Shuri expected the cup to come toward her as she prepared to block it, but out of nowhere, a white ball-like object leaped and attacked Sophia, causing her to scream and drop the cup.
"What's this thing? Get it off me!" Sophia cried out.
"Grrrr!!!"
Shuri's eyes widened in shock as she realized that Snowball was clinging to Sophia's arm, his teeth sinking into her clothes, unwilling to release her.
"Snowball, no!" Shuri shouted, quickly grabbing Snowball into her arms before Sophia could push him away.
"Grrrrr!!! Yelp! Yelp!" Snowball continued to bark fiercely at Sophia.
"Your fucking dog dare bite me!!" Sophia screamed in rage, glaring at Snowball like she wanted him dead. "I'll fucking kill…"
Splash—
Before Sophia could finish her sentence, someone splashed a muddy puddle of water toward her, drenching her completely.
"Ahhh! What the..." Sophia exclaimed, her voice trailing off into a mix of disbelief and revulsion as she realized the foul state she was in.
The water, smelly and dirty, even carried the unmistakable odor of urine, a stark reminder of her surroundings in the dog cafe. Rage surged through her veins as she stood there, soaked and dripping, her branded clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin.
How dare they treat her like this?
Sophia narrowed her eyes in anger when she saw Karlene standing there with a smug look on her face, holding a mop bucket.
"Oops, sorry, my hands slipped..." Karlene's nonchalant apology only fueled Sophia's anger further.
"You…! How dare you! All of you won't get away with this!" Sophia's voice trembled with fury as she glared at Shuri and Karlene. "I'll report you all, and I'll sue you for every penny you've got! You'll regret ever messing with me!"
Her threat hung in the air as she stomped out of the café with her belongings.
"Why did you do that?" Shuri sighed helplessly as she faced Karlene and her other two staff. "Didn't I tell you not to interfere?"
"How could you expect us to sit still when that bitch was about to hit you?" Karlene clearly didn't think she was in the wrong for defending her sister.
She had to resort to releasing Snowball to attack Sophia because Irene and Joshua wouldn't allow her to go help Shuri. Then, taking advantage of the chaos Snowball had caused, Karlene splashed mop water on Sophia, so she'd have no choice but to leave.
Shuri shook her head with a sigh.
Karlene had no idea that Shuri had manipulated Sophia into attacking her. Shuri's plan was to use a minor injury caused by Sophia to gain leverage over her. If the COO of the Carter Group were seen harming a vulnerable girl like Shuri, especially on CCTV, it would spell trouble for Sophia.
Shuri wanted to protect Noran from Sophia. Being someone who lacked power and resources, the only way she could do that was to use her injuries as leverage to negotiate with Sophia.
However, instead of gaining leverage, she found herself facing a lawsuit because she knew Sophia would never let the incident slide. Sophia would even use it to threaten Noran into complying with her demands. Instead of protecting Noran, she unintentionally gave him more problems.
The more Shuri thought about it, the worse her headache became.
"Shuri, are you alright? Was it that bitch? Did she hurt you anywhere?" Karlene asked, noticing Shuri's frown and hand on her head.
"I-I fine, just tired," Shuri replied wearily.
"You must be stressed out from what happened," Karlene concluded. "We'll close the shop early today. You go back first, and I'll bring Snowball to your place later. I'll stay over tonight to keep you company."
Shuri smiled, feeling her headache ease a bit.
Despite Karlene's role in making things worse, Shuri couldn't help but feel grateful to have a caring sister.
"Thank you, Lene, and please don't tell Ran about what happened."
"No way! This happened because of him, and you want me to keep quiet?" Karlene said, crossing her arms unhappily.
"It's not his fault, Lene. He already has a lot on his plate, so I don't want to add to his stress."
Karlene sulked. "You only care about him! Please think of yourself, Shuri! His ex-fiancée almost hurt you, and yet you…"
"Lene, please," Shuri begged, her voice filled with sorrow as she looked visibly upset.
Karlene knew her sister well. Shuri had a cheerful and carefree personality by nature, but when it came to Noran, she became serious and fiercely protective. This was the sole reason she felt jealous of him, but she had to set aside her jealousy because she didn't want to upset Shuri.
"Alright, alright, I won't tell him, so stop looking at me like that," Karlene conceded in defeat.
"Thank you, Lene. I know you're the best," Shuri said, finally smiling as she wrapped her arms around Karlene.
"Yeah, yeah," Karlene replied, patting Shuri on the head with a sigh, knowing she would always give in to Shuri's demands.
Shuri left shortly after bidding farewell to Karlene. By the time she arrived home, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. "Ran must have reached LA by now."
The memory of Noran looking at her with guilt and insecurity yesterday flashed through her mind instantly. She knew he was hiding something from her, but she decided not to pry.
She trusted him completely and had never felt the need to use her ability on him or anyone else she deemed harmless. Her mother had taught her that people often keep secrets, not necessarily out of malice, but because it's human nature.
Now, after learning the reason behind his anxiety, Shuri couldn't help but feel sorry for Noran. She felt powerless to do anything for him and didn't know how she could comfort or help him.
She was missing Noran and was about to reach for her phone to text him when she suddenly began to have a nosebleed.
She quickly grabbed a tissue to clean off the blood and chuckled to herself. "Haha… Oh right, how can I forget that I'm about to die?"
Help him? Comfort him?
How could she do anything for him when she couldn't even save herself?
"My poor Ran… hic…" Shuri began to sob as the thought of leaving him behind filled her with sorrow.
Consumed by despair, she heard her phone ring and glanced at the caller ID—it was Noran calling.