Chapter 222 Don't Be Afraid
The two security department maintenance workers were startled by Mitchell's sudden urgency. One of them, who the arm hadn't grabbed, replied hesitantly, "There's an employee trapped inside." As soon as the words fell, Mitchell pushed past the two of them and ran toward the staircase.
Willow had been squatting against the back wall of the enclosed elevator for over twenty minutes. No one was speaking on the security room's end, and she had no idea which floor she was on or when they would find her. As time passed, she became increasingly anxious and scared, losing her initial calmness. Her phone was also running out of battery.
Willow slowly stood up, her legs feeling numb from squatting for so long. She pressed the emergency alarm button again, using the light from her phone. There was no response on the other end, and she wasn't sure if someone had walked away. She moved closer to the door and forcefully tapped on it, hoping to create some noise that would alert someone to her presence. However, she didn't dare to tap for too long, afraid that it would cause the elevator to continue descending.
Mitchell searched for Willow floor by floor, going up the stairs. When he reached the 16th floor and came out of the stairwell, he happened to run into Riley.
"Mitchell, what's wrong? Why are you coming down from the stairwell?" Riley blocked his path. She had been waiting for him in the office for half a day, and the Secretary said he had meetings all day. She had planned to leave before this encounter happened.
Mitchell didn't say anything and bypassed her, running toward the direction of the elevator.
"Mitchell!" Riley was furious that he blatantly ignored her in front of so many people. She stomped her foot and followed him toward the elevator.
Mitchell pounded on the elevator door, loudly calling Willow's name, "Willow, are you inside? Willow."
Willow had been trapped in the enclosed space for almost half an hour. Her phone had died and shut down, engulfing her in darkness. She was very scared but suddenly heard Mitchell's voice. It was like a beam of light in the darkness. She propped herself up and stood up, wanting to speak, but found that she couldn't make a sound. She panicked and started slapping the walls of the elevator.
Upon hearing the sound, Mitchell finally felt relieved. "Is that you, Willow? Don't worry. I'll save you right away."
At that moment, the maintenance personnel from the security room arrived on that floor. Mitchell saw them with their tools and quickly grabbed them, saying, "Hurry and open the door. There's someone inside. Hurry." Due to running up multiple flights of stairs, Mitchell's hair was covered in sweat, and his shirt underneath his suit was soaked, making him look disheveled.
Hearing the commotion, the office members gathered around, discussing in a clamor.
"How did the elevator malfunction?"
"Oh my god, is someone trapped inside."
"I heard President Jonah calling out Willow's name. It must be our department's Willow."
"President Jonah personally rescued the person. He was kind," everyone continued to discuss in low voices. The maintenance personnel heard that the trapped person had been found and quickly took their tools to pry open the door. Just as they opened a small gap, Mitchell rushed inside. Security officer Willow's legs went weak and numb, and she couldn't climb up herself. The person who went down from behind lifted her, and Mitchell bent down and passed under her armpit, carrying her out. The worried and anxious expression on his face couldn't be hidden. He gently patted her back and reassured her urgently, "Willow, don't be afraid; Mitchell is here; everything is fine now."
Willow saw Mitchell, and all her fear and nervousness instantly disappeared. She leaned against Mitchell's embrace and forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mitchell."
The project manager followed behind Mitchell and ran up the stairs. They had just reached the 16th floor. The project manager was simply a mess if Mitchell looked a little chaotic. He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. It took a long time for him to recover. His hair was beyond presentable, and he took off his coat and held it in his hand, his white shirt soaked in sweat. After he approached, he noticed that Willow, who was trapped in the elevator, was being held by Mitchell. He reacted and asked with concern, "Willow, how did you get trapped in the elevator? Are you okay?"
Mitchell handed the blue folder that was taken out by the maintenance personnel to the project manager. "Take the documents upstairs to Matthew." Then he carried Willow without looking back and headed toward his own office.
Riley stood in the crowd, holding her Hermès bag. She watched Mitchell cross past her and rush toward the elevator to rescue Willow. She didn't expect the elevator to malfunction after she got out, trapping Willow inside.
She watched Mitchell carry Willow back to the office without even glancing at her or saying a word. Riley didn't give up and followed behind Mitchell, who was also going to the office.
Willow felt embarrassed being carried by Mitchell, especially with so many people from the company watching, and they were all familiar faces in her department. How could she face them?
"Mitchell, I'm fine. Can you put me down? Everyone is watching," Willow said, lowering her head, afraid of others seeing her face.
Mitchell stopped in his tracks, his face dark and his brows furrowed. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
Willow instinctively shook her head, but in her heart, she screamed. He didn't have a problem, but she had a big problem.
Mitchell continued walking forward, carrying Willow and placing her on the couch in his office. Just as he set her down and stood up, he saw Riley standing at the doorway. Mitchell immediately gave her the farewell order without waiting for Riley to speak.
"Riley, I'm busy today. If there are any issues with the project, let's schedule another time to discuss it. Willow is not available today either."
Riley's mouth was slightly agape, ready to speak, but Mitchell's words shut her down. She tried hard to adjust her facial expression so she didn't look too stiff. As she walked slowly into the office, she said, "That's alright. We can reschedule for another time. I was about to leave when I coincidentally ran into Willow, trapped in the elevator." She then turned to express concern toward Willow, "Willow, are you okay? I was terrified when I saw Mitchell carrying you out."
Willow clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, listening to Riley deliberately reminding her that Mitchell was her brother despite Mitchell treating her as just a younger sister. She shook her head and replied, "I'm fine."
Willow turned to look at Mitchell and said, "Mitchell, I'll go back first. You two can talk."
Mitchell held a bottle of milk he had just taken from the refrigerator and walked over to Willow, handing it to her. "You can rest here and not go anywhere."
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