Chapter 314

At the sound of his voice, Danielle looked up at Jason, his clothes torn and face streaked with dirt. She felt no anger over him leaving her behind.

Why would she? When death loomed around every corner, and he didn’t love her, his choice made sense.

At that moment, staying meant risking everything.

She knew his feelings for her were more obsession than love.

It was an old story. Men always craved what they couldn’t have.

“Guess I got lucky,” Danielle said with a weak smile. “Thanks.” If he hadn’t returned with Ross, she’d be buried under the rubble right now.

Jason’s knuckles turned white as he balled his hands into fists, then shook his head wordlessly.

When Danielle tried to wiggle her injured foot, pain shot through her leg, blurring her vision with tears.

Ross lifted her bridal-style, but the second he did, the ground started heaving again.

This tremor hit harder than the first.

Danielle’s face drained of color. She’d seen what these quakes could do.

Ross took off running back the way they came.

“Are you afraid?” she asked, clinging to his neck.

“Afraid of what?” Ross asked.

“Dying here with me.”

Ross kept his eyes fixed ahead as he ran, even though the shaking made it hard to stand. Somehow, he still managed to carry Danielle in his arms. “If I was scared, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like me a lot?”

“More than anything.”

Ross, who’d once avoided romance like the plague, now wanted nothing more than to learn how to love her.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he answered every question without hesitation. Even with her foot throbbing and the earth still shaking, she felt a rush of happiness.

That feeling vanished in an instant.

The warehouse that had withstood the first quake finally gave way. Dust billowed into the air as a massive wooden beam crashed down, followed by a cascade of glass and debris.

Jason watched, certain Ross would ditch Danielle to save himself. He had to.

Dumping the “dead weight” of Danielle would let Ross escape. If he didn’t, they’d both get crushed under the rubble.

But Jason was stunned when Ross’ first move was shoving Danielle seven feet toward Alex. Then he disappeared under the collapsing debris, his survival uncertain.

Alex yanked her to safety.

Until that moment, Danielle hadn’t shed a tear. Now her face crumpled, her voice breaking into a raw scream. “Ross!”

The only response was the thunderous roar of falling walls.

After the warehouse collapsed, the earthquake then stopped again. This time, Ross was clearly trapped much deeper than Danielle had been earlier.

Danielle ignored her throbbing leg and raced to the pile where Ross had vanished, digging wildly as tears streamed down her face.

“Stop standing there. Help Dr. Shelly dig!” someone shouted.

No one knew if Mr. Jean had Danielle’s luck. This time, he was buried too deep.

They dug for what felt like an eternity but didn’t find him.

Finally, rescue teams arrived, led by Richard, a key client of their company, clad in rescue gear.

He barked orders, rallying the crew to start excavating.

Ten minutes later, a helicopter hovered over Lightspring Dock.

A rope dropped, and Shermaine abseiled down.

By the time she hit the ground, Ross had been pulled from the debris. He wasn’t as fortunate as Danielle. A steel rod protruded from his chest, blood gushing nonstop.

At the sight, Danielle’s heart split in two.

Her eyes swollen from crying, she pressed two fingers to his neck. He was still breathing.

As a doctor, she knew she needed to stay calm, but her hands trembled uncontrollably.

The rod was lodged deep. The surgery carried massive risks. She feared he might not survive.

But the moment she saw Shermaine approaching like a beacon, Danielle screamed at the top of her lungs, “Sheary, save Ross!”

By now, every tent the rescue center had set up had collapsed in the quake.

Crowds huddled in the open, waiting for the shaking to cease.

Once it did and they were told no more aftershocks were expected, they started rebuilding the tents.

Soon a helicopter landed nearby. Medics carried out a blood-drenched man, with Dr. Shelly right on their heels.

“Danielle, round up some nurses,” Shermaine ordered, her voice steady.

“On it,” Danielle replied.

Despite her injured foot, Danielle ignored her own pain, propping herself on a walking stick as she coordinated Ross’ surgery.

What did her discomfort matter when his life was on the line?

Shermaine entered the tent to inspect the medical equipment. She pulled on gloves and a mask, slipped into a blue sterile gown, and then announced, “Prep for surgery.”

Chapter 114

Unable to help, Danielle excused herself and stood outside, stunned.

In the shadows, Jason was on the phone. “Did Pa ask about who’s behind that?”

“The guy didn’t even bring it up. All he cared about was finding Ms. Shelly. As soon as I told him, he headed straight for Lightspring Dock. He's out of this goddamned Lightspring City, that’s where,” the man cursed over the line. “Don’t worry, I haven’t breathed a word about our deal. Besides, your mother approached us using your father’s name. If this blows up, it’s on him, right? What’s that got to do with you?

“I’ve got the cash. Me and my guys are long gone. They’ll never track us down. Won’t mess with your plans.”

“Good,” Jason said.

But Jason had no clue the man on the phone was stuck in a car, his leg wound still untreated, face pale as a sheet. Beside him, a bodyguard in a black suit pressed a knife to his throat.

News of the Lightspring City earthquake spread like wildfire online, reaching Natalie.

Lightspring Dock – isn’t that where Danielle was held? she wondered. As a mother, she panicked for her only son, who’d been there that night.

The phone rang once before he picked up.

Natalie let out a shaky breath at the sound of his voice. “Jason, are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Thank God.” Her son was unharmed. Clearly, fate was on his side. He was destined to marry Danielle.

After all, Jason had technically “rescued” Danielle, so Tim would have to keep his word.

“What about Ross?” Natalie asked.

“They’re performing emergency surgery.”

“Seriously? How bad is his condition?”

“Critical.”

Natalie could barely hide her satisfaction. With any luck, Jameson’s eldest son would die right there in Lightspring City. One problem was permanently solved.