Chapter307To Jump or Not to Jump
"By the way, Lauren, which kind..." Teresa started to ask about Lauren's job interests before making the call but paused when she turned back around and a dagger thrust halfway out.
Teresa's words stopped as she instinctively leaned back.
Lauren's eyes filled with a chilling ferocity, and she struck with lightning speed, the dagger aimed fiercely at Teresa.
Teresa, seeing the blade descending, dodged instinctively but couldn't avoid it completely. There was no sound as the dagger sliced through layer after layer of fabric, piercing deeply into her right abdomen.
Shocked, Teresa stared wide-eyed at Lauren, who seemed nothing like the subdued girl from moments before. She couldn't make a sound, almost forgetting the intense pain in her belly.
Lauren saw Teresa leaning against the desk, blood-staining her ivory cashmere sweater. The anger in Lauren's eyes vanished, replaced by sudden panic and fear.
Did she just commit murder?
No, she couldn't have.
Shaking, Lauren's grip on the dagger loosened, and then she turned and bolted for the door.
As Lauren fled, the pain became clearer and sharper for Teresa.
Hands clasping the right side of her abdomen, still embedded with the dagger, Teresa's body uncontrollably slid to the ground.
Lauren dashed to the entrance, flung the door open, and strode out, then swiftly sprinted toward the direction of the elevator with a resounding slam.
Outside the office, two bodyguards stood guard. As they saw Lauren rush past them, heads down in a hurried gait, the guards exchanged glances, instantly sensing something was amiss.
Without a moment's delay, the two guards hurried to Teresa's office door. When they turned the handle and saw Teresa lying on the floor, blood pooling around her, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Damn it!" one guard cursed under his breath, regaining his composure and immediately turning to pursue Lauren.
"No, save her first," the other bodyguard snapped to attention, grabbing his partner, then sprinted to Teresa.
Reaching Teresa, the guards knelt. One tore off his shirt to press against her wounds while the other dialed for help.
After a hasty makeshift bandage application, one guard hoisted Teresa in his arms and charged out of the office...
Meanwhile, Lauren had fled the building when a black SUV promptly pulled up in front of her. The door swung open from the inside, and a voice beckoned, "Get in."
Casting a glance at the person inside, Lauren scrambled into the vehicle without a second thought. The door shut, and the SUV sped away from the language academy at breakneck speed...
The black SUV had left only a minute before the bodyguard emerged, carrying an almost unconscious Teresa, and dashed toward a nearby car.
The driver, startled by the sight of Teresa bleeding profusely from a stab wound, immediately started the vehicle. As soon as everyone was inside, he floored the gas pedal and drove off at top speed.
As they reached the main entrance of the language academy, an ambulance was already approaching, with sirens blaring.
Quickly, the bodyguard flagged down the ambulance, transferring Teresa into it.
The ambulance turned sharply and raced toward the hospital, where the medical staff immediately began tending to Teresa's wounds...
...
At the hospital, Gabriel was in the middle of an IV treatment.
Luke received a call from Teresa's bodyguard and learned about her situation. He instantly went to inform Gabriel.
However, seeing Gabriel undergoing treatment, Luke hesitated.
According to what Teresa's bodyguard had told him, her injuries were severe. Telling Gabriel now would surely send him rushing to Teresa's side, potentially to his detriment.
But if he kept silent and something happened to Teresa.
"What's the matter?" As Luke was wrestling with his thoughts, Gabriel, who had been poring over some documents with his head down, suddenly lifted his gaze and spoke in a deep voice.
"Gabriel, it’s your wife, she..." Luke furrowed his brow, hesitating.
—Teresa.
In an instant, Gabriel's dark eyes darkened, and in an urgent tone, Garcia demanded, "What happened to her?"
"She was attacked in her office at school, someone..."
"What did they do?" Gabriel was frantic, growling in a low voice.
"She was stabbed," Luke finally blurted out the harsh truth.
—Stabbed.
Gabriel's heart felt as if it had been crushed in an instant, blood splattered in every direction.
"Where was she stabbed?"
"In her abdomen."
Gabriel's expression turned serious again. In the next moment, he tore off the IV from his hand, threw off the blankets, and rushed out of bed barefoot, heading straight for the hospital room door, demanding, "Where is she now?"
Luke hurried to keep up, replying, "On her way to the hospital."
"What's the point of her security if they're not protecting her?" Despite his urge to bolt, Gabriel couldn't suppress the fury roiling in his chest as he shouted.
Luke, head bowed, followed in silence, not daring to speak.
"Your shoes, Liam, your shoes." The housekeeper, who'd been standing by, saw him running out barefoot and quickly grabbed his slippers to follow.
Gabriel ignored the housekeeper. He went straight into the elevator. Luke saw the housekeeper chasing with Gabriel's shoes, quickly grabbed them, and joined Gabriel inside. As the doors closed, he put the shoes by Gabriel's feet and helped him into them.
With a heavy heart wrapped in rising anger, Gabriel shot a glance at Luke. He wanted to kick him away, but he held back and stepped into his slippers.
