Chapter 414
+25 BONUS
“It’s the fire alarm!” someone shouted
“Is there a fire? Where is it?”
“Something smells awful! Like something’s burning!” Some parents covered their noses.
The teachers present called out, “Children, don’t panic! Everyone, line up and evacuate quickly!”
As the teachers were shouting, the blaring alarm sounded like a death knell. Parents grabbed their children and stampeded for the exits.
Chairs toppled in the auditorium as children wailed in the chaos. Several kids tumbling down the stairs fell in the rush.
The Fisher bodyguards instinctively scooped up the fallen children. One checked his phone and said, “Mr. Xavier’s GPS signal just disappeared!”
“Maybe he already left? If he found Ms. Merida, he might’ve turned off tracking so we wouldn’t disturb them…” The guards hesitated–with a fire emergency, they couldn’t find Xavier, but couldn’t abandon the danger zone either.
“Mr. Xavier is intelligent. He would definitely leave the auditorium immediately upon discovering the fire. He has no reason to put himself in danger.”
Finally convincing themselves, they decided to first escort the remaining unevacuated children to safety. Once outside, they would contact colleagues to continue searching for Xavier.
The night was thick and dark. Flames illuminated the auditorium windows, but under the cover of darkness, the billowing smoke became indistinct and hard to see clearly.
On this winter night, fierce winds howled, carrying the acrid burning smell far into the distance.
Finnegan sat in the driver’s seat, preparing to turn the car around, when his nose twitched. He immediately looked out the window.
His sense of smell was extremely sensitive, and something was definitely burning, but how could there be such a charred odor at a school?
The towering off–road vehicle had already reached the parking lot entrance. Elara, sitting by the window, saw Harvey standing in front of the barrier gate.
An assistant sprinting toward him called out to Harvey, “Mr. Fisher! There’s been an emergency! The auditorium is on fire!”
Harvey froze momentarily, then turned to look toward the school auditorium. Only then did he see large swaths of orange–red reflecting from the upper–floor windows.
“Where’s Beau?” he demanded.”
The assistant, Ralph Navarro, answered despairingly, “Mr. Beau… He’s still inside…”
An icy aura exploded around Harvey. “What did you say?”
From his peripheral vision, he noticed a car door open. Harvey turned his head to see Elara jumping down from
the vehicle.
Elara stepped forward and asked Ralph, “You’re saying Beau is still inside the auditorium and hasn’t come out?”
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Chapter 414
Ralph nodded at her, “Yes…”
+25 BOTRUS
The nearly tearful assistant said to Harvey, “I originally planned to follow Mr. Beau closely without leaving his side for even a step, but he wouldn’t let me accompany him He said he wanted to look for Ms. Jones and Ms. Merida alone…
“After I came out, I discovered the auditorium was on fire. called for him, and he said he wouldn’t come out until he found Ms. Jones and Ms. Merida.
“I mean, how could he be so reckless with his life?”
Ralph’s eyebrows were knitted tightly together, his face looking like he might burst into tears at any moment. Meanwhile, he gazed at Elara with anxious apprehension.
Elara instructed Finnegan, “You take good care of Merida!”
“What are you going to do?” Finnegan’s voice was low and icy.
Elara glanced at him but didn’t speak. She simply turned resolutely and ran toward the auditorium.
