Nicole didn't even realize she'd started walking faster.
Her heels clicked sharply against the hallway floor, each step fueled by the same thought pounding in her skull like a warning siren:
They're doing it again.
Talking over her.
Deciding for her.
Wrapping her life in rules and fear like she was something fragile they had to carry instead of a person who could stand on her own.
Behind her, she could hear them.
Two sets of footsteps.
One steady and controlled.
The other sharp with urgency.
Gu Sean and Xan.
"Nicole—wait."
Her name came from Gu Sean first, low and strained, like he was forcing calm over panic.
Then Xan's voice followed, quieter but tighter.
"Nicole, don't do this."
She kept walking.
Her chest burned, throat tight, eyes stinging—rage and exhaustion twisting together until she couldn't tell which one she was breathing.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside without looking back.
But before they could close—
Xan's hand shot out, stopping them.
Gu Sean stepped in.
The space instantly felt smaller.
Nicole turned, finally facing them.
Her voice was sharp. "Don't."
Gu Sean's gaze held hers. "You can't go to that meeting."
Nicole laughed once—short and humorless. "Watch me."
Xan's jaw flexed. "He's dangerous."
Nicole's eyes flashed. "So am I."
Gu Sean took a step toward her. "Nicole, please—"
"Stop using my name like it's a leash," she snapped. "I'm going."
Gu Sean's face tightened, not angry—hurt.
"Why are you so determined to walk into danger?" he asked, voice rough.
Nicole's lips trembled—but she didn't let herself soften.
"Because I'm tired," she said quietly. "I'm tired of being scared. And I'm tired of being protected in ways that feel like control."
The elevator doors opened again when they reached the lobby.
Nicole pushed past both of them and marched outside into the cool air.
And she felt them follow.
Not grabbing her.
Not stopping her.
Just close enough to make her feel their presence pressing at her back like gravity.
She walked right to the curb… then stopped.
A sharp breath. A small shake of her head.
Then she spun around suddenly.
Both men froze.
Gu Sean's expression was tight with restrained panic.
Xan's was darker—like he was holding himself back from something violent.
Nicole pointed at them, eyes blazing.
"I'm going," she repeated, voice shaking. "And if either of you tries to stop me, I will scream so loud the whole city will hear how Director Gu Sean and Xan Lee tried to force their way into my life again."
Gu Sean's jaw clenched.
Xan's gaze sharpened.
Nicole didn't wait for an answer.
She shoved past them again—shoulder brushing Gu Sean's coat, knocking into Xan's arm—and walked right back inside Ash's building.
They followed.
Because they couldn't not.
⸻
Ash's Apartment — The War Room Reveal
When Nicole opened Ash's door, she expected comfort.
Maybe Ash yelling.
Maybe Ash hugging her.
Maybe Ash telling her she was being reckless.
What she didn't expect was…
Chaos.
The apartment looked like a crime investigation center.
Ash's living room and kitchen had been transformed into a full-blown war room.
The coffee table was covered in printed screenshots, time stamps, meeting confirmations, security camera angles, and typed statements.
The kitchen counter had laptop screens open, sticky notes slapped everywhere, highlighters uncapped like weapons.
There were photos of the yacht.
A timeline drawn in thick black marker on poster board.
Even a name circled aggressively:
LENNEL.
Nicole stopped in the doorway, blinking in disbelief.
"Ash…" her voice cracked. "What is this?"
Ash turned around with a wild, determined expression.
"Oh good," she said, hands on her hips. "You're here. Because you're not going anywhere until you see this."
Nicole stared. "You did all this…?"
Ash pointed at the evidence like she was presenting in court. "I sure did. Because I'm not losing you. Not again. Not to your family. Not to Gu Sean's secrets. Not to Xan's quiet suffering. And definitely not to that psycho yacht man."
Gu Sean stepped inside behind Nicole, gaze scanning the room.
His expression darkened.
Xan entered last—and the second he saw the evidence laid out, something in him went still.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Ash wasn't guessing.
Ash had built a case.
Nicole slowly walked forward, fingertips brushing the edge of the table.
This wasn't just concern.
This was strategy.
This was control—the right kind.
Her shoulders sagged, exhaustion rushing in.
"What… are you planning?" Nicole asked quietly.
Ash's eyes lit up like a fire.
"We're planning to end Lennel," she said. "Legally."