Laura's eyes flashed with cold fury. Under her breath, she muttered, "Damn it! This is what you forced me to do."
The feud between her and Anita had always been a covert one. Despite both women knowing full well the depths of their rivalry, they had always kept a certain boundary—an unspoken rule.
For Laura, ruining Anita's reputation had always been the first step in her plan. Only after that could she even think of delivering the final blow. But now, with the appearance of John, everything had changed.
John's actions, the way he had manipulated things behind the scenes, had infuriated Laura. In her mind, if they couldn't fight in the shadows, then it was time for a direct confrontation. John had crossed the line.
Julian, who had worked closely with Laura for years, had never seen her so enraged. He quickly guessed what she was planning, and fear gripped him.
"Laura, the man beside Anita—he's... a monk," Julian blurted out, his voice laden with warning.
He had said this more than once before, but now the words hung heavier in the air. Monks—and even more so, martial artists—were not of this world. They operated on a level beyond mortal reach. To provoke them was a death wish.
And cultivators? Julian didn't even dare to speak the word aloud. The Martial Arts League could barely suppress them, let alone confront one head-on. But what did Laura care about such things?
She scoffed, her eyes cold. "Don't think I don't know what's going through your head. You're scared I'll drag you into this. Well, if you're afraid, get out of here now."
Julian's head dropped, and for a moment, he was silent. Fear churned in his stomach.
When he had first suspected John might be a monk, he had wanted to pull away, to retreat. But under Laura's relentless pressure, he had gone along with it. Now, as her anger flared, the urge to distance himself was stronger than ever.
"This was your grudge, not mine," Julian muttered. "I don't want to get involved."
Money was good, but it didn't mean anything if you were dead.
Before he could say more, Laura cut him off with a malicious sneer. "You helped expose my privacy with Danson, didn't you?"
Julian's blood ran cold.
In the paparazzi world, nothing ever happened alone. Everything was done through a team effort. And Julian had been Danson's right-hand man when the scandal involving Laura and a member of the Swift family had been exposed.
When Danson fled abroad, Julian was left behind. Laura had caught him before he could escape, and, terrified, he had agreed to work for her.
Years had passed, and Julian thought Laura had forgotten about that time. But today, she brought it up again.
"Laura, I—" Julian began, but Laura wasn't having it.
"I could have turned you into a stray dog like I did with Danson," she said coldly. "But I showed mercy and gave you a chance. But that doesn't mean you're any less of a dog."
Her words were like daggers, and Julian flinched at the sharpness of her tone.
"You think I've turned you into something more than a dog, don't you?" Laura continued, her voice dripping with scorn. "I didn't. I just took you in from the street and gave you bones to eat. You think you're a person now? You're nothing."
The words cut deep, and Julian couldn't respond. He could feel the weight of her power, and how helpless he truly was in this world.
The air around them grew suffocating. The other paparazzi in the room shifted uncomfortably, realizing that if their boss was just a dog in Laura's eyes, then what were they?
Who could feel comfortable with those words hanging over them?
Laura glanced at Julian with disdain. "Don't take it personally. Keep working for me, and you'll be rewarded. Stay out of this monk business, and I'll deal with it myself."
It was a clear case of carrot and stick.
Julian had once been a rising star in the paparazzi world, much like Danson. He was the kind of weapon Laura needed in her arsenal. After all, stars like Anita didn't have the scandals that could be exposed. So Laura kept Julian close—too close to risk losing him.
Her words made it crystal clear: his life belonged to her now, and there was no escape.
Julian let out a slow breath, trying to release the knot of anger and fear that had formed in his chest. "Thank you for your... tolerance, Laura."
He didn't dare ask her what she planned to do with John. As long as he wasn't asked to photograph him, he would stay out of it. That was all he could hope for now.
Laura stood up, her expression impassive. "You and your team can rest for now. Once I'm done with John, you can go back to taking pictures of Anita."
Her tone was final, her thoughts already on her next move. She had originally planned to expose John's connection with Anita, but instead, he had turned the tables. Now, Laura was done playing games.
She would take care of him.
The next morning, Laura made her way to Rochester Airport, determined to return to Houston.
Back with the Swift family, she told her husband, Alger, everything that had happened in New York.
Alger, already familiar with the animosity between Laura and Anita, tried to soothe her. "Don't let this get to you, sweetheart. So it's just a monk. If we ask the White Dragon King for help, we can make him vanish."
His words were meant to comfort her, but then he added, almost as an afterthought, "And by the way, I've got good news. The one from the Long family is dying."