Chapter 271: Greater Danger
Harrison glanced at the sharp-tongued reporter.
"Media Pulse? Nice lead." He mocked with a sneer.
Gabriel couldn't be bothered with these reporters and walked straight into the hospital.
All the reporters were stopped by the security at the entrance.
Alex rushed to meet his boss.
"What's the situation?"
"Dr. Quixote and Dr. Scrooge are in critical condition, still in the OR. Everyone else has minor injuries."
Both doctors were key figures in the development of this chip. Such a coincidence that they were the most severely injured?
There's no way he would believe the fire was accidental.
The police had already started their investigation.
Gabriel saw the others, consoled the families for a while.
When he came out from the inpatient department, a group suddenly charged at him.
"CEO Lancaster, how do you plan to handle this incident?"
"CEO Lancaster, did the laboratory catch fire because of safety hazards?"
"Gabriel, if something happens to my brother, I'll never forgive you!"
Suddenly, a water bottle was thrown, hitting Gabriel squarely in the back.
His white shirt was quickly stained with fresh blood, and the crowd gasped in shock, with reporters snapping away photos.
Alex quickly stood in front of Gabriel, his face stony as he asked the man, "Who is your brother?"
"Dr. Quixote."
"Dr. Quixote is still in surgery. We're not sure about his condition yet, but rest assured, Lancaster Group will take full responsibility."
"Also, the cause of the fire is still being investigated by the police. Please don't jump to conclusions; we will disclose the findings to the public."
"How did CEO Lancaster get injured?" pressed the reporter.
Gabriel's face was clouded with concern as he left the scene for Alex to handle. He was escorted by his security detail to the outside of the operating room, where he waited for the surgery to conclude before getting the updates on Dr. Quixote and Dr. Xiao's conditions. Only after learning their statuses did Gabriel leave the hospital.
News about the fire at the Lancaster Group lab was all over the media.
Reporters snapped high-resolution photos of Gabriel's dress shirt stained with blood and once posted, the public began speculating why he might have been injured.
A firefighter came forward, stating that CEO Lancaster was injured by a falling cabinet while participating in the rescue efforts. It was thanks to Lancaster's aid that they were able to evacuate everyone in time, minimizing injuries.
While many were praising Gabriel for his actions, a group of paid trolls quietly entered the chat, starting to spin the narrative.
They suggested that Gabriel was acting in self-harm, staging his back injury. According to them, safety hazards in the lab had long been an issue, and to evade responsibility, Gabriel had conveniently gotten injured and was fortuitously photographed at the hospital.
The incident remained a hot topic for two days, and Sophia followed it closely. Opening her WhatsApp to message Gabriel, she typed out a question only to delete it, ending up not sending anything.
On the third day, the cause of the fire was determined: a disgruntled former employee, previously terminated for rule violations, sought vengeance.
He had stolen a former colleague's access card to enter the lab and then started a fire in a no-open-flame zone.
The ex-employee was arrested and made a full confession to his crimes.
After leaving the police station, Gabriel sat in his car with a stony expression, lips pressed tightly together, his eyes glinting with a quiet chill.
He doubted the situation was as clear-cut as it seemed, but the police had found it to be so. The vindictive ex-worker insisted he acted alone, driven by midlife unemployment and unable to get over his grudge, merely intending to teach a lesson but failing to control the blaze.
"Boss, you've been going non-stop for three days now. Maybe you should rest," Alex said, concerned.
"No, back to the office," Gabriel responded curtly.
Midway there, Alex received a phone call.
"Raskolnikov Rodion’s guys have been loitering near the young master’s kindergarten again," the voice on the other end reported.
Gabriel frowned deeply at the news.
The chip release conference scheduled for mid-month was now on hold. The industry's eyes were on the event, and the recent fire was affecting the stock market trends for the whole sector, causing stock prices of related companies to plummet and widespread complaints.
Back at the company, Sophia approached Gabriel.
"Gabriel, I've thought it over. Let me be the bait to lure them out. We can catch them in the act."
Raskolnikov Rodion's brothers were like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, ready to strike without warning. They could launch an attack when you least expected it, delivering a deadly bite. During this time, Sophia spent every day on edge, keeping her two children close and limiting their outdoor play.
Even though she had hired protection, it still didn't seem to be enough.
Gabriel furrowed his brow, aware that the people associated with Raskolnikov Rodion were indeed a threat. "What are you planning to do?" he asked.
"Spread the word to them," she replied, "Say I've discovered another crime linked to Raskolnikov Rodion. If we succeed in court, he could be sentenced to death immediately."
"That won't do!" Gabriel was taken aback by her suggestion. It was a blunt approach that might unsettle Raskolnikov Rodion's associates, but it would also put Sophia in greater danger. Who knew if those people would silence her to prevent her from taking action?
"I can't keep my kids in danger every day, Gabriel. Please help me," she implored, a pleading look in her eyes.
Gabriel remained stoic, steadfastly refusing. "And you're willing to let Sam lose his mother again?" His counter-question stunned Sophia.
"Sophia," he continued, "Sam is just starting to get better. I won't let him retreat back into autism, and neither should you!"
Sophia's lips tightened as she stood there, her figure slight. After a long pause, she hesitantly spoke, "Then what do we do?"
"Wait," he said. They had no choice but to wait until the adversaries made their move.
Sophia bit her lip, understanding. The room fell into silence, and after a moment, Sophia looked at Gabriel deeply, opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated.
"I should leave if there's nothing else," she finally said, deciding against asking her question.
She turned and walked away.
Gabriel watched her frail figure departing. Had she lost weight?
"Don't worry about Sam; I've assigned more people to protect him. If you want to see him anytime soon, just go to the old house," he reassured her.
"Okay," she nodded, not worried about Sam, trusting that Gabriel would keep him safe. Her main concern was for EthanEmma.
If only she had known that exposing Raskolnikov Rodion would endanger her children, she would have rather let Tiffany continue her tyranny.
Sophia retreated to the restroom. Maybe, she thought, it was time to let Gabriel know about EthanEmma?
Her head ached with the weight of her thoughts when she received a message from Caroline.
Sophia was on her phone, her voice tinged with urgency, "I have to head back to the States soon, don't worry about me. I'm dealing with issues related to the Asian tour."
Caroline picked up the call almost immediately, speaking rapidly, "Sophia, I'm racing to catch a flight right now, I'm cutting it close, gotta hang up."
The Asian tour that was expected to pick up again in the latter half of the year was suddenly canceled. This tour was crucial for Caroline, thus she had to fly to the States immediately to get a handle on what was happening.
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