The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 118

The road from the project site to the village was still blocked, so the elderly and children had to be airlifted out first.

Victoria followed Elias outside.

After most of the day, the water level had receded slightly, now only reaching her calves.

"Mr. Shawn, Miss Sanger." Seeing Elias and Victoria, Hawk handed the old man he was supporting to Mr. Jenkins and quickly waded over.

Elias, his face stern, gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Before leaving, Victoria had finished the rest of the fever medicine, but it hadn't fully kicked in yet. She still felt dizzy and lightheaded. Hearing Hawk call her name, her reaction was sluggish, her voice hoarse.

"Assistant Hawk."

As she spoke, she wasn't paying attention to her footing and stepped on a loose rock, stumbling violently.

Hawk's eyes widened, and he instinctively moved to steady her.

But Elias was faster. His long arm shot out, grabbing her arm first.

She was still feverish, her skin warmer than usual. Elias's palm was cool against her, and the contrast made the touch feel incredibly sensitive. Victoria almost instinctively tried to pull her arm away.

Elias's eyes darkened. "If you want to take a fall, I don't mind letting go."

Victoria glanced to the side and only then realized they were standing on a slope. The water was so murky that she hadn't noticed it before.

If he hadn't caught her, she definitely would have fallen and gotten hurt, especially with all the unseen debris under the water.

Victoria pressed her lips together and said nothing.

The atmosphere between them suddenly grew tense.

Hawk, sensing the stalemate, broke the silence. "Mr. Shawn, Miss Sanger, the helicopter can't hover at this altitude for too long. Should we get on board?"

Elias's gaze lowered. "Hawk, help her," he ordered coolly.

Then, he let go of her arm and strode toward the helicopter.

Victoria watched his retreating back for a moment, stunned. Then she shook it off, glanced at Hawk's offered hand, and thanked him quietly.

Hawk gave a polite, noncommittal smile.

In truth, the moment Victoria placed her hand on his, he felt two icy, intensely pressuring glares on his back.

Hawk thought to himself, "For the first time in my life, I wish I was an amputee."

-

Inside the elevator.

Sunny pressed the button for the third floor. "I always heard that Mr. Shawn was ruthless and cold. When I burst into the meeting room yesterday, I was terrified. But now, it seems like he's not as bad as people say. He's handsome, rich, powerful, and responsible. He's practically the perfect man!"

"Victoria, you have no idea how incredible Mr. Shawn was yesterday. Mr. Slate tried to cover up the number of injured workers, but when Mr. Shawn found out, he didn't just fire him on the spot, he drove into the village himself, despite the danger. And I just heard from a nurse that Mr. Shawn arranged for a full medical check-up for everyone who was trapped!"

"Oh, I meant to ask you last night. Victoria, do you and Mr. Shawn know each other?"

Through the closing elevator doors, Victoria saw the helicopter slowly ascending into the sky. After a moment of silence, she denied it.

"...No."

Sunny looked skeptical. "But yesterday, when Mr. Shawn found out you were trapped, he seemed really worried..."

"He wasn't worried about me. He was worried about the villagers."

Victoria's eyelashes fluttered down as she explained calmly, "If anything had happened to the villagers, the development of Zone F could have been delayed indefinitely. That would be a huge loss for the project. He's the head of the Shawn Group; he has to be responsible."

Sunny considered this and found it plausible. "That makes sense."

She then sighed, her shoulders slumping. "With all this mess from the storm, we'll definitely have to stay behind to clean up. I wonder when we'll ever get back to Imperial Capital."