Three.. I WOULD HANDLE ERIC WALKER MYSELF.

VIDEL..

For a moment, I just stood there.

The night air brushed against my skin, cool and familiar, carrying the scent of the sea and flowers I had not smelled in years. Rows of people still stood at attention, salutes crisp and precise, faces serious. Yet their eyes betrayed them. Warm and Steady. Watching me like I mattered.

I was not invisible here. I was not unwanted.

Then a voice cut straight through the formality.

“Yoh! Our baby sis is back!”

Just like that, the tension cracked.

The line parted, and four figures stepped forward with the confidence of people who had never doubted they belonged anywhere they stood.

Leonard Jason was at the center, tall as ever, broad shoulders relaxed, that calm, annoying confidence written all over his face. His smile reached his eyes instantly, like he had been waiting and pretending not to. Beside him stood Oliver Greyson, arms crossed, dark eyes sharp, lips already twitching as if he were holding back something sarcastic.

Their wives flanked them.

Alexa Jason smiled first, warm and open, already stepping forward as if she might hug me herself. Priscilla Greyson raised a brow, her lips curving slowly, eyes sparkling with mischief and fond reproach.

I did not think.

I ran.

“Big brother!” I yelled, my suitcase forgotten as I launched myself straight at Leonard.

“Oof!” he laughed, barely stumbling as he caught me. “You are heavier than I remember.”

“I am not!” I protested, punching his chest once before wrapping my arms around his neck.

“You disappear for three years and this is how you greet us?” Oliver called out. “No tears? No apology? Just assaulting my brother?”

I twisted in Leonard’s arms to glare at him. “You are next. Do not worry.”

Leonard chuckled and spun me once before setting me down, his hands still firm on my shoulders, like he needed to confirm I was real. “You okay?” he asked quietly, just for me.

I nodded, swallowing hard. “I am now.”

Alexa stepped in then, pulling me into a quick, tight hug. “You look thinner,” she said softly. “And just as stubborn as ever.”

Priscilla clicked her tongue. “She always does this. Vanishes. Comes back like nothing happened. Very rude.”

“I was busy,” I shot back. “Being miserable.”

Oliver snorted. “Sounds about right.”

I laughed before I could stop myself. The sound surprised me.

Leonard exhaled, the tension finally leaving his posture. “Alright,” he said, clapping his hands once. “Enough. Let us go home.”

Before getting into the car, I turned back toward the people still standing there for me. My chest tightened, not painfully, but full.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. “For this. I owe you all.”

Someone cheered. Then another. Salutes dropped, replaced by smiles.

I waved once and climbed into the car.

“Boss.”

I paused and turned. Jeff stood a few steps behind, my suitcase beside him.

I let out a quiet breath. “Oh. I almost forgot.”

“I’ve got it,” he said simply.

“Thank you,” I replied as he placed it by the car and stepped back.

As we pulled away, Leonard leaned over and bumped my shoulder lightly.

“You are not disappearing again,” he said.

I looked out the window, the lights of Greeneland stretching ahead.

“No,” I said quietly. “I am home.”

.......

The Greene living room was wrapped in silence.

It settled over the space slowly, thick and suffocating, the kind that pressed against your chest and made it hard to breathe. No one spoke at first. No one moved. Even the air felt tense, as though it were waiting.

“Eric’s a shameless bastard!”Alexa’s voice shattered the quiet.

She rose to her feet abruptly, disbelief and fury etched into every line of her face. Her hands clenched at her sides as she stared at me, anger trembling beneath her skin.

“How dare he cheat on you?” she snapped. "After everything you did for him, all the sacrifices you made?”

She began pacing the room, her footsteps sharp against the floor, rage pouring out of her unchecked.

I said nothing.

I lowered my gaze, staring at my hands resting in my lap. They were steady, but only because I forced them to be. I had only told them one thing. That Eric cheated on me. That he chose someone else. That because of it, we divorced. I could not bring myself to say more.

I knew exactly what would happen if I did.

“He is what he is today because of you,” Alexa continued, her voice shaking now, anger giving way to something deeper. “Without you, Eric Walker would be nothing. And he still dared to betray you.”

My fingers tightened slowly in my lap.

It was true.

I am the reason Eric is who he is today.

Three years ago, Eric was already a CEO, but he was far from the powerful figure people see now. He was not even counted among the top twenty richest elites in South Town. Walker Group was barely standing, its foundations already cracking, one wrong move away from collapse.

Then everything fell apart.

The day his ex left him, he lost control. He drank. Recklessly. Desperately. Like he had nothing left to lose.

That same day, the accident happened.

Fortunately, I was there. I saved him in time.

I could not bear to see him broken. So I stepped in quietly, from the shadows where he never thought to look. I used Fred Corp, my own company, along with several others under my control, to invest in Walker Group and pull it back from the edge.

What was once struggling to survive rose steadily, piece by piece, until it became one of the most powerful companies in South Town.

All because of me.

Unfortunately, Eric never knew. To him, I was nothing more than a poor, backgroundless orphan clinging to him for his wealth.

“Damn it! I want to strangle the life out of him!” Alexa burst out, her voice shaking with pure fury.

Priscilla moved then, crossing the space between us. She sat beside me and wrapped her arms around me gently, her touch warm and steady.

“You did the right thing divorcing him,” she said softly. “He does not deserve you.”

“Of course not!” Alexa snapped. “That bastard does not deserve you, not even a second of your kindness. You should take everything back. Every single thing you gave him.”

I lifted my gaze then, looking toward Oliver and Leonard.

They had not said a single word since the conversation began.

They sat in silence, their expressions unreadable, their presence heavy. It was the kind of quiet that was far more dangerous than shouting. These were my brothers. When they were angry, they did not argue. They did not threaten.

They acted.

And from the look in their eyes, I knew Eric was already in trouble.

“Um… Oliver. Leonard,” I said quietly.

Their attention shifted to me immediately.

“Please,” I continued, my voice calm but firm. “Do not do anything to him. I know those looks. Please, do not do anything.”

Alexa asked suddenly, disbelief flashing in her eyes. “Are you protecting him?”

I shook my head slowly. “No.”

I met their gazes, one after the other. “I want to handle him myself. Please. Let me handle Eric myself.”

They studied me for a long moment, as if weighing my words, as if deciding whether to accept them. The silence stretched again, heavy and tense.

Seeing them like that, I smiled faintly.

I was lucky. Lucky to have a family like this. One that would go to war without hesitation just to protect me. Ever since I was small, they had been my shield. A single scratch on me meant war. When I cried, the world ended.

Oliver finally exhaled through gritted teeth.

“Fine,” he said shortly. “Your wish.”

Silence followed, heavy but settled.

Priscilla was the one who broke it.

“It’s late,” she said softly, turning to me. “You need to rest, Videl.”

I nodded and stood. I leaned in to kiss them goodbye one by one before turning toward the hallway.

The moment I turned away, my smile faded.

The warmth disappeared from my eyes.

Because I meant what I said.

I would handle Eric Walker myself.