Not because she was sad.
Because she finally felt safe enough to breathe.
Meanwhile, I began investigating the hotel.
What started as a labor dispute quickly exposed something far uglier.
Employees working double shifts without contracts.
Illegal overtime.
Threats.
Manipulation.
Delayed wages.
Laurel wasn’t the exception.
She was one of many.
When my firm saw the case, they barely cared. Compared to corporate mergers and high-profile clients, this looked insignificant.
But I couldn’t walk away.
Every time I considered dropping it, I remembered Dash sitting alone in the cold holding that rabbit.
That image followed me everywhere.
Eventually we formally filed the lawsuit.
And the hotel retaliated immediately.
Laurel was fired within twenty-four hours.
