He threw the cigarette out, stepped into the car, and slammed the door behind him.
"Harper," he said, settling into the seat. "Thankfully you brought the idea of liquidating those people's assets. I'm sure they would've started rising against me by now."
She gave a slight nod, eyes fixed ahead. "Yes. They would've. But right now, they're all at your mercy."
"They can only get funds from me if they repent and decide to do clean business."
"Still… be careful of those in politics. They're the most dangerous."
A cocky grin tugged at his lips. "I have the highest man in the country behind me. Do you think the president will support those people over me? Nah."
"You don't even have anything to fear," she said quietly. "You're doing the right thing. You're trying to make things right."
His tone softened. "Yeah. I let Logan off for now because he hasn't done any serious crime yet. And his union's big. But he's not backing down."
"He will."
He glanced at her. "He still has a courtesan to support him. He'll use Angel to rally the other men."
"True. We have to do something," she murmured.
"They can still go into the courtesan house for their companions."
"Angel and Olivia go hard for their companions. I'll take care of them for you. There'll be no chance for them to gather support."
He raised a brow. "You can do that?"
A smirk curved her lips. "Trust me."
He reached out, squeezed her hand. "Thank you, baby."
"It's fine."
The next morning at the courtesan house, Harper was about to take her seat in class when someone gripped her arm from behind.
Smack!
A sharp slap landed across her cheek, snapping her head to the side.
"What the hell, Angel?!" she shouted, clutching her face as pain bloomed across her skin.
Angel's eyes blazed. "You! What have you done to Logan's business?! He was yelling at me like a madman last night!"
Harper straightened, her voice steady but seething. "He didn't tell you what he did?"
"Don't question me!" Angel snapped.
Harper narrowed her eyes. "Did he tell you he was trafficking kids?"
Angel froze. "What?"
"He just started. We stopped him before he got in too deep."
Angel scoffed, but her voice faltered. "Logan doesn't do that."
"Well, he did. And we stopped it."
"What's your business with that, huh?" Angel's tone rose, trembling with anger.
"I'm only working for my companion. I'm doing my job."
"Your companion, my foot!" Angel snapped. "You're making enemies with a lot of courtesans over those stupid regulations you people are pushing!"
Harper stared at her without flinching. "I don't think I'm making enemies for doing my job. It's just you and Olivia who don't know when to stop."
A chair scraped loudly behind them. Olivia stood abruptly, her expression twisted in rage.
"What? Did you just mention my name, Blue?"
Harper's eyes flicked toward her. "I did."
"How dare you!" Olivia stormed closer, her voice rising. "You also put Noah in trouble! His field got burned down because of you!"
Harper's brows shot up. "Oh… you knew about the damn field and said nothing, Olivia?"
"Stop provoking me, Blue! I can kill you!"
Harper stepped forward, defiant. "Then try it. You and Angel together still couldn't do anything to me."
Smack!
Olivia's hand flew again, and Harper's face turned with the force of the slap. She staggered slightly, her breathing sharp, nostrils flaring.
"I swear, I'm going to kill these girls!" Harper growled, rolling up her sleeve, ready to fight. But then her eyes darted sideways—Fransisca was walking past.
She hesitated.
Harper's gaze never wavered. She stepped closer, grabbed Olivia's wrist, and pinned it against her chest with a smirk.
"What are you—" Olivia started, confused.
Before she could pull away, Harper used Olivia's hand as leverage and shoved herself backward. Her body flung toward the wall.
Crack!
Her head collided hard against it, and she slumped to the ground with a sickening thud.
"Ahhh!" Freya screamed. She rushed to Harper and shoved Olivia aside. "What have you done to her?! Why did you push her?!"
"I didn't! I didn't push her!" Olivia's voice came out hollow, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at her hand.
"She's bleeding!" Freya cried. "Look at her head! You've killed her!"
"What's going on here?" Fransisca's cold voice sliced through the chaos as she stepped fully into the room.
"Madam!" Freya shouted. "Olivia pushed my courtesan! Blue is badly wounded—she's bleeding! She wanted to kill her!"
Fransisca's gaze turned sharp. "Did you push Blue?"
Olivia stood there, dumbfounded. "I… I didn't! I don't know how she fell! She pushed herself!"
Fransisca raised a brow. "She pushed herself?"
"She was fighting with Blue! She slapped her, then suddenly she fell!"
"Did you slap her?" Fransisca's voice dropped low.
"No, madam!"
Fransisca crouched beside Harper, gently touching her cheek. Both sides of her face were flushed with red handprints.
"You just said you didn't hit her," she said without looking up. "Then what happened to her face?"
"It wasn't intentional, madam. I'm very sorry!" Olivia said, her voice cracking.
"Sage, bring Blue to her room. Jesse, call the doctor."
"Yes, madam," they both answered swiftly, and Harper was carefully lifted and carried out of the class.
Fransisca slowly stood up, her voice icy. "You harmed a courtesan, Olivia."
"I'm sorry, madam! I didn't mean to do it!"
"Twelve hours punishment. Kneel in front of the courtesan house."
"Madam!" Olivia gasped, but Fransisca wasn't finished.
"You are banned from all activities for the next six months. Do not enter the casino either."
"That's too extreme!" Olivia cried, her voice breaking.
"Then don't commit a crime next time," Fransisca snapped. Her heels clicked sharply as she walked out without another word.
Olivia dropped to her knees, face pale with shock.
"It's over for me," she whispered. "It's finally over."
Gasps rippled through the class.
"Oh my God… Olivia's subscription ends in two months," one girl murmured. "She won't be able to find a new companion until the six-month ban is over…"
"She's going back to the regular courtesan hall?" another whispered, stunned. "That's crazy…"
"Shut up, Violet!" Olivia barked.
But another girl spoke up, smirking. "Watch out for yourself too, Angel. Who knows where you'll end up tomorrow?"
"Bitch!" Angel snapped and stormed out of the room, her heels pounding angrily against the floor.