Beautiful Revenge

continuation of chapter 1

He grabbed his phone and called Raymond. Like a flash of lightning in the night sky, Raymond rushed in with a nurse. Laura was still mumbling incoherently, her body shaking violently as tears streamed down her face. She looked utterly pitiful.

Raymond signaled the nurse to hold her down so he could inject a sedative to calm her. After administering the injection, he nodded for the nurse to leave the room. Once she was gone, he walked over to the sofa and tapped it, inviting Angelo to sit.

“Raymond, what happened? Why did she become so hysterical?” Angelo asked calmly—though inside, he felt anything but calm.

“Angelo, it seems something deep is troubling her,” Raymond explained. “She’s fighting an inner battle she needs to face before she can come out of this vegetative state. But today’s episode is actually a good sign—it means she’s starting to awaken.”

Angelo stared at Raymond, the words hanging heavy in the air. * An inner battle.* it made a grim kind of sense. Laura had been through so much, and the trauma of her father's and the Edwardos' death, coupled with her own near -fatal experience, was a burden no one should have to carry.

"An inner battle," Angelo repeated softly, his gaze drifting back to Laura. She was quieter now, the violent shaking subsided, replaced by a faint tremor. Her breathing was still shallow, but there was a subtle change in her expression, a stillness that felt less like surrender and more like a pause.

Raymond sighed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Angelo. Sometimes, when the mind is severely traumatized, it creates a sort of protective shell. Laura's mind is trying to process the events, but the sheer horror of it all… it's overwhelming. She's trapped in a loop of fear and grief, and until she can confront that, truly confront it, she won't be able to fully return to us."

He paused, looking directly at Angelo. "Her mumbling, the shaking, the tears – those are all signs that she's *aware* on some level. She's reacting to something, perhaps echoes of her dream, or maybe even memories resurfacing. It’s painful to watch, I know, but it’s a sign of life, Angelo. A sign that the fighter in her is still there."

Angelo nodded, a flicker of hope igniting within him. He understood. It wasn't just about physical healing; it was about healing the deepest wounds of her soul. "So, what can we do? How do we help her face this battle?"

Raymond leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? We can't force her. We can only create an environment that encourages her to heal. We need to be patient, to let her know she's safe, that she's not alone. And perhaps," he added, his eyes meeting Angelo's, "perhaps there are things from her past, things she cherishes, that might help anchor her back to reality."

"Nothing absolutely nothing that monster set every single thing ablaze." Angelo said with obvious anger flickering with his voice.

Angelo clenched his fists, the rage still simmering beneath the surface. But he knew anger alone wouldn’t heal Laura. He took a deep breath and forced himself to think clearly.

“There has to be something left,” Angelo muttered. “Something she held onto, even after everything burned.”

Raymond nodded slowly. “Even in the darkest times, people hold on to fragments—photos, letters, a small trinket. Sometimes it’s those tiny things that can break through the fog.”

Angelo’s mind raced through memories of Laura—her favorite spots in the house, stories she once told him about her childhood. Maybe someone else had salvaged something? Or maybe there was a place Angelo hadn’t thought to check.

“I’m going to start looking,” he said with quiet resolve. “If there’s even a scrap of her past out there, I’ll find it.”

Angelo knew Laura might not remember him. But he vowed to avenge those who had put her in this situation. The people who had transformed that sunny girl into someone pitiful, he would surely bring them to their knees to beg. He vowed to himself, every word laced with unwavering determination. “Laura, you are my life. Now that I’ve found you, you’re going nowhere."

Angelo withdrew his cell phone and dialed one of his secret operatives. "Report in fifteen minutes, Jade," he commanded.

"Yes, boss," a voice replied from the other end of the line.

Angelo ended the call. He grabbed his car keys, walked to the door, and cast a soft, lingering glance at Laura. He nodded at Raymond, who was engrossed in his phone on the sofa, then closed the door. He took the elevator down, entered his car, and zoomed off.