Chapter 89 Daphne is Still Inside!
"We need to report this to the boss."
"You're finished in Ivrea City as of today."
They threw that last threat at Daphne and took off, obviously going to find backup and lick their wounds.
Once the troublemakers had cleared out, the crowd dispersed, each going their own way. Only the girls who had stood up before lingered, concern in their eyes.
"You okay?"
"It's best to come to places like this in groups."
"Yeah."
They tried to reassure her.
Daphne gave a comforting and nonchalant smile. "I'm fine, thank you."
"What's there to thank for?" they said with caring smiles. "If you don't mind, you're welcome to join us. We're going to hang out a bit longer."
"Thanks," Daphne's eyes softened, "but I think I'll head home."
They didn't press her further.
But as she was about to leave, they couldn't help but call out to her with a protective warning, "Hey, sis!"
"What is it?" Daphne asked.
"If you ever run into a situation like this again, never go off with someone you don't trust."
"Those guys didn't look trustworthy. You could end up in a really bad spot."
"At bars, never drink from a glass that's been out of your sight."
Daphne listened to their heartfelt advice as if they were her own younger sisters. "Okay, thank you."
"No problem!" they responded with sweet smiles.
Daphne left the bar, glancing at the time outside. It was already 8 PM.
The bar was smack dab in the heart of downtown, a solid two-hour drive from her place. Just the thought of having to endure another two hours to get home made her inwardly groan in resistance.
By now, she had completely calmed down and understood why Charles doubted her. There’s an old saying, “Where there's smoke, there's fire.” Charles had already been suspicious about her relationship with Evan. It didn’t help that she did something so out of character for her—it was no wonder he was having doubts.
She decided to put those thoughts on hold. Initially planning to take a cab, she reconsidered after realizing the subway would only take an hour and a half. So she went for the subway instead.
It was half-past ten when Daphne reached the subway stop near her apartment complex. Stepping out, she immediately noticed fire trucks speeding in the direction of her neighborhood, and snippets of conversation from onlookers buzzed in her ears.
“A fire in the middle of the night, I hope everyone’s out,” someone murmured.
“That’s terrifying,” another agreed.
“How could a fire just start like that?”
“Who knows?”
A fire?
Daphne's brows furrowed slightly, and she quickened her pace toward the scene. As she got closer to where she could see her building, she noticed flames engulfing one of the units and realized with a sinking feeling that it seemed to be her own.
Her place?!
Gone was her earlier composure; she dashed toward the complex at full speed. Not much in there mattered—losing the computer or phone was no big deal—but her marriage certificate was inside. If that got destroyed, she’d have to go through the hassle of getting a replacement. Given her current rocky relationship with Charles, if he found out, he’d probably think she was making excuses, sparking another argument.
In the meantime, at the base of her apartment complex.
Fire trucks had arrived, and the area was cordoned off with caution tape, keeping the crowd back. Charles was sitting in his car while his friend Mark, who had come to pick him up, occupied the driver's seat.
Looking at the smoke billowing from the building, Mark said, “The fire looks like it's in Miss Murphy’s unit.”
No sooner had he spoken than Charles bolted from the car. His head was still spinning from the alcohol—if it weren’t for its push, he wouldn’t have come at all.
“Not sure if anyone was in those upper apartments,” a passerby commented. “When they knocked on doors, one didn't open.”
“If no one answered, that means it's empty, right?”
“With all that smoke, they should know, right?”
As people continued to chatter, Charles frantically fished out his phone to call Daphne. After several tries with no answer, he started to worry.
“Boss,” Mark said tentatively, handing over his phone to try.
Charles grabbed it, concerned Daphne was still upset over their earlier disagreement and refusing his calls. Yet, whether he used his phone or Mark's, call after call went unanswered. At that moment, Charles felt a surge of panic.
Charles's panic set in abruptly.
He couldn't even bother about whether there might be something between Evan and Daphne. Gripped by concern, he had reached out to Evan, urging him to try calling Daphne.
But the outcome only fueled an unstoppable tide of fear and worry.
Evan had called, but Daphne's phone continued to ring unanswered.
"Don't worry too much," Mark consoled. "Maybe Miss Murphy didn't hear her phone outside."
"She's inside," Charles muttered, his voice gravelly as he stared at the house billowing with thick smoke.
While on the phone with Evan, they had pinpointed Daphne's cell location; her IP address was connected to the home network.
An immediate and dreadful thought formed in his mind—Daphne's phone was on silent, and she was asleep.
"Boss, what are you doing!" Mark grabbed Charles as he started pushing through the crowd.
"Let go." With a swift movement, Charles shook him off and strode decisively toward the house, "Daphne's still in there!"
He cared about what was going on with her and Evan, but he couldn't bear to watch her lose her life in this blaze.
The fire trucks were just arriving.
The smoke was seeping into Daphne's house. If she had been asleep the whole time, oblivious to the danger, could it suffocate her?
The mere thought of finding her lifeless body made his heart clench with a heavy pain.
Mark tried to hold him back again.
But he quickly realized his boss was too strong and fast for him.
At that precise moment, a perplexed voice called out: "Mark?"
Mark stiffened.
Charles, who had broken free and was rushing forward, also halted at the sound.
"...Miss Murphy?" Mark's eyes widened with surprise, "What are you doing here?"
"I stepped out for a bit." Daphne, not yet noticing Charles who had charged out of the crowd, glanced at the flames and then back at Mark, "And you?"
Mark reflexively looked toward his boss.
Daphne's gaze followed.
Upon seeing that Charles's face was still draped with unabashed worry, Daphne hesitated.
"Boss, Miss Murphy..." began Mark.
"Get in the car." Charles's words cut through the air, chilling and detached as he walked past Daphne. But that worried heart of his finally relaxed, "We're heading back."
Mark: "..."
He didn't move, clearing his throat gently in an attempt to ease the tension between them: "Weren't you just worried sick about Miss Murphy? Now that she's fine, why not have a chat?"
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