Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

“I’ve set a death command in your hospital’s system,” the masked man said, letting out that classic villain laugh.

Nobody realized how bad things were yet. The masked man snapped his fingers, and in a flash, the whole hospital went dark. The place was plunged into deathly silence.

“Where’s the backup generator?” Charles roared.

Hospitals always had two power sources. If the main power went out, the backup generator was supposed to switch over instantly, keeping all the critical patients and those in surgery safe. But this time, nothing happened.

“The death command is a sabotage order for the hospital’s power system, including the backup generator,” Stella said in a cold, emotionless tone, her rage simmering beneath the surface

Charles exploded, “This guy is insane.”

Even a single minute of blackout could mean death for patients who couldn’t breathe or keep their hearts beating on their own, for newborns in incubators who needed electricity to survive, and for anyone lying on the operating table mid-

surgery.

Especially since he’d heard the news, every hospital in the city had lost power. At that moment, the TV on the wall suddenly flickered to life, and the power came back on.

“If you don’t want them to die, you’d better do as I say,” the masked man threatened, his voice cold and merciless.

The masked man pressed his fingertips together under his chin, his ego swelling to the max. He looked like he truly believed he was some god, holding the power of life and death in his hands.

“As for that cripple from the Gray family, Sebastian, I want to see him crawling on all fours like a dog in front of the Gray Group building within thirty minutes. If not, every single one of these people dies.”

The feed jumped to the ICU, showing each patient who couldn’t breathe on their own, lined up from left to right on the screen. The sound of sobbing soon echoed from the hallway outside. Then, the screen went black.

All eyes turned to Sebastian. He sat in his black wheelchair, his face void of any emotion as he idly twirled the prayer beads. He radiated a chilling, almost inhuman presence. A single glance from him could freeze the blood of anyone in the room.

Right then, Sebastian’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. Behind him, John and Jake were so furious that their muscles went rock-hard. Nobody said a word.

Stella’s eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint, her face frosty. She pressed her tongue against her teeth, barely keeping her temper in check. If Lucas weren’t here, her rage would have erupted.

But before she could say anything, the hospital room door was suddenly thrown open from the outside.

Carlos Gray, who’d been hospitalized for observation after suffering a heart attack from watching Sebastian set Gray Manor ablaze, barged in with Sophia supporting him, his presence fierce and commanding.

“If you still consider yourself one of the Grays, do as that hacker says,” Carlos thundered. Though his face was pale from illness, Carlos’s eyes bore down on Sebastian, his voice echoing through the room. Sebastian’s gaze was dark and unreadable, and he stayed silent.

His striking features were locked in a cold, unreadable expression, chilling the air around him. He slowly lifted his right hand, halting John, who looked ready to act.

“Sebastian, the whole city is putting pressure on the Gray family. With so many innocent lives at stake, can you stand by and watch them die?” Sophia said, her voice trembling. She wore a tailored dress, her eyes glistening with tears.

1/3

Playing the moral card now?’ Stella thought. She arched her brow with a dangerous chill and let out a cold, mocking laugh. The sound was so out of place in the hospital room that everyone turned to stare at her.

“Save them? You think talking is enough?” Stella said, one hand radiating impatience and attitude. Her sarcasm was razor-sharp

her pocket as she strolled over to Sebastian, her face making it clear she was not someone to mess with.

Lucas, held in Big Ben’s arms, clenched his little fists, clearly fired up.

“Is saving face more important than saving lives?” Sophia asked, her voice trembling with tears, looking so pitiful that the hospital executives standing next to Charles were moved.

With so many critically ill patients across the city, if sacrificing one person could save them all, they would do it.

Stella let out a cold, mocking laugh, her eyes full of sarcasm. She said, “Mr. Gray’s pride is worth more than your life.”

Her gaze swept over everyone in the room, cold and ruthless. Then she shouted, “Big Ben, throw them out.”

At Stella’s command, Big Ben didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Carlos and Sophia by the arms and hauled them out, clearing everyone else from the room except for Charles and Nathan.

Big Ben pouted, “I really don’t want to be so rude. Hmph.”

Charles and Nathan stared in stunned silence, and John and Jake were left speechless.

up Outside the room, Carlos was so furious that he nearly had another heart attack, clutching his chest as his phone blew nonstop with calls from people demanding answers.

Sophia wasn’t about to let this chance pass by. While planning her next move, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a bunch of young people in the hallway, holding up their phones and looking for the best angle to livestream the chaos.

The very next second, with a dramatic thud, Sophia collapsed right at the doorway and pleaded, “Sebastian, please, I’m begging you. Save these innocent people.” Instantly, every phone camera whipped around to catch her performance.

Inside the room, Jake couldn’t hold back and spat out a curse, “What a bitch move.”

Outside, the hallway swarmed with people drawn by Sophia’s dramatic act. Patient families, unaware of the truth, packed the doorway so tightly that it was impossible to squeeze through.

They pounded and kicked at the door in a frenzy, completely unhinged. If it kept going, the situation could erupt at any

moment.

But Sebastian’s attention was fixed on Stella. Her expression remained calm, yet her eyes burned with a dangerous red as she glared toward the doorway, her delicate face cold and tense. All that rage was directed at him alone.

With no outsiders in the room, Charles was bowing to Sebastian. He was about to say something when Sebastian’s phone rang, interrupting him. Sebastian picked up, face unreadable. The voice said, “Mr. Gray, this is Gavin Shaw, the new head of the Haliville Cybersecurity Division.”

Gavin’s voice on the other end was tinged with arrogance. He said, “We hope you can work with us and stall for a bit, alright?”

“And what if you can’t handle it?” Stella asked. Her voice was chilly and sharp, her eyes fixed on the door as the mob outside went nuts, pounding away. Her impatience was written all over her face.

Gavin had no clue that inside the room, everyone except Sebastian was gaping at Stella in stunned silence. She was crackling with anger as she whipped out a slim black laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

Meanwhile, at the Cybersecurity Division, Gavin stood with his phone casually in one hand, his expression relaxed as he surveyed the wall of screens filled with Skynet data. He radiated confidence.

2/3

“Impossible,” he scoffed, his tone full of disdain. The other end of the line was dead silent.

In an instant, the once-invincible Cybersecurity Division was compromised. The vast wall of LED screens filled with Skynet data went black, then lit up again to reveal a girl in black.

Her face was cold and unreadable, a baseball cap pulled low as her gaze bore down on everyone below.

“What if you can’t handle it?” she taunted, letting out a cold, cocky laugh straight at them through the screen. Her entire presence radiated pure outlaw swagger.

3/3

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads