Stella Sterling frowned as she peeked out, and sure enough, she saw Jasper standing there with a grim face, his suit jacket speckled with dust, a far cry from his usual ticulous image.
In front of him stood an old man wielding a broom, glaring with angry eyes.
At that mont, Jasper also noticed her. He instinctively moved his lips but was interrupted by the old man’s roar.
"Help? Help my ass! The last lawyer also said he’d help, and what happened? Took the money and ran! You people dressed up all saintly, not a single decent one among you!" The old man was agitated, brandishing the broom, ready to swing it at Jasper.
"Sir, we are from Serene Law Firm, we had contacted you before..."
Seeing the situation, Stella quickly stepped forward, "We can take a look at your materials first to understand the specific situation. If you feel that we’re not suitable, you can ask us to leave at any ti."
Her appearance made the old man halt his actions, his cloudy eyes scrutinizing her, "A young girl? Are you also a lawyer?"
Stella nodded quickly.
Beside him, an old lady wiped her tears, "Old man, why don’t...let this girl take a look, we have no other options..."
The old man snorted, still wary, but finally stopped waving the broom.
Taking advantage of the pause, Jasper said softly to Stella, "The situation is more complicated than we thought. They’ve been deceived before and are very guarded. I’ve found out that the background of the pharmaceutical company is a bit complex, possibly involving..."
Before he could finish speaking, a middle-aged man who had been silent with a grim face suddenly exploded, "Lawyers are all cheats! Just taking money! They don’t care whether we live or die! You vampires, get out! All of you!"
The man was extrely agitated, his eyes red, "The last lawyer vowed we’d win, and what happened? Not worth a damn! Took so much money from us! My mom’s condition worsened! None of you lawyers is any good! Just out to swindle money!"
"Sir, please calm down, we want to help..." Finn Lockwood tried to explain.
"Help my ass!" The man suddenly pushed Finn Lockwood, "Who knows if you’re in league with the hospitals and drug companies! Get out of here!"
The scene beca chaotic.
Stella frowned, knowing it was hard to communicate in such a situation, so she signaled to Finn Lockwood to prepare to leave first and return once the man had cald down.
However, just as she turned to leave, the man, now out of control, caught sight of her lawyer’s badge on the table and his nerves seed provoked, suddenly burst out!
His eyes bloodshot, he grabbed a large pair of scissors for crafting from the old wooden table, completely losing it, "It’s all your fault! All of you!"
The incident happened too quickly, and no one had ti to react!
Stella saw a flash of cold light rushing toward her chest, her pupils constricted, but her body seed to freeze, unable to dodge in ti!
"Watch out!"
In the nick of ti, a figure lunged from the side, shielding Stella!
"Thud—"
It was the muffled, grating noise of a blade piercing flesh.
The warm liquid splattered onto Stella’s face.
She stood frozen, watching helplessly as Jasper’s tall figure swayed before her, his face suddenly turning pale as paper.
His brow furrowed tightly, the scissors buried in his chest, and blood quickly stained his light-colored shirt, piercingly vivid.
The assailant was also stunned, holding the scissor handle, motionless.
"Jasper?" Stella’s voice trembled without her realizing.
Jasper glanced down at the scissors in his chest, then looked up at Stella, as if to confirm she was okay, his lips moved, but no sound ca out, and his body collapsed forward uncontrollably.
"Jasper!"
Stella instinctively reached out to support him, feeling warm, sticky moisture in her hands.
It was then that Finn Lockwood reacted, shouting, "Call an ambulance!" as he rushed to subdue the stunned assailant.
The scene was in chaos.
Stella half-knelt on the ground, holding Jasper, her hands pressed tightly around his bleeding wound, trying to stop the blood, but her fingers were icy cold, trembling violently.
Bright red blood kept gushing out between her fingers, staining his clothes and dyeing her hands red.
Jasper leaned against her, his consciousness seemingly fading, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his breathing becoming rapid and weak.
"Stella..." he finally managed to say, his voice faint as a whisper, "This ti... I finally... protected you once..."
Stella felt a suffocating pain as if an invisible hand had clutched her heart tightly.
She opened her mouth but found she couldn’t utter a word.
The sound of ambulance sirens ca nearer from afar...
...
The disinfectant sll in the hospital corridor was overpoweringly suffocating.
Stella felt like a marionette nailed to the bench, her gaze fixed intently on the surgery room door, each ti it swung open and closed, her heart was like being hauled up to her throat on a roller coaster and then slamd back down.
The porridge and soup Finn Lockwood bought were placed beside her, long since cold.
She forced herself to drink a few sips, but her stomach churned violently, and she rushed to the restroom, throwing up until everything seed topsy-turvy. When she ca out, her legs were weak, barely able to stand.
"Bo... boss!" Finn Lockwood’s voice altered with fright.
But a firm arm suddenly supported her from behind, the familiar presence jolting her heart.
Stella instinctively looked up, locking eyes with Shane Donovan’s deep-set gaze.
His face looked pallid, his jawline tense, and his other hand passed under her knees, lifting her horizontally.
"Shane Donovan?" Stella was a bit dazed, "You... why are you here?"
Shane didn’t respond, putting her down on a bench, crouching down, and gently massaging her calves with his large hands.
His fingers were warm, the pressure just right, gradually easing the aches and numbness.
Only then did he look up at her, his eyes deep and dark, "Your phone was off, no one at the firm, almost called the police for a missing person report."
Stella hurriedly fished out her phone, finding it had been off without her realizing.
"I’m sorry..."
But before she could finish, Shane already ruffled her head gently, "Next ti make sure to charge it in advance, or just call . It’s alright... finding a person isn’t that difficult."
Though he said it lightly, Stella knew with his capabilities, locating soone quickly in the vast city of Riveria was indeed effortless.
She lowered her head, silent.
"Is Jasper inside?" Shane inquired.
Stella nodded.
"What happened?"
Stella pressed her lips tightly, unsure how to explain.
Shane didn’t press her, rephrasing the question, "Where’s he injured?"
"...Chest, stabbed with scissors." Stella’s voice was muffled, "That person was aiming for initially..."
Shane’s massaging of her calf paused subtly, his tone revealing no emotion, "He took it for you?"
Stella remained silent, considered that as a silent confirmation.
Shane’s eyes darkened.
He didn’t have ti to ponder why he felt a bit uncomfortable; his first thought was — If sothing really happened to Jasper, his little girl would carry that burden forever.
"Just now the nurse said he lost a lot of blood, and his blood pressure hasn’t stabilized..." Stella sniffled, "If he..."
Before she could finish, Shane clasped her hand, pressing it against his left chest.
Through the shirt fabric, she could feel the steady and strong heartbeat beneath.
"Listen," he gazed into her eyes, "I’ve also been hit here before; don’t you see alive and kicking now?"
Shane’s voice was calm, "Don’t worry, he won’t die..."
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