Chapter 59

Laura's POV

I stumbled into the mansion, my legs trembling beneath me. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, begging for mercy. I was done. Finished. Exhausted.

Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

Everything hurt. My legs felt like they had been through a meat grinder, my arms were noodles, and my pride? Oh, my pride was dead. Dylan had wrecked me. I had spent the entire session getting tossed around like a damn rag doll, and now every single step I took was pure torture.

And it was all Kelvin’s fault.

“That manipulative, arrogant, controlling son of a—” I gritted out as I dragged myself down the hallway, cursing him under my breath.

If I had one ounce of energy left in my body, I’d march straight to his office, flip his stupid, expensive desk over, and wring his neck. But as it was, I barely had the strength to make it to my room in one piece.

Katie, who had been waiting for me in the living room, took one look at me and burst into laughter.

"Oh my God, you look like you got hit by a bus," she wheezed, practically doubling over.

I glared at her. Or, well, I tried to glare, but it probably looked more like a weak blink.

"Shut up, Katie," I muttered, wobbling past her. "If you have even an ounce of kindness in your soul, you’ll help me to my room before I collapse and die on this damn floor."

Still snickering, she rushed to my side and threw an arm around me, taking some of my weight. "Alright, alright, come on, you big baby. Let’s get you to bed before you start crying."

I groaned, letting her half-carry me toward my suite. "I might cry anyway."

"Not surprised," she teased.

As we walked, I caught a glimpse of Dylan lingering in the hallway, leaning casually against the wall, watching us with a smirk that made me want to punch him.

"Bastard," I muttered, shooting him the dirtiest look I could manage.

His smirk widened. "You did alright, princess."

"Go to hell."

"Already there."

I flipped him off as Katie steered me toward my door, but before I turned away, I caught the briefest exchange of a glance between them. It was quick.

Dylan’s smirk softened just a fraction, and Katie? Her usual teasing expression faltered, something unreadable flashing through her eyes before she quickly looked away.

Interesting.

I said nothing, but I filed it away for later.

Right now, I had bigger problems, like not collapsing before reaching my bed.

The second we made it inside my room, I practically fell onto the mattress, groaning dramatically as my body screamed in protest.

"I hate him,” I declared, staring at the ceiling. "I swear to God, Katie. I hate Kelvin with every fiber of my being."

She snorted, pulling off my sneakers. "No, you don’t."

"I do. I really do. The man is a demon."

"You sure it’s not just your pride that’s hurt?"

"My everything is hurt!" I snapped, throwing an arm over my face. "That psychopath put me through hell! I have never been this exhausted in my life!"

"Sounds like someone’s mad she’s not invincible," she teased, tossing my sneakers aside.

I growled."Katie, if you value our friendship, you will shut up and bring me painkillers."

Laughing, she grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to me. "Fine, fine. I’ll be nice, for now."

I sat up just enough to take a few sips, grimacing as my muscles ached.

I sighed, placing the water bottle on the nightstand before rubbing my temples. "You know what pisses me off the most?"

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Besides the fact that you’re sore in places you didn’t even know existed?"

I shot her a look but continued. "I didn’t even choose to go to that damn gathering, but somehow, I’m the one suffering for it."

At that, Katie stiffened. It was subtle, just a slight tension in her shoulders, but I noticed it immediately.

She hesitated, then asked carefully, "So… are you going to the gathering?"

I exhaled slowly, tilting my head back against the pillows. "Yes."

She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she just stared at me, her expression unreadable.

"You don’t have to," she said finally. "You could just—"

"I have to," I cut in, my tone firm. "Kelvin wants me there, which means there’s a reason. And I’m not about to disappoint."

Katie pressed her lips together like she wanted to argue, but in the end, she just let out a breath and nodded. "Alright. But if that bastard makes you train again tomorrow, I’m tripping him down a flight of stairs."

I chuckled, wincing at the ache in my ribs. "Deal.”

I still noticed her worried look as her brows squeezed together in a frown.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Okay, what’s with the look?"

She blinked, her frown smoothing out almost too quickly. "What look?"

"The one you just gave me. You look like you just swallowed something bitter."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "You’re imagining things, Laura."

I pushed myself up slightly, ignoring the way my muscles protested. "Katie," I said, voice softer now. "Is something wrong?"

For a split second, something flickered in her eyes, something hesitant, uncertain. But then, just as quickly, she plastered on a smile and shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing’s wrong," she said, too easily. "I just—" She paused, then sighed, her expression shifting to something I couldn’t quite read. "I just hope you know what you’re doing."

I frowned. "Of course, I do."

She studied me for a moment longer, then let out a small laugh, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Right. Well, good luck, then."

Before I could say anything else, she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

"Katie—"

"Get some rest, Laura," she cut in, throwing me one last fleeting glance before slipping out of the room.

I stared at the closed door for a long moment, my mind replaying the strange tension in her voice, the way her usual playful demeanor had dimmed.

Something was definitely wrong.