Chapter 5: Unspoken Wars
"Oh, look who we have here," Leo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He raised his glass and gave a mock bow. "The perfect son is back. Did you miss Mummy and Daddy, huh?"
Damien said nothing.
He stood at the base of the stairs, one hand still casually tucked into his pocket, his expression unreadable.
"Tell those ladies to leave," he said flatly, eyes flicking toward the two Latina girls clinging awkwardly to each other.
Leo scoffed, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Why the hell should I tell my guests to leave?"
Damien's gaze didn't waver. "I won't repeat myself."
His tone dropped. Firm. Cold. Unmistakably final.
Sofia and Tiara stood frozen behind the railing. Neither dared speak. The air had shifted—thick, tense. Even the girls Leo brought in started to fidget under the weight of the silence.
Leo chuckled mockingly. "Oh, I'm so scared. Big brother's gonna kiss my ass."
He took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "Listen, if you think I'm scared of you think again, bro. I ain't scared of shit."
He inched closer to Damien, practically nose-to-nose now.
The tension crackled like a live wire.
Even the girls were backing away slowly, glancing nervously at the door.
Finally, Sofia stepped forward, voice cracking slightly. "Listen, boys enough of this nonsense! Leo, tell those girls to leave. Now!"
Leo smirked. "Make me, Mother."
Before anyone could react, Damien grabbed Leo by the collar, pulling him just enough to force stillness between them.
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't flinch.
"I told you not to make me repeat myself," Damien said, eyes locked with his brother's.
Sofia gasped. Tiara's mouth fell open.
Leo's grin widened, but there was tension beneath it. "Oh… you finally grew some balls, huh?"
Without releasing Leo, Damien turned to the two girls.
"Leave."
His voice was low, but the look in his eyes was enough to send chills down their spines.
The girls didn't wait for a second warning—they grabbed their things and bolted out the door.
Damien let go of Leo's collar, brushing it off like nothing happened.
"Get yourself an apartment," he said, tone cool as ever. "You want to do your bullshit, do it somewhere else. This is our family's house. No disrespect will be tolerated. Ever."
Then, as calmly as he'd entered, Damien turned around and headed back upstairs, not looking back.
Leo stared after him, seething.
"Damn you all... this damn family!" he shouted, voice echoing through the grand hall before storming up to his room.
Sofia exhaled deeply, her hand on her chest. "Oh my God..."
Tiara popped another chip into her mouth, smirking.
"I just love my family," she said, voice drenched in sarcasm.
Back at Zara's House
Jessica groaned as she struggled to drag Zara out of the Uber.
"Ugh, girl, I didn't know you were this heavy," she muttered, Zara's arm slung over her shoulder. "I thought you said you were watching your weight."
Zara, barely conscious, mumbled, "I want... cheese."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."
She swiped the special VIP access card and pushed open the front door. At the Williams residence, not even friends could get in without that card each close family connection had their own.
They stumbled into the grand living room, the lights dimmed and quiet.
"Oh, what a mess," said Teejay, Zara's younger brother, without looking up from his PS5 controller. "She's wasted."
Jessica shot him a glare. "Thanks for the help, nuthead."
Then louder: "Tee, come help me with your damn sister!"
Teejay sighed and paused his game. "Why didn't you take her back to her apartment? I thought she was done with alcohol."
Jessica huffed as she struggled with Zara's limp body. "Well, a little booze once in a while won't kill her. Besides, your sister's going through a lot right now. She needs some kind of distraction."
Teejay finally got up and helped Jessica steady Zara onto the couch.
"Yeah, she needs a new boyfriend. That David guy's a jerk."
Jessica scoffed. "Wanna go burn down his house?"
Teejay grinned. "Nah. I've got a tournament to catch. Maybe next week."
As he returned to his game, Jessica looked around. "Ugh, where's Julia?"
"Dunno," Teejay answered without glancing away from his screen. "Probably in the study plotting some lame-ass plan to get her daughter married off."
Jessica snorted. "Classic Julia."
Zara groaned softly from the couch, curling into herself like a hungover baby seal.
Jessica sighed, kicking off her heels. "What a night."
The Morning After
Zara stirred under the sheets, wincing as sunlight poured through the curtains and landed squarely on her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning softly before rolling over.
A familiar voice snapped her halfway into consciousness.
"What on earth happened to you last night?"
Zara blinked, her vision adjusting to the blurry figure standing at the edge of her bed—arms folded, posture rigid.
"Mum?" she mumbled, her voice raspy. "What are you doing here?"
Julia Williams looked far from amused. "I heard you went on an alcohol spree. Again."
Her arms tightened across her chest. "Zara, I thought you said you stopped drinking!"
Zara rubbed her eyes, yawned, and slowly sat up. "Can we not do this lecture thing right now? I had a rough day."
"I don't care how rough it was. Answer me, young lady."
Zara groaned as she got out of bed, dragging herself toward the bathroom. "I just needed to clear my head, Mum. That's it."
Julia's tone sharpened. "What happened at work? What did that witch Stei Fontaine do this time?"
Zara paused in front of the mirror, then sighed. The damage was done—might as well spill it.
"She said my collection looked like brunch-core. That it wouldn't sell in the current market. She literally called it 'mid', Mum. In front of everyone."
She reached for her toothbrush and squeezed a dollop of paste onto it.
"I spent nearly a year designing that line, and she trashed it like it was some TikTok knockoff."
Julia's eyes widened. "That bitch! What the hell is her problem? No wonder she's been divorced four times—she can't keep a man, let alone her mouth shut."
"Mum!" Zara chuckled, despite herself.
Julia was on a roll now. "I'm serious! She's probably spiraling through menopause and taking it out on every woman more successful than she ever was. Bitter old bag."
Zara shook her head, brushing her teeth. "Whatever she's going through, I don't want any part of it. She can have her mood swings in peace."
Julia moved closer, gently tucking a stray curl behind Zara's ear. Then she picked up the facial scrub from the vanity and started helping her arrange her skincare.
"My dear," she said softly, "you know every disappointment is just a setup for a greater breakthrough. Sometimes failure is the universe redirecting you to something even better."
Zara nodded, rinsing her mouth. "Yeah, yeah, I know, Mum. Life lessons and all that."
She checked the time on her Apple Watch and jumped. "Shit—I'm so late."
She grabbed the scrub from Julia and began applying it in quick strokes.
Julia sighed behind her. "Try not to drink the whole liquor store next time, okay?"
"No promises," Zara muttered with a smirk.