Chapter 19
Nicholas pov
Eric didn't cry loudly. He wasn't the type to break down in a dramatic way, but the way he sat there head lowered, shoulders trembling slightly, hands clenched as though he was holding himself together, said enough.
The silence around him was heavier than any noise he could have made.
"I just wanted to protect her…" he whispered.
I watched him for a moment before moving closer and sitting beside him. The house was quiet again, but this time it felt different like something had been exposed that could no longer be hidden.
"Things change, Eric," I said calmly.
He let out a faint, almost broken laugh. "That's what everyone keeps saying," he replied under his breath. "But one thing hasn't changed. She's still my sister. I just didn't want her to go through all that again… I didn't want to be the reason everything she worked for falls apart."
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I leaned back slightly, studying him. He still saw her the same way he always had. That was the problem.
"You still think you're protecting her," I said quietly.
He frowned, lifting his head to look at me. "What does that mean?"
I exhaled slowly. "How about I tell you a secret."
His expression tightened slightly, and I continued.
"You know Kang Dae, Lee Joon… and me." He nodded. "We're not just businessmen," I said. "Our fathers weren't either. They were involved in both legal and illegal operations.
Some dealt in drugs, some in territory, others in weapons. My father, in particular, was one of the major gun suppliers."
Eric's expression shifted, confusion slowly giving way to something more unsettled.
"When my father found Laurel after the accident, she wasn't like she is now," I went on. "She wasn't talking to anyone. She didn't eat properly. Most of the time, she would just sleep or sit facing the wall, completely withdrawn."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"She was broken. The doctors said she needed to be around people constantly, otherwise her condition would worsen.
That's why I usually had Kang Dae and Lee Joon come over to my house. Sometimes they stayed for weeks before going back.
They were the only friends I had, so we were always around including my younger brother, Rain. That's how Kang Dae and Lee Joon met Laurel."
Eric stayed silent, listening carefully now.
"She didn't speak much," I added, "but she observed everything. She picked up on things quickly… faster than most people would expect."
I paused again, letting the memory settle before continuing.
"Then one day, everything changed."
There was a brief silence before I spoke again.
"There was a meeting in South Korea. All the major players from Asia and some from other countries were present. The rule was simple: no weapons in the meeting hall. It was supposed to be strictly for negotiations… making deals, closing agreements, and appointing new leaders."
Eric swallowed slightly, already sensing where this was going.
"It started off fine," I said. "Until the Chinese representatives suddenly changed their stance. Accusations were made. Tensions rose. Someone had leaked information, and just like that, no one trusted anyone in the room anymore."
I leaned forward slightly, my voice lowering.
"And then… everything turned into chaos."
Eric didn't move.
"People started fighting," I continued. "Not with guns at first, but with whatever they could grab chairs, glass, anything within reach. The entire room became something else entirely."
My expression hardened slightly as the memory resurfaced.
"My father tried to get Laurel out. He knew she shouldn't be there when things escalated."
A pause.
"He got stabbed."
Eric's breath caught quietly, his eyes widening slightly.
"And Laurel…" I exhaled slowly. "She didn't freeze. She didn't run."
I looked directly at her.
"I could see it in her eyes. Something that usually felt empty suddenly snapped into something cold… and fearless."
"She picked up a pair of scissors from a nearby table and hid them behind her back. The moment someone rushed toward my father again, she reacted without hesitation as she struck first splitting his throat open."
Silence settled again, heavier this time.
"At first, I thought it was self-defense," I said. "But it wasn't. There was something else in her eyes… a kind of controlled intensity. She moved with purpose. No one could get past her to reach my father. She stood between him and the chaos, and she didn't step back."
Eric's hands tightened slightly.
"She was injured during the fight," I continued. "Thrown against the wall, hit hard enough to lose her balance… she was bleeding everywhere, but she didn't stop. Not even then."
I held his gaze.
"She held her ground until the situation was over… taking down anyone who tried to cross her path with just a pair of scissors."
Another pause.
" And that changed everything."
Eric's voice came out quietly. "…Changed how?"
"She wasn't just someone waiting for life to end anymore," I said. "She became the terror people remembered. Someone they didn't underestimate. Not because she sought fear… but because of what she was capable of it when it truly mattered."
Eric looked down again, processing everything.
"Luckily, she didn't stay in that world forever."
After a moment, I continued.
"My dad later decided to look into her background. She had never answered when we asked about her parents. That's when we discovered the people we thought were her parents had actually adopted her. We searched further and found her biological family… but both of her real parents were gone. Her father had been a soldier who died in the field, and her mother passed shortly after giving birth to her."
I paused briefly.
"When she found out that we know already, she said she wanted to leave. She wanted to go back to Canada… to study and build a different life."
Eric asked softly, "Just like that?"
I nodded. "My father didn't question it. He was just relieved she wanted something better for herself."
Silence returned for a moment before I continued.
"She came back here and started over. Built a life that looked normal from the outside. She even began attending church, though she never really prayed. Most of the time, she would just sit quietly, as if she were having the deepest conversation within her own mind."
I paused.
"But what she went through… doesn't simply disappear."
Eric remained quiet.
"She chose this field for a reason," I said. "Oil and gas. Corporate environments. Industries filled with people who may not look dangerous on the surface but still operate in ways that aren't clean."
A faint shift crossed my expression.
"When I asked her why, she told me that was exactly who she was."
I exhaled softly.
"It suits her."
Eric finally looked up again.
"What about you?" he asked. "Are you still in the business?" he asked in a way that looks quite concerned.
I gave a small, knowing nod. "Not really but When one calls, all answer."
He hesitated for a moment before asking quietly, "Why are you telling me this?"
I met his gaze.
"Because the Laurel you think you're protecting…" I said calmly, "…is not someone who needs to be shielded the way you believe."
A pause.
"And if you handle this the wrong way. if you don't first protect yourself properly, you won't be saving her from anything."
Silence.
"You might end up pulling her back into a world she already fought to leave behind."
Eric didn't respond.
He just sat there, absorbing everything.
For the first time since this began, he wasn't trying to argue.
He was trying to understand.
And that… was where everything began to shift.