Chapter 270: A Burning Issue
KathyCaroline, trying to show off, had her arms laden with shopping bags.
Arriving at the parking lot, Sophia opened the backseat door to let KathyCaroline dump the bags inside.
"Sophia, we're heading the same way; could you give me a lift?" KathyCaroline wasn't going to miss an opportunity to get close to Stark Arya.
Sophia lifted her chin in a gesture and replied, "The backseat's full; there's no room."
"We could put things in the trunk."
"It's packed as well."
KathyCaroline fumed internally – Sophia just didn't want her anywhere near Stark Arya!
She was doing it on purpose!
Sophia's behavior now was a lot like how Fiona had been before. The only difference was that KathyCaroline was much smarter than Fiona.
KathyCaroline watched helplessly as Sophia and Stark Arya drove off, standing there seething with frustration.
...
Tonight, Nicholas came home late, and Josie had already gone to bed. Learning this, he decided to head to his room.
Remembering that Josie had invited classmates over to play today, he went to see Mrs. Mary to get the scoop.
Daisy eagerly approached him.
"Guess who Josie's classmates are, brother Nicholas?" she said, without waiting for his cold, handsome face to respond.
Daisy answered her own question, "It's Caroline's two kids!"
Nicholas's grip tightened on the armrest of his wheelchair, veins standing out on his hand.
"It's quite unexpected that Caroline's kids are in the same preschool as Josie. Brother Nicholas, Caroline's husband's last name is Kelly. I thought about it, and there aren't many Kellys among the elite in our city. Could it be that Caroline married a wealthy Chinese-American businessman?"
Nicholas's face grew colder with each word Daisy spoke, fueling her enthusiasm.
"I asked two kids today, and they said Caroline loves them a lot, she's super kind to them."
Nicholas shot her a chilling glare as sharp as a sword.
"You talk too much!"
Daisy, frightened, lowered her head, "I'm sorry, Nicholas, I've disturbed you again."
Nicholas returned to his room, with no interest left in learning about his daughter's classmates who had visited their home that day.
Daisy, content with achieving her goal, couldn't help but let a smug smile creep across her lips.
She couldn't believe that Caroline could move on, build a new family, have other children, and Nicholas would still hold onto her.
Nicholas stared at a string of beads, his eyes bloodshot. His chest heaved dramatically as anger and hatred threatened to burst forth at any moment.
"Caroline! For over six years, you'd rather bear children for someone else than take a single glance at Josie."
"Since you despise Josie so much, so heartlessly, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
...
In Blue End, Jake Hughes was looking at the information his assistant Ken had sent over on the computer, his anger growing with each detail.
He even felt the urge to go directly and give Gabriel a good beating.
Sophia was the light of his heart, the sun in his life.
He wanted to cherish her, love her, and protect her forever.
But his light had been severely damaged five years ago by his enemy, Gabriel.
Jake Hughes had been overseas and didn't know what had happened to Sophia five years ago. After returning to the States, he reunited with Sophia and only knew that she had been married to Gabriel and had children.
But he was unaware of what had happened between them, and why Sophia was so determined to hide the existence of Ethan and Emma.
He had Ken investigate and finally discovered that Sophia had "died" from complications during childbirth more than five years ago.
Jake Hughes closed his eyes in agony.
If only he had been there for Sophia sooner.
He could have protected her.
Perhaps even prevented her from marrying Gabriel.
But back then, he was weak too; even if he had returned to Sophia's side, could he have stood up to Gabriel?
Opening his eyes again, a fierce determination glinted in Jake Hughes's eyes as he exuded an intimidating presence.
He picked up his phone and called Ken.
"Ken, I've changed my mind. I don't want his chip to see the light of day."
Ken's excited voice came through, "That's great, I've been ready and waiting for you to change your mind."
Life had been somewhat peaceful, and Sophia hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary these past few days, but a deep unease still lingered in her heart.
Unresolved safety hazards kept her tossing and turning at night, unable to find solace in sleep.
Suddenly, a video popped up in the work group chat.
Clicking on it, Sophia saw footage of a building engulfed in flames.
The location seemed oddly familiar.
Then the chatter began.
"The East Lab is on fire."
The East Lab was the heartbeat of the Lancaster Group's research and development arm; it was their core.
The blaze roared, consuming everything in its path. Within moments, reporters arrived on the scene, broadcasting live to a rapidly growing audience.
This incident became the talk of the internet in mere minutes.
Employees throughout the company, unable to focus on work, had their eyes glued to the live stream.
Sophia's gaze fixed on Gabriel as he emerged from the building, carrying an unconscious person on his back. His normally handsome face was now covered in soot.
It was hard to recognize him, but she knew instantly it was Gabriel.
He had run back into the blaze to save someone!
Without realizing it, Sophia's heart clenched, her eyes never leaving the screen.
Firefighters tried to stop Gabriel from re-entering the building, but he snatched a firefighter's face shield and plunged back into the fray.
The firefighter, taken aback for a moment, regrouped and followed him in after grabbing a replacement mask.
The fire raged all afternoon until it was finally extinguished as evening turned to night.
Harrison collapsed on the ground, exhausted, next to Gabriel, who was nearly indiscernible from the charred rubble.
"Why push yourself so hard? The firefighters were already there," Harrison chided.
Gabriel took a deep breath of fresh air.
"They're not familiar with the layout. I could lead them more efficiently."
Gabriel had the confidence and wouldn't have acted if he wasn't certain he could help without impeding the firefighters' rescue efforts.
"Come on, let's get cleaned up. We need to visit the hospital and see how many are injured."
Media hadn't recognized Gabriel during the mayhem, leading everyone to wonder why CEO Lancaster hadn't made an appearance.
Victims were sent to the hospital, and the media shifted focus there, reporting on the casualties.
As the entire internet buzzed with updates, some even hurled insults at Gabriel for his absence, speculating he was somewhere enjoying himself.
Inside the hospital, Alex was near exhaustion, his clothes torn and body a mess. With no time to care for his attire, he waded through the crowded chaos.
Ethan, eyes locked on his iPad, scrolled through one video of the fire after another.
Emma fretted, "Could Daddy be in trouble?"
"No," Ethan replied with certainty.
"But Daddy hasn't shown up yet."
Outside the room, Caroline was also following the unfolding events closely.
"Sophia, do you know why Gabriel hasn't appeared yet?"
Sophia paused as she held her water glass, her voice calm and detached, "He's always been there."
"What?"
"He was saving people. The media just didn't catch it."
Sophia didn't realize her hands were trembling slightly.
Actually, she was far from calm.
She was worried, too.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Gabriel and Harrison arrived at the hospital.
By this time, two hours had passed since the fire was extinguished.
The media's microphones immediately closed in.
"Why did CEO Lancaster only show up now? Do you think this was just a small incident, not worth your immediate attention?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
