… that future is already gone."
The words hung heavily between them.
Then I turned and walked back to the car.
Nicholas watched her carefully before speaking.
"Laurel… don't you think you were a bit harsh?"
I didn't respond.
"He still sees you as his sister," Nicholas continued. "The one who protected him. The one who suffered because of your parents."
Laurel's gaze stayed fixed ahead.
"Things change," I said quietly. "I'm not that person anymore."
"I know," Nicholas replied. "But he doesn't."
The words lingered.
"He's still trying to protect the person he knows," Nicholas added softly. "Give him time. Explain when you're ready."
Eric got back into the car.
Laurel didn't look at him.
She simply started the engine and drove.
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
When we got home, I didn't stop.
I walked straight inside, straight upstairs, and straight into my room.
The door slammed shut.
Locked.
And this time
She didn't come back out.
Downstairs, Eric stood there for a moment, unmoving.
Then slowly
He broke down,
Completely.