Calista's thoughts were entirely consumed by Lucian's situation. It wasn't until Hector stood before her that she registered what he was saying."He's not a weakling."Hector was at a loss for words. Surely, that was not the point. It didn't matter to him if Lucian was a weakling or not. He was worried about Calista, not Lucian."What are you doing here?" Calista asked.This was surely not a coincidence.Yara shifted close and said carefully, "I told him you were here. He sent me a text asking about Lucian and asked how you were doing. It was a casual mention. I didn't think he'd come."She could hazard a guess on what he'd do. Knowing what he was like, he'd come if he knew Calista was here. She didn't know if she'd be able to hold Calista back if she were to take an impulsive action. Having more people around meant additional safeguards. She didn't hold out hope for Timothy to help bolster their numbers. Calista nodded."I'm heading home then."She already asked Timothy ev
Back at the dilapidated residential building, there was a stalemate due to Kyros' explosives. There was uncertainty regarding their existence.The police had arrived but they were unable to enter. With no other buildings around and Kyros far from the windows, snipers couldn't be deployed. The negotiator had spoken. But, they didn't receive a single response. It felt as if they were talking to a brick wall. Kyros still had hostages which prevented them from launching an assault.The man who everyone was anxiously watching, seemed the most at ease."Do you think Calista is going to make it, Lucian?"Lucian was back on the bed and leaning against the headboard. Kyros had been quite heavy-handed with the drug he administered. Despite having been awake for a while, Lucian remained feeble. "Instead of worrying if she's going to make it, you should be concerned about your backer. News has likely gotten out by now. Want to see?"Kyros shot him a knowing smile."I'll pass."He toyed
An explosion went off with a sudden boom, shaking the earth. What followed was complete silence. The building was quiet. Even the people milling about downstairs were silent.Homemade explosives weren't particularly potent. But, the building was a dangerous site that had been left abandoned for years. It wasn't made to withstand the impact. The explosion caused more than half of the structure to collapse.The earth stopped shaking as the explosions subsided. Calista steadied herself and stared at the ruins of the residential building ahead. She held her breath. She could see the edges of her vision going dark."Lucian …"The police were quick to apprehend Kyros' men. An officer with a microphone shouted at the building, "Is there anyone inside?"Calista immediately made a beeline for the building. Hector grabbed her."Calm down, Calista. We still don't know what's going on in there. There's no way of knowing if there are more bombs that haven't gone off. You …" "But Lucian
When Calista heard that there were no signs of life, she nearly fell to her knees. However, she quickly steadied herself. She held her breath and looked at Cade.She didn't know why she had instinctively looked his way. Perhaps the lack of certainty had instilled a desire to hear the answer from someone else. However, the reaction all but lasted a split second. She quickly regained her composure. She stumbled to the location where someone was mentioned to have been found.Calista was about to climb up when a fireman stopped her."It's dangerous up there. You can't be there.""I won't get in your way. I need to see who it is you found. My husband … My husband is down there somewhere."The person who stopped her was unfazed."We'll bring him down. Please step aside. There are scattered cement blocks up there. You'll slip into the gaps up there."Seeing how pale Calista seemed, the person repeated, "There's nothing for you to worry about. We'll bring him down."That empty reassu
Calista quickly flipped to the last page of the consent form. She gripped the pen tightly to stop her hands from trembling. Then, she swiftly penned her name on paper.Before she could catch her breath from having signed the form, the nurse handed her another document."This is the consent form for the surgery …"After she was done signing the forms, the nurse finally went back inside. Before she left, she glanced at Calista's hands which were covered in soot. "You should have your injuries taken care of. All that soot is going to give you an infection.""Yeah, I will."It was only then that Calista had the chance to inquire about how Lucian was faring."How is he? Is he in danger?""We're still trying to stabilize him. We'll be in contact if anything goes wrong."Once the nurse finished, she left with the stack of signed consent forms.When the doors closed, Calista leaned wearily against the wall. She felt extremely exhausted after the rollercoaster of emotions. It complet
Lucian lay motionless in the ICU. Safe for the occasional soft beep from the machines, it was deathly quiet. It was as if his mind remained trapped in that dilapidated residential building.When he threw that lighter, there was no absolute certainty whether he'd live or die. But, he knew it was his only chance at survival.Manufacturing self-made explosives, hostage-taking, and illegal fundraising—each count was enough to keep Kyros in prison for several years. There were also the deaths of Jean Jacquez and his bodyguards to consider. Though he hadn't directly caused their deaths, there was no chance of him washing his hands clean of his involvement.Kyros wanted Lucian to join him in death. But the longer it dragged on, the less favorable his circumstances became.They were on the third floor and the self-built home stood a little over 30 feet. Falling from that height wouldn't kill him unless he were incredibly unlucky. However, there were protective railings around the house
Calista wasn't allowed inside. All she could do was watch through the glass. She could not even utter a word as everyone seemed busy. She didn't want to end up disturbing the doctor's rescue efforts."Why are you just standing there, Calista?"It was Paul's voice. Someone approached soon after and joined her in watching the goings-on inside. Seeing the medical staff pacing about, he frowned and asked, "What's going on?""I don't know."Calista sighed in relief when she saw him. Then, she glanced behind to see Cade who had arrived late. She thought he seemed to be in a much better mood since the last time she saw him despite his expression remaining unchanged."He'll be fine. Don't worry," Paul said.Calista thought he was trying to comfort her. She forced a smile and nodded only for Paul to continue, "He's the pettiest guy I know. He's not going to let you be taken away by another man. He'll still crawl back from the depths of hell even if the grim reaper comes for him."
Timothy intentionally provoked her."Go ahead. I don't mind.""I think you're just talking out of your ass."Yara stared at the man who was well within striking distance. Her voice grew softer with every word. A man who could bring others to heel in the courtroom had no trouble overwhelming her with his presence alone. Yara pushed him back."Can you back off?"There was still distance between them while she was still sitting down. But now that she had gotten to her feet, there was barely any space between them. She could barely catch her breath. The last thing she wanted was for her breath to brush his face. Timothy raised a brow."Does standing close affect your ability to speak?""Yeah, what if you …"Her words trailed off under his intense gaze before she backpedaled."What if my breath stinks? I don't want to be a bother, sir."Timothy lowered himself and inched closer. It was as if he wanted to kiss her. Puffs of air caressed her cheeks. Startled, Yara stared at him