"Christopher, get your wife out of here immediately. I'm going to find Amelia now."
With those words, Liam Williams left the banquet hall without a backward glance. Emma Johnson only caught a glimpse of his retreating back. Whatever had happened between them before, right now she was genuinely worried about Amelia. She prayed nothing terrible had actually happened to her.
"Ma'am, we need to leave now. No one can guarantee the fire won't reach us in the next second."
Christopher Martin spoke to Emma with respectful urgency. She nodded at him, and Isabella Miller and Emilia Clark each took one of her arms. The three women leaned on each other, moving with the crowd toward the exit.
They were on the eighth floor, and there was no telling if the fire was under control yet. But at least the fire trucks hadn't arrived, and Emma hadn't heard any sirens.
The crowd was growing thicker, but there was only one hallway. Though people were trying to stay orderly, everyone was still pushing forward, desperate to get ahead. Since the stairwell wasn't safe, many were rushing toward the elevators instead.
Emilia stayed close to Emma, but her eyes kept scanning the crowd. She was thinking about her boss, and there was no need to doubt he'd be fine. That thought put her mind at ease.
They watched the elevator doors getting closer. When they finally reached them, the doors slid open. Christopher wanted to let Emma go first, but she insisted Isabella and Emilia get in before her. Just as she was about to step inside herself, a woman suddenly came running from somewhere behind. Before Christopher could react, the woman threw her arms around him, clinging tightly. He stumbled back a few steps and ended up inside the elevator with her. The woman seemed terrified, sobbing against his chest. Christopher tried to push her away but couldn't.
At that moment, someone reached out. Before Emma could react, the elevator doors slammed shut. She only had time to see the panic in Christopher's eyes.
By now, most people on the eighth floor had already left. Emma was alone. Because she was the president's wife, she had made sure all the company employees evacuated first. Only now was she leaving herself, and she felt a flicker of panic. But she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't take the elevator, but she could still use the stairs. If she hurried, she'd be fine.
Emma gave herself a silent pep talk and walked into the stairwell. When she reached the fourth floor, she suddenly heard Amelia's tearful voice.
"Brother, you finally found me. I knew that when something happened to me, you'd be here for me right away."
A relieved smile spread across Emma's face. She didn't care what Amelia was saying. As long as Liam had found her, everything was okay. And she could join them now. The fourth floor was closest to the third, where smoke was billowing thickly. Emma couldn't wait to push open the corridor door and step out, but to her shock, it was locked. The voices of Amelia and Liam were fading away.
Worry crept into her heart. Just as she was about to call out, she accidentally inhaled a mouthful of smoke, which sent her into a violent coughing fit. She couldn't speak. All she could do was cover her mouth and hurry away from there. From the sound of their voices, Liam and Amelia were fine and would be out soon.
She couldn't afford to stay here any longer.
But when Emma ran down to the first floor, she never expected that door to be locked too. Panic seized her.
What was going on?
Had someone locked all the building doors after everyone had escaped? Emma refused to believe it. She ran back up to the second floor—also locked. She kept running all the way back to the eighth floor. Every single door was locked.
Even someone as calm as Emma couldn't help but feel anxious now.
She wanted to pull out her phone and call for help, but she was only wearing an evening gown. Her phone was in her bag. The smoke was getting thicker, and she could hear the terrifying roar of flames just beyond the door, as if they would burst in at any second and devour her.
The smoke choked her, tears streaming down her face. Her consciousness began to blur. She told herself she couldn't collapse here. She had to find a way out. But just as she was about to go back to the first floor and pound on the door for help, her body finally gave out. She collapsed on the fourth floor, completely unconscious.
Liam carried Amelia down in the elevator and stepped outside. By then, fire trucks were lined up in front of the building. Firefighters were battling the blaze. Liam scanned the dark crowd in front of him, then set Amelia down. He anxiously searched for Emma's figure.
Even though he knew she should have come out with the others, he couldn't shake the unease. He was terrified that even the smallest accident might have happened.
Amelia's face was smudged from the smoke, but she still clung tightly to Liam, trembling like a frightened rabbit.
"Brother, did we really escape?"
"Yeah, we're fine."
Liam comforted Amelia patiently while continuing to scan the crowd. Soon enough, he spotted Christopher's figure. Christopher saw him too and immediately rushed over, almost running.
Liam could tell something was wrong from the look on Christopher's face.
"Where's Emma? Where did you take her to rest?"
Liam stared at Christopher, demanding an answer. Christopher struggled to speak.
"I'm sorry, sir. I failed your orders. My wife is trapped on the eighth floor. I haven't seen her come out yet."
The moment Christopher finished speaking, Amelia felt her brother's body go rigid. Then, in the next second, he pushed her toward Christopher.
"Take care of her."
Liam's face was terrifyingly fierce. He didn't waste a single word of blame. He simply gave Christopher that cold, deep command, then turned and walked back inside without a moment's hesitation. The sea of flames had already spread, and no one knew what the situation was like in there.
"Brother, you can't go in!"
Amelia tried to break free from Christopher and run after her brother. But Christopher remembered Liam's orders this time. He knew the president wouldn't rest until he found his wife. But he was also terrified that something might happen to him. Holding Amelia firmly by both arms, he shouted to a nearby company manager: "Go tell the firefighters to send some men in! The president went back inside!"
The manager had seen it all. He didn't dare delay. If the building was destroyed, it could be rebuilt. But if the president was gone, no one could predict what would become of the company. He ran to get the firefighters immediately.