Chapter 619 Saving My Woman Myself
"What was that? Did I stumble?"
"The glass just shook a bit. Damn... It can't be seismic activity, can it?"
A while later, the organizer received news and explained to everyone: "Don't panic, folks, we just had a small earthquake—a 3.4 on the Richter scale. Let's hurry down the mountain."
Scanning the worried faces, the organizer asked seriously, "Has Miss Watson still not returned?"
The absentees were notable, and with the earthquake, everyone knew the chances of finding her unharmed were slim.
"Why does Natalie always get caught up in these things?" Noah sighed mournfully.
Sharon, misunderstanding Noah and thinking she was in agreement, jumped in with, "Yeah, from the start, Natalie's always been the one with the most drama!"
"Sharon, can you at least try to hide your nasty streak?" Noah's blood boiled enough to start a brawl. Sharon had the nerve to bad-mouth Natalie like that!
A group of heiresses, each harboring a soft spot for Natalie, laid into Sharon with such fervor she couldn't hold her head up high.
Susan watched the scene unfold, her mind torn between mockery of Sharon's foolishness and a twisted satisfaction in witnessing her being put in her place.
Idiots deserve to be called out, don't they?
"Mr. Windsor, now..." The organizer hesitated, searching for the right words to address Oliver Windsor after the recent events. "Mr. Windsor, why don't you join us in a safe location? We’ll have a team search for Miss Watson," he suggested, half expecting to be struck down by a bolt of lightning for uttering those words.
After the mountain incident the day before, it was crystal clear just how much Natalie meant to Oliver.
"You take the others and leave," Oliver instructed the organizer, turning to his own bodyguards, "You come with me."
The mild earthquake that had just hit was a warning sign of potential larger tremors. No one knew if they were out of danger yet.
The organizer, totally out of his depth and regretting taking on this summer camp job regardless of the perks, nodded continuously. He couldn't bear the responsibility.
"Oliver, it's dangerous here, don't stay behind," Susan urged, panicked. Her initial intention was for Natalie to meet her end in an accident, something for Oliver to find nothing more than a cold body. But an earthquake was not part of the plan.
"Leonard, can you keep your fiancée in check?" Oliver had no desire to exchange another word with Susan.
Leonard gave a slight smile. "Of course, I can handle it."
He then turned to Susan, leaned down, and whispered threateningly, “You better not cause any trouble, or you might just disappear without a trace.”
A wave of fear washed over Susan.
She might have means to silence Natalie without a trace, but Leonard, with his dominant presence in the region, was most certainly more capable.
Susan kept still, knowing she dared not act recklessly.
"Lucas, take Lilian and get out of here," Oliver commanded, addressing the two who stood motionless nearby.
Lucas and Lilian didn't dare disturb Oliver before, given his foul mood. They had planned to help search for Natalie, but now, Oliver was asking them to leave?
Oliver didn’t give them a chance to exchange words; he pulled Lucas aside.
"Lucas, Lilian is your girl now, and you’re responsible for her safety. Got it?"
"But Natalie is still my sister!" Lucas retorted, unconvinced.
“If you stay, can you convince Lilian to leave willingly?”
He couldn’t.
Lucas knew all too well that Lilian might seem sweet and soft but was stubborn to the core.
“Then... then I’ll give you the tech team guys then.” Lucas looked pleadingly at Oliver. “You've got to ensure nothing happens to my sister!”
“It won’t.”
Given that they were heading into the woods and considering past incidents, the bodyguards had come very well-prepared this time. By the time Oliver returned, he had gathered various life-saving ropes, first-aid kits, flashlights, and more.
Something didn’t sit right with Oliver, like they were missing something crucial, but his mind was so preoccupied with Natalie’s safety that he couldn’t spare a thought to figure out what it might be.
Once the others had left, four members from the tech team appeared: “Mr. Windsor, Mr. Watson said we are at your disposal. Also, here’s the topographical map of the area our team prepared for you."
Experts in their field, the tech team had easily acquired a detailed map faster than anyone else, and given that Lucas was considered something of a fragile doll by the other team members, they had made sure to prepare it in anticipation of his arrival, ready for any emergencies.
"Thanks." Oliver took the map, used it to delegate tasks to his bodyguards and the tech team, and they split up to begin the search.
After about fifteen minutes...
Oliver's walkie-talkie crackled with a bodyguard's voice: "Sir, we’ve found a woman passed out on the ground."
That’s when Oliver realized what had been nagging at him: the absence of the woman!
Natalie in trouble and this woman nowhere to be seen? That was abnormal.
"Is she awake yet?" Oliver inquired.
"No."
"Send someone to take her back."
"Will do."
This woman typically stayed clear of trouble. That she would collapse now of all times sent a wave of fear through Oliver.
Fear… fear for Natalie’s safety.
"Sir, we’ve found something suspicious!" A report came in.
Oliver hurried over, where his bodyguards and two members of the tech team had gathered near a steep slope.
"Sir, take a look. There's blood on these vines, and if you follow them down here, you can see the grass has been trampled clearly. Plus, there's a footprint here that matches the size and depth of the Mrs.'s," the bodyguard explained. "We suspect...the Mrs. has fallen down."
"Nothing else discovered in the area?" Oliver asked, his gaze locked onto the slope below, his face dark and foreboding.
The abyss appeared bottomless, with vegetation and trees lining the path untouched by human presence.
"No, there's an eighty percent chance it happened here."
"Then we go down after her." Oliver pointed to the rescue rope. "Strap it around my waist," he ordered the bodyguard.
Those from the organization didn't understand Oliver's resolute nature and tried to persuade him, "Mr. Windsor, this steep pit is actually a sinkhole with many unknown dangers in its pristine depths. It's safer if our team handles the descent."
Oliver glanced at the hesitating bodyguard who, catching the look, immediately followed Oliver's orders.
"Sir, how about Jacob and I accompany you down?" one bodyguard offered.
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