Contract termination

The sharp sound of a door slamming open tore through the tension like a blade.

"What the hell is going on here?!" someone shouted from the back.

All heads turned. Quincy stormed in like a wave of fury—his eyes blazing, fists clenched, radiating pure rage.

"What happened to Harper?" he barked, chest heaving.

"She was poisoned," someone murmured in a shaky voice.

Quincy's face twisted. "Poisoned? Someone tried to kill her?"

"Yes."

"Who?" His voice roared, echoing off the high ceilings. "I said who!!"

Everyone shrunk back in fear, like mice before a lion.

"The evidence is pointing to Angel," one voice said, barely above a whisper.

Quincy's head snapped toward her.

"Angel? That damn bitch again?" He strode forward, fast and brutal, and without a second thought, grabbed Angel by the neck.

She gasped, choking for breath as her hands clawed at his wrist.

"Why did you poison her?!"

"I did not!" she wheezed out, her face reddening. "I did not poison her!"

"You really hated her that much that you have to poison her? I'm gonna kill you, I swear—"

Quincy threw her back with a shove. She stumbled and hit the floor, coughing hard.

"Let her go! Francisca snapped

"Never!" he growled. 

"She is a courtesan—you can't touch a courtesan!"

He stepped forward, voice tight with authority. "Courtesans, my foot! I'm gonna kill her if anything happens to Harper."

Fransisca moved in quickly, placing herself between Quincy and Angel.

"We will serve her punishment according to the courtesan house rules."

"And what will be the punishment?" Quincy asked, turning to Fransisca, voice cold, but lethal.

Angel stood in the back, gasping and trembling, her face pale.

"She will be removed from the Noble Courtesan Hall."

"And?"

"That is the punishment, since Blue is not dead."

"No!" Quincy thundered. "Remove her as a courtesan completely! I don't wanna see her anymore!"

"What?! No! You can't do this to me!" Angel cried, stepping forward in disbelief.

"Terminate her contract completely. She is gone," Quincy declared without hesitation.

Angel's eyes widened in horror.

"Quincy! This is the courtesan house—you can't control things here! We have rules! And I didn't harm Blue!"

He stepped forward slowly, smiling bitterly. "You really think that I don't control things here, Angel?"

"Of course you don't! My contract can't be terminated because you said so. It's against our law for a client to do that!"

"Fuck your law!" Quincy's voice cracked like a whip. "I make the rules here. If I want you out, then I want you out! You harm a courtesan, and I want you gone!"

Angel squared her shoulders, tears brimming in her furious eyes.

"Who do you think you are, Quincy? This is not your territory. Go and control somewhere else!"

Quincy let out a bitter scoff and turned to Fransisca. "Please take care of this trash, ma'am." Without another word, he disappeared into the room, his coat flaring behind him.

Silence.

Angel was still catching her breath when Fransisca turned to her sharply.

"Why are you so foolish, Angel? Even at this point you still can't stop your mouth from running. Do you think before you speak?"

Angel growled, wiping her mouth. "I can run my mouth. Why is Quincy feeling so important?"

A courtesan shook her head. "Why are you getting on Quincy's bad side? Do you think he is someone you can offend?"

"I can offend anyone—I am a courtesan! Since I can't save myself from this situation, I will accept my punishment and move into the regular courtesans hall."

Fransisca's voice was low, almost pitying. "No. Quincy wants you out of the courtesan house completely."

Angel's voice cracked. "Are you following his words? Who does he think he is?!"

Another courtesan stepped forward, folding her arms. "Quincy owns the courtesan house."

Angel froze.

"What?" she whispered.

Someone exhaled beside her. "Oh my fucking God…"

Angel shook her head. "No! I can't believe that."

"Do you think Blue could move into the penthouse if it wasn't Quincy that owns here? He's the Dylan family leader. He owns the Shield Hotels as a whole. He wants you out of here completely."

Her lips quivered. "If he owns the courtesan house, then why didn't he send me out since all this while? He definitely hates me."

Fransisca stepped forward, her voice sharp. "Even though he owns here, he abides by the rules as well. He can't just throw you out because he wanted to. He has an obligation to protect all the courtesans… until you harm a fellow courtesan. That's when the house backs away from you and stops supporting you."

Angel blinked hard, the truth sinking like lead in her stomach.

"Now I get it! I'm getting kicked out because I harmed Blue? She did this intentionally. Why can't you believe me?"

Fransisca's eyes narrowed.

"She gave you cinnamon back then, and I also punished her for that. Why do you think I'm gonna spare you because I feel bad for you?"

Angel's voice cracked. "Can't you try and investigate?"

"No! Your time is over! Move out of the courtesan house now! Everything you got from here belongs to you now. You don't have to return anything back to us. Remember—whatever that happened in the courtesan house stays in the courtesan house. If you divulge anything… we will come after you."

Angel's jaw trembled as she glared at Fransisca. Her fists tightened.

Did I lose to Blue? she thought bitterly.

"Probably, girl. Your removal time starts now. Leave before I have the guards throw you out."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she turned around. Shoulders hunched, she staggered out of the penthouse. Her pace quickened, then broke into a run. She reached her room, slammed the door behind her, and collapsed onto the bed.

The sobs came in waves.

"My life is over! It's definitely over for me! I've been hiding under the wings of the courtesan house to protect myself… now where do I go to? What do I do with my life?"

She clutched her stomach, curling into herself. Her chest ached with fear.

"Logan will definitely kill me since I'm already useless to him now. What do I do? How did I lose myself so much and forget who I am? I only wanted to have as much money and power as possible… I wanted to be bigger than anybody else so I won't get trampled on… but I got trampled on by a 20-year-old? You really won against me, Blue…"

Her voice cracked again. She reached for the drawer beside her wardrobe and pulled out a brown envelope. She opened it slowly, fingers trembling.

As she read through the contents, tears blurred her vision again.

"I was bound to be doomed anyway… I might as well look for my little sister and have my final moments with her. She must have suffered a lot without me…"

She pulled the letter to her chest, sobbing quietly in the dim room—alone, broken, and lost.

Harper grabbed her quilt and held it tightly, her fingers trembling. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead as her body twisted slightly on the bed, caught in a feverish dream.

"Sister!" she called out weakly, voice barely above a whisper. Quincy, seated beside her, immediately gripped her hand, alarm flashing in his eyes.

"What's wrong? Harper?"

"My sister… Sincere… where are you?" Her voice cracked as tears welled up, sliding down the sides of her face.

"Harper, wake up, you're having a dream," Quincy said, brushing back the damp hair sticking to her face.

"Sister, please don't leave me!" she whimpered. "Sincere!" she suddenly screamed out and jerked up with a gasp, startling Quincy.

"Harper, are you okay?" he asked urgently, watching her eyes flutter open in panic.

She winced sharply, her hand flying to her stomach. "My tummy hurts! It hurts so much…"

"Harper!" Quincy's voice trembled.

"Jesse, call the doctor!"

"Yes sir!" Jesse rushed out instantly.

"Sincere! I need to see my sister… I need to see her, Quincy," she cried, her whole body shaking as fresh tears poured down.

"We will find her. I will do everything possible to find her for you," Quincy vowed, stroking her hand with desperation.

"I missed her so much… I really missed her…"

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm very sorry. Harper?" His voice pitched higher as she stopped responding. "Harper, look at me!"

He gently shook her. "Damnit! She passed out!"