Chapter 391 Underestimating a Nineteen-Year-Old Girl
When Teresa arrived at the ski resort, it had already turned completely dark. The lights throughout the resort, however, blazed brightly for the search.
As soon as the car stopped, Teresa rushed out and sprinted toward the ski slopes.
Due to the major avalanche, the cable cars had been stopped, and the search and rescue teams were mostly making their way up the mountain on foot.
Teresa had barely reached the ski resort entrance when a staff member stopped her, not allowing her entry because a search and rescue operation was in progress.
"Please, my husband is still in there. I need to go find him." Teresa looked at the staffer with pleading eyes, nearly begging, "I won't cause any trouble for the rescue team; I promise I won't interfere with anyone's work."
The worker shook his head at Teresa, firmly refusing, "I'm sorry, Madam, it's dangerously risky for untrained individuals to go up the mountain right now. There's a high risk of another avalanche. So, please cooperate with us, wait outside, and give us your husband's identification details. As soon as we find him, we'll let you know immediately."
"Yes, Madam Garcia, we should wait out here. If a secondary avalanche occurs, it could be another disaster," the coach, following close behind with the bodyguard, advised Teresa in a professional tone.
Teresa looked from the staffer to the coach, tears welling up in her crimson eyes, yet she reluctantly nodded, pushing the tears back.
"It's too cold here, Madam Garcia. You should wait in the car," the coach suggested, observing Teresa standing still and staring blankly at the mountaintop within the ski area.
It was evening at the base of the mountain, and temperatures dropped below minus ten degrees—challenging even for seasoned skiers like the coach.
Teresa didn't look at the coach, simply shaking her head lightly, "No, I'll wait here."
The bodyguard frowned.
Luke had left him responsible for Teresa's well-being, and any harm coming to her from the cold would be a failure in his duty.
Stepping forward, the bodyguard tried to convince her, "Madam, the temperature is going to drop even lower soon. If you get frostbite waiting here, how will you take care of Gabriel when we find him?"
Indeed, the bodyguard's words had an effect.
Teresa retracted her gaze from the mountaintop. She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded and headed back to the car.
Inside the vehicle, Teresa's face was almost pressed against the window glass. She was intently watching the activities at the ski slopes.
Time trickled by, and about half an hour later, a man in black combat boots and a dark blue ski suit was removed from the ski area.
"Gabriel!" Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she dashed out of the car.
The bodyguard hurried after her.
Stumbling, Teresa rushed forward.
But upon seeing the person...
It wasn't Gabriel.
It was a Caucasian with black hair.
The motionless figure on the stretcher had his hair, eyebrows, and even his entire face almost completely encased in ice.
"What happened to him?" Teresa choked out the question as she looked at the man on the stretcher.
"He's dead." The reply was brutally brief.
Teresa's body jolted, and she staggered backward; the stretcher was already out of her sight.
Tears once again surged uncontrollably.
But quickly, she wiped her cheeks with her hands, repeatedly telling herself inside that Gabriel had to be alive.
After drying her tears, she returned to the car to continue the wait.
Intermittently, people were carried out from the ski resort, and out of every ten, perhaps one was lucky enough to survive.
She waited and waited, without even blinking, until the early hours of the morning, around 4 AM, when finally, someone in a dark blue ski suit was carried out.
Teresa rushed from the car, ready to pounce, but then she heard a groan of pain.
It didn't sound like Gabriel.
And indeed, it wasn't Gabriel.
As she watched the stranger being carried away, Teresa couldn't identify her own feelings.
"Ma'am."
Just then, a familiar voice called out. Teresa looked and saw Luke.
"Luke, where's Gabriel?" she immediately lunged at Luke, grabbing his arm.
Luke watched her with furrowed brows and shook his head. "We've searched the ski resort and the nearby hospitals, but so far, there's no sign of Gabriel."
—No sign of him.
Impossible!
Teresa felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her knees buckling.
"Teresa!" Luke quickly caught her.
"Luke, is it possible?" After a moment of stunned silence, Teresa clung to Luke, desperate and hopeful, "Could it be that Gabriel had already left the ski resort, that he had escaped from the avalanche early and was already safe?"
Looking into Teresa's eyes, brimming with hope, Luke couldn't bear to hurt her, but he had to be honest, "If Gabriel had escaped, he would have called us."
—He would have called us.
Teresa faltered, panicked for a moment, then quickly added, "But... but what if his phone was lost at the ski resort?"
Luke frowned deeply, "Even then, Gabriel would find a way to contact you. He wouldn't leave you worrying."
—He would find a way to contact you. He wouldn't leave you worrying.
Watching Luke, a sense of despair, unlike any before, crashed over Teresa, engulfing her.
"Yeah, if Gabriel had escaped danger, how could he possibly not have contacted her?"
Teresa's body went limp, her vision darkening as she passed out.
"Teresa, Teresa!" Seeing Teresa collapse, Luke grabbed her in his arms and shouted her name.
Seeing no response from her, he immediately picked her up and rushed towards his car, commanding, "Head to the hospital, now!"
"Got it."
.......
"Miss, the man you brought back has woken up."
In a luxuriously decorated yet cozy villa about fifty to sixty miles from the small town of Ithertwald, Jocelyn was enjoying her breakfast in a particularly good mood.
Suddenly, a black bodyguard approached her respectfully and reported.
"He's awake!" Jocelyn felt a wave of joy upon hearing this. She immediately dropped her cutlery and sprinted towards the second floor.
Jocelyn was Hayden's only sister. Since their mother passed away, Hayden has been not only a sister but also a motherly figure to Jocelyn. He showers her with love, caters to her every wish, and arranges everything for her.
After graduating from high school, Jocelyn expressed a desire to study in Switzerland. Hayden arranged for her to attend university in Zurich, bought her the finest villa in the city, and hired twenty bodyguards and housekeeper drivers to take care of her.
After spending the holidays back home, Jocelyn flew back to Zurich. Since it was vacation time, she went skiing with friends and never expected an avalanche. In the aftermath, she encountered Gabriel, who had narrowly escaped death and passed out.
Jocelyn was thrilled to see Gabriel and immediately had her bodyguards carry him to the car and bring him back to Zurich. She instructed her companions to keep it a secret and not tell anyone about finding Gabriel.
Jocelyn's companions were South Koreans and did not recognize Gabriel, so naturally, they wouldn't mention him to others. And even if they did, no one would know who Gabriel was.
