Chapter 371 Gabriel Pressed Against Her
Before dining upstairs at the Golden Orchid Hotel, Jessica never imagined that the wealthy businessmen in Stellaria City could be so gossipy. As they ate, the conversation turned to the family secrets of a jeweler hosting a centennial birthday party in the banquet hall on the first floor.
The elderly lady celebrating her 100th birthday today had three sons and two daughters. Her eldest son was already over seventy, and her youngest son was over fifty. She had many grandchildren, all of whom had been groomed to be elites since childhood. However, they were all shrewd and bold. These grandchildren rarely gathered together, but today, for the elderly lady's birthday, even those studying abroad had returned.
This jeweler's family had a history of several hundred years in Stellaria City, with a vast business empire. On the surface, the elderly lady seemed to have a long life and a large, enviable family. However, internal family conflicts and disputes had never ceased.
It was said that today's centennial birthday party was contested by two grandsons who both wanted to host it. There were also rumors that the eldest grandson encountered a vendetta shooting abroad, and the mastermind behind it was related to other relatives or cousins in the family. Due to frequent interactions between Stellaria City and foreign countries, most of the elderly lady's grandchildren were born and raised abroad, and many were accustomed to seeing people around them carrying guns. Therefore, once family disputes reached a boiling point, deadly incidents could occur at any time.
They sensed that today's birthday party would not be peaceful. However, many distinguished guests from Stellaria City and around the world were invited, making it difficult for anyone to get involved easily. They wondered if the family would remain calm today, but felt that their facade of harmony would not last the night before conflicts arose again.
Unexpectedly, while chatting, someone from the film crew recognized someone in the banquet hall downstairs. They had just bumped into each other while going to the restroom and were pulled along to celebrate the elderly lady's birthday. The film crew initially declined, saying they had other matters to attend to. But when it was revealed that they were having a meal upstairs, the host, in a particularly generous manner, invited the entire film promotion team to join the festivities.
They didn't want to get involved with the family downstairs and preferred to stay in their private room upstairs, eating and gossiping.
However, they couldn't refuse without being impolite, so they eventually went downstairs, planning to wish the elderly lady a happy birthday and then find an excuse to leave quickly.
Jessica had no choice but to go downstairs with them.
Since it was just a meal, she wasn't wearing formal attire, just a comfortable yet slightly formal summer outfit. Many of the local Stellaria City or international socialites passing by were dressed in evening gowns, walking past them in a blur. Occasionally, she heard conversations in a mix of local Stellaria City dialect and English, revealing that these ladies were using the party as an excuse to compete and exchange pleasantries, with subtle verbal sparring not unlike that of actresses in the entertainment industry.
In the brightly lit banquet hall, a massive crystal chandelier, weighing several hundred pounds, suddenly fell from the third-floor ceiling. The surrounding screams and frantic escape attempts erupted instantly. The enormous chandelier plummeted towards the first-floor lobby, its dazzling light reflecting off the marble tiles, creating a beautiful yet deadly scene. The luxurious chandelier resembled a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, ready to devour anyone standing beneath it.
Jessica wasn't standing directly under the chandelier but was accompanying the film crew leader to wish the elderly lady a happy birthday.
Just as they were about to step back after speaking, she noticed two of the elderly lady's grandchildren approaching.
At that moment, a strange noise came from the massive chandelier above, followed by the surrounding screams.
Jessica instinctively looked up at the rapidly falling behemoth. It was so fast that she had no time to react or dodge. In a fraction of a second, her limbs went cold, and she instinctively took a step back. The chandelier was already descending towards her head!
Suddenly, a figure flashed before her eyes. Before the massive object could hit her, she was knocked aside by an unknown force. In the next moment, she heard the crash of the chandelier hitting the ground, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. She was heavily pressed to the ground.
"Mr. Harriman!"
"My god."
Jessica's head hit the ground, sending a shock of pain through her body, leaving her momentarily stunned. She struggled to open her eyes amidst the shards, only to see Gabriel's face looming over her. Just as she recognized him, blood dripped into her eyes, forcing her to close them again. She tried to open them but was still obstructed by the blood. The familiar scent mixed with the heavy smell of blood overwhelmed her senses, causing her mind to go blank. Her hands trembled as she tried to lift them, only to find herself tightly shielded by Gabriel.
It was as if she suddenly snapped out of the brief shock of the past few seconds.
'What happened?' she thought. 'What is going on? How did such a large chandelier suddenly fall?'
Her eyes were blurred by blood, making it hard to see clearly.
'What are people shouting? Mr. Harriman? What Mr. Harriman are they talking about?' she wondered.
Jessica tried to wipe away the blood dripping into her eyes, but her hands were pinned down, unable to move. She squinted, barely making out Gabriel above her.
Gabriel was pressing down on her.
The massive chandelier, which had illuminated the entire hotel from the first to the third floor, shattered into pieces, scattering around them.
Jessica didn't know if anyone else was trapped. She only knew that blood seemed to be flowing near her hand, especially from Gabriel above her. The chandelier's decorations included sharp metal hooks for hanging the lights, which now appeared as deadly blades in her blood-tinged vision, piercing her eyes.
Jessica shivered, the smell of blood growing stronger. She tried to see Gabriel clearly but could only see his eyes. He was staring at her, blood spreading from his neck, but his intense gaze remained unaffected. She couldn't understand it, nor could she try to.
"There are shards on the ground. Don't cut yourself." Gabriel's voice was hoarse, as if extremely tired. His short sentence was slow and raspy, spoken with difficulty yet with a sense of relief.
As Gabriel's voice reached her ears, Jessica's eyes widened. Blood dripped into her eyes, onto her body, and around her, mingling with the scattered shards. The surrounding footsteps were chaotic, the floor covered in blood, so much blood, a horrifying sight.
