Chapter310
"Yes, Liam," Thomas replied, frowning deeply as he hurried off to handle the situation.
Once Thomas left, Liam closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his forehead. He slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground, curling up tightly.
How did it come to this?
There was only one thing on his mind now Teresa had to be okay. If not, he was the guiltiest of all.
...
Down on the street, Diana bolted out of the office building, simultaneously hailing a cab and talking on the phone. As she stepped into the taxi, a dull thud echoed in her ears. She drew a shocked gasp as she whipped her head around.
Strewn mere yards from her on the pavement, with eyes staring blankly and blood spilling out, was Lauren. Diana’s eyes went wide, her body freezing up.
Bystanders, drawn by the noise, turned and let out screams and gasps, a chaotic crescendo in the air.
Amid the gathering onlookers, a few snapped photos of Lauren with their phones, hastily retreating after capturing the scene.
Sirens approached as security, and Evans Group employees rushed out. Some covered Lauren's body while others dispersed the crowd. A guard forcibly took a phone, deleted photos, and escorted the person away.
Diana stood transfixed by the gruesome sight, a cold shiver running through her, unable to regain her senses.
She could never have imagined Lauren's fate would be such a tragic end, harming herself and others, with everything lost in the blink of an eye.
But for Liam, what was this minor setback? With the wealth and influence of the Evans family, what obstacle couldn't he overcome?
"Miss, Miss, are you leaving or not?" The cab driver, who'd been straining his neck to catch the excitement through his window, sighed when the cops arrived to disperse the crowd and seal off the scene, leaving nothing more to watch. He quickly called out to Diana. Cab drivers have to make every second count to earn their living.
"Oh, yes, I'm leaving... I'm leaving." Snapping back to reality, Diana, without waiting for Lauren or giving another thought to Liam, scrambled into the cab and slammed the door shut.
"Miss, where to?" the driver inquired as Diana got settled in the back seat.
— Where to indeed?
Where was Teresa now?
Diana tried calling Teresa’s cell, but no one answered.
Was she foolish? Of course, no one would answer Teresa's phone if something had happened to her.
Right, Gabriel. She needed to call Gabriel.
But Diana suddenly realized she didn’t even have Gabriel's contact info.
Of course, call Sophia.
Immediately, Diana dialed Sophia's number, only to find no one picking up.
With no other option, Diana reluctantly called Liam to ask for Gabriel’s number.
Teresa was truly the kindest soul in the world to her, a genuine sister who’d never looked down on her and had always been there to help, no matter what. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Teresa.
Up on the rooftop, Liam was hunched over against the wall, hands covering his face in anguish. At that moment, he had completely lost himself, clueless about what to do next.
Buzz—buzz—buzz—
Suddenly, the vibration of his phone snapped him out of his self-torment.
Pulling out his phone and seeing Diana's incoming call, possibly regarding Teresa, he instantly answered.
"Liam, I don’t know where Teresa is. Can you give me Gabriel’s contact info?" Diana's trembling voice came through as soon as the call connected.
"Where are you?" Liam asked, his voice regaining calmness.
"I'm downstairs."
"Wait for me. We'll go see Teresa together," Liam said, then abruptly ended the call, pushing himself off the wall to stand.
Standing up and preparing to stride away, his legs suddenly gave way. If it weren’t for his swift grip on the wall, he would have collapsed forward.
"Liam," the secretary by his side saw this and immediately supported him.
Before his secretary could even reach him, Liam waved dismissively. Reassuring his posture, he issued a command in a deep tone, "Let the head of PR handle everything. Lockdown on all information—no leaks, not a single word."
"Yes, Liam."
Brows furrowing, Liam strode away, making his way downstairs.
Diana, having just alighted from a cab, stood waiting in the lobby for about three or four minutes before spotting Liam exiting the private elevator.
"Liam," she called out to him with forced composure as he approached.
Liam nodded slightly and kept walking briskly, with Diana following closely. But as they reached the entrance, they were met with a dozen or so cars pulling up, forming a loose semicircle around the Evans Group building. Reporters, armed with cameras and microphones, poured out of the vehicles and rushed toward the building.
—Reporters!
In an instant, Liam's expression tightened, and he halted in his tracks.
It had only been fifteen or twenty minutes since they discovered Lauren on the roof. How could so many reporters have received the news and converged here so quickly?
More cars came to a stop behind them. A swarm of journalists encircled the entrance to the Evans Group, prompting the head of security to immediately command his guards to form a barrier, forbidding any reporter from entering.
"Liam, take the underground garage," the security chief advised, approaching Liam.
With a serious nod, Liam spun around, heading to the lower-level garage just as reporters started to bombard him with questions and thrust microphones in his direction.
"Liam." As they reached the elevator, Thomas emerged from it, his demeanor surprisingly calm.
"Find out how the media got wind of this so quickly. Whoever it is, control the situation immediately," Liam commanded as they stepped into the elevator.
"Understood." Thomas nodded and swiftly got on his phone to take care of business.
Diana and Liam arrived at the underground garage, where their car was already waiting by the elevator. Once they were inside, it drove toward the most secluded exit.
The reporters didn't expect the exit in the remote corner of the underground garage. Liam and Diana made a smooth getaway from the office building as they headed toward the hospital where Teresa was.
"Liam, Teresa... she's going to be okay, isn't she?" Diana asked from the back seat, pale-faced and sitting beside Liam, her voice barely concealing a tremor.
Liam, who had been leaning back with his eyes closed, trying to suppress the turmoil within, opened his eyes and looked at Diana.
Watching her pale, frightened face and her anxious and scared eyes, he reached over and gently patted her hand resting by her side, soothing her. "Don't worry, Teresa is a lucky soul. She'll be just fine."
