Chapter 2

In the past, whenever Lucas got angry, I would apologize immediately, whether I was at fault or not.

This time, however, the only response he received was silence.

Lucas froze for a moment, then laughed.

"Suzy, have you gotten addicted to pretending to be dead? Fine. I’ll give you what you want! Nobody is allowed to open the door for her until the typhoon passes!"

Then he ended the radio call without another word.

No matter how much Tom tried to reason with him, Lucas stopped caring whether I lived or died.

Two hours later, Eli Caldwell from the equipment team stumbled inside.

"Captain Hunt! Something’s happened! The gravity sensor on Bungee Platform Two just sent back its final reading!"

"The safety line... It snapped! The load reading dropped to zero instantly. That’s the typical signal for a person falling!"

Tom’s eyes immediately reddened.

"Lucas! Look at this! The line snapped! Suzy fell, and you killed her!"

Lucas carefully helped Vivian drink some water before looking up and letting out a mocking laugh.

"Eli, Suzy must have damaged the line herself with scissors. Of course the load reading would drop to zero."

Eli anxiously slapped his thigh.

"No, Captain Hunt! The waveform from a cut line is completely different from one that snaps under tension! This data clearly shows..."

"Enough!"

Lucas impatiently cut him off and slammed his cup onto the table.

"The typhoon has caused serious damage. Don’t you all have your own work to do? What did Suzy give you to make all of you play along with her ridiculous jealousy drama?"

Eli still refused to give up.

"Monitoring the equipment is my responsibility. If something goes wrong, I have to inspect it. Besides, after working with Suzy..."

His eyes swept over Vivian, who was pretending to be weak.

"Suzy isn’t the kind of person who gets jealous and causes a scene."

Lucas’ brows drew tightly together.

The teammates around them agreed.

"Besides, Suzy was covering someone else’s shift today. She’s already worked three days in a row, so she must be exhausted. Captain, we should go check on her, just in case."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Lucas’ eyes. He was about to give the order when Vivian suddenly spoke in a timid voice.

"Lucas, perhaps we should still go check on her. Suzy is a rock-climbing champion, so even if she did fall, she might have found a ledge to hold on to along the way. But what if she didn’t?"

Lucas’ expression changed.

"Suzy is in excellent shape. This is nothing she can’t handle. For all we know, she’s hiding in a cave at the bottom of the ravine, waiting to laugh at me."

Vivian coughed twice at just the right moment, then squeezed a few tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Lucas, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on trying bungee jumping, Suzy wouldn’t have gotten jealous.

"She must have been angry that I took up your time, so she deliberately damaged the safety line to frighten us.

"Don’t blame her. Send someone to look for her quickly. What if she’s really hurt..."

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. In the end, she even clutched her chest and began dry-heaving.

Lucas immediately panicked. He hurried to pat her back, and the concern in his eyes was something I had never seen before.

Even as a soul, I could still feel the ache in my chest.

"Vivi, don’t blame yourself. How could this be your fault? Suzy was the one who went too far!

"She simply couldn’t stand seeing me care about you, so she resorted to this despicable stunt just to get attention!"

Tom could not listen any longer.

He tore off his staff ID and hurled it at Lucas’ feet.

"Lucas, you’re a monster! Suzy has been with you for five years, yet you don’t even care whether she lives or dies! If you won’t go, I’ll go myself!"

Tom turned toward the entrance and shouted.

"Search-and-rescue team! Grab your equipment and follow me to the bottom of the ravine!"

Several team members who had been barely holding themselves back immediately responded. They grabbed ropes and searchlights and rushed toward the exit.

Lucas crossed the room in a few strides and blocked the vehicle entrance.

"Let’s see who dares to go! I’m the highest-ranking person in charge here!

"The typhoon has just passed, and the mountain is highly prone to landslides. Are you really going to risk your lives for a woman who’s throwing a tantrum?"

Tom gritted his teeth, the veins standing out on his forehead.

"Stop hiding behind regulations, Lucas! There’s a human life at the bottom of that ravine!"

Lucas gave a cold laugh and waved his phone in the air.

"Anyone who steps outside this camp today will be fired immediately!

"This month’s bonus and your entire year’s performance bonus will be forfeited!

"That’s not all. I’ll record your violations in your personnel files and make sure you can never work in this industry again!"

The team members stopped in their tracks.

They were all working to support their families. No one could afford to bear consequences like that.

Tom trembled with rage, but there was nothing he could do.

Lucas looked satisfied with the result.

He returned to Vivian’s side and began fussing over her.

"Vivi, you were dry-heaving just now. Is your stomach upset?"

"Doctor! Arrange an ambulance immediately. I’m taking Vivi to a private hospital in town for a full examination!"

The doctor froze.

"Mr. Hunt, given the current road conditions, the ambulance should be reserved for Miss Shaw, who may be injured..."