Chapter 24 It’s Just a Small Wound; No Need to Make a Big Deal Out of It
At the dining table, David, Alice, Elliot, and Willow were already seated.
Strangely, this time, none of them had started eating yet.
The moment Lauren walked out, Alice immediately got up and took her hand, her voice unusually warm.
“Lauren, you must be hungry. Come have breakfast.”
Without waiting for her response, Alice pulled her toward the table.
David sat at the head of the table. Elliot was to his right, Alice to his left, with Willow right beside her.
That left Lauren with two choices–sit next to Elliot or next to Willow.
She disliked them both, but if she had to choose, she’d rather sit by Elliot.
Without a word, she took the seat next to him and picked up a spoon, quietly eating the small wontons in front of her.
The Bennet family’s eyes lingered on her, each expression different.
David’s face was dark with barely restrained anger, held back only by Alice’s insistence.
Alice looked hesitant, as if she wanted to remind Lauren to greet her elders before eating. But remembering what happened Last night, she swallowed the words.
Willow’s gaze flickered with resentment before she forced a sweet smile. “Lauren, Marilyn made those wontons just for you. Do you like them?”
Her voice was soft, laced with an attempt to please..
But Lauren acted as if she hadn’t heard, not sparing Willow so much as a glance.
Elliot took a deep breath, clearly struggling to contain his temper. His lips curled into a forced smirk.
“Lauren, after breakfast, take off that bandage. You’re not even injured. Walking around with your head wrapped up like that, people might think we mistreated you.”
Lauren’s hand paused midair.
Then, without a word; she smirked faintly and continued eating as if nothing had happened.
She ate quickly finishing the bowl of wontons in a few bites
After dabbing her mouth with a napkin, she finally looked up. I’m done. Enjoy your meal.
Elliot’s patience snapped.
“Lauren, who the hell do you think you’re making that face at this early in the morning?”
Lauren met his glare with cold indifference.
Her lack of reaction only fueled his anger.
He suddenly reached out, grabbing at the bandage on her forehead. “Let’s see if you’re really hurt, or if you just enjoy playing the victim.”
The moment he yanked it off, pain shot through Lauren’s skull. The barely healed wound was ripped open, and fresh blood immediately gushed down her face.
“I knew you were faking-”
The words lodged in Elliot’s thro
173
Chapter 24 It’s Just a Small Wound; No Need to Make a Big Deal Out of it
Alice gasped, eyes turning red with distress. “Lauren! What happened to your forehead?”
Finished
Willow’s eyes flickered with satisfaction for a split second before she masked it with feigned concern. “Sis, are you okay?”
Lauren didn’t react to the pain.
She sat there motionless, her empty gaze clouded over, as if blood was all she could see.
Her eyes swept over the four people in front of her.
At that moment, they didn’t look like family.
They looked like demons from hell, feeding on her suffering, crushing her dignity beneath their feet.
“Well? Happy now?”
Her voice was hoarse–not hysterical, not shouting.
But it was like a hammer, slamming straight into their chests.
David, however, didn’t even frownL
He simply scoffed, his tone indifferent. “It’s just a small wound. You’re not dying. No need to make a big deal out of it”
A suffocating, dead silence.
Lauren’s grip on the table tightened, her fingers turning white
For a second, it looked like she was about to flip it over again.
David’s expression changed.
Recalling how she had overturned the table before, he quickly pressed his hands against it, his eyes locked on her every
move..
Alice, Elliot, and Willow did the same, all instinctively holding down the table, fearing another outburst.
Alice’s hands trembled, her face tense with anxiety. “Lauren, calm down. Your father didn’t mean it like that. He just he just thinks the injury isn’t serious. He’s just concerned about you.”
Even she knew how unconvincing her own excuse sounded.
Lauren turned her gaze to Alice, her eyes piercing.
Alice’s face flushed under the weight of that stare. She looked away, unable to meet Lauren’s eyes.
The tension in the dining room was unbearable.
Blood still dripped from Lauren’s forehead, splattering onto the table.
Bright red, striking, impossible to ignore–just like the wounds they had carved into her soul.
“Concern?”
The word slipped through her clenched teeth
“Well then, sir, ma’am, I appreciate your concern.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, not giving them a chance to respond.
Elliot scowled, suddenly losing his appetite. “Mom, Dad, I’m heading to the office.”
With that, he stormed off.
Once inside his car, Elliot’s gaze dropped to the bloodstained bandage in his hand.
Finished
Chapter 24 It’s Just a Small Wound, No Need to Make a Big Deal Out of it
A sharp, searing pain spread through his chest.
It tightened, making it hard to breathe.
He leaned back against the seat, images flashing through his mind-
Lauren left the house yesterday morning, perfectly fine.
But by the time she came back, her forehead had been bandaged.
What had happened to her in those hours? Has someone hurt her?
Lauren was his sister.
No matter what mistakes she had made, no one had the right to lay a hand on her.
His hands clenched into fists, then slowly loosened.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
“Kenneth.” Elliot’s voice was sharp with anger. “Did you hit Lauren?”
The man on the other end was eerily calm. “Is that why you called me?”
Tm warning you–whatever Lauren did, she’s already paid for it. She’s the eldest daughter of the Bennett family, not someone you can just hurt whenever you feel like it.”
Beep Beep Beep.
Before he could finish, Kenneth hung up
Elliot cursed, slamming his phone onto the passenger seat. “F*ck!”
It took him a long time to calm down.
Finally, he let out a heavy breath and started the car, heading to work.
But no matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn’t shake the image of Lauren’s bloodied face.
His mind was a mess.
After barely an hour, he gave up, grabbed his phone, and called Marilyn.
“Marilyn, how’s Lauren? Did.. did she take care of her injury?
Send Gifts
