Avery clutched her aching heart as if it had been stabbed with a poisoned knife. The pain was so intense that she was on the verge of fainting.
After a few minutes past, the pain in her heart had somewhat subsided.
What on earth is going on?
Lost in her thoughts, she vaguely remembered feeling a similar dull ache in her heart the day before Cayden's accident.
At that moment, she couldn't afford to overthink because soon as William and Claire saw her, they lovingly waved her over, inviting her to taste the food.
“Ery, your dad made this soup for you. Your mom mentioned that you prefer lighter flavors, so I didn't add too much salt. Give it a try and see how it tastes?” William scooped a small bowl of soup for Avery, his demeanor extremely gentle.
Avery took a small sip.
“How is it?” William asked, his face full of anticipation as he looked at his daughter.
Avery finished the soup with small sips, then said emotionally, “Dad, the soup you made tastes wonderful. I love it.”
Savoring the meals her parents had lovingly prepared for her and drinking the soup her father had personally brewed, she felt an overwhelming warmth enveloping her at home.
Guilt washed over her, feeling unfilial, as she had been occupied with work and rarely had time to spend with them.
Looking at her parents' gradually graying hair, Avery made a silent vow. I will stay by Mom's and Dad's side, dutifully fulfilling my filial duties once I find Cayden.
Meanwhile, in the cockpit of a plane flying over the Presrial Ocean.
The plane had been flying for nearly half an hour, seemingly about to escape the control range of that dreadful island, when suddenly, a ticking alarm echoed throughout the cabin.
Then, the sweet voice of a female announcer followed with, “The flight has encountered a malfunction. We are now returning to our original route.”
The second the announcement ended, the plane seemed to lose control, spinning a full three hundred sixty degrees in the air before resuming its original course.
“Boss, all the aircraft instruments and controls have failed. D*mn it! This plane has been remotely hijacked!” The pilot, Finn, was visibly shocked as his hands moved over the various buttons across the dashboard, frantically pressing them but to no avail.
He punched the dashboard out of anger. His expression darkened immensely.
Seeing he was so close to escaping, he felt a strong resentment and loathing at the thought of being dragged back to that hellish place once again.
Finn's piercing gaze swiftly turned toward Cayden, but the moment he caught sight of the latter, he suddenly fell silent.
The tall and handsome man stood within the cabin. Despite being covered in blood, he still exuded an intense aura, showing no signs of discomposure and looking like an omnipotent ruler.
Even when faced with such unknown peril, he remained calm and composed. Not even a trace of panic crossed his face.
At that moment, the man's enticing crimson lips were tightly pursed. He naturally exuded a captivating and authoritative aura.
A wave of calm settled over Finn's heart, which had been filled with unease before. “Boss, what should we do now?” he asked.
“Step aside, I'll take over!” Cayden pulled Finn aside and immediately took his seat in the cockpit.
It was unclear exactly how Cayden managed it. Yet, after his slender fingers moved nimbly over the myriad of buttons, coupled with swift manipulation of the control stick, he succeeded in righting the plane, which was turning back.
“Boss, you're just too cool!” Finn and Wren were utterly in awe of Cayden.
Cayden raised his hand. His handsome eyes flashed as he contemplated. “Our plan has been exposed. Given Rupert's personality, he will definitely not leave any survivors. If things go as expected and he doesn't see the plane returning within five minutes, he will undoubtedly blow up this plane. Put on your parachutes immediately and jump from the plane now!” he analyzed in an orderly manner.
Sure enough, a ticking alarm sounded within the cabin when he finished.
That familiar sound sent a jolt through them all at once. It was the ticking of a time bomb.
The thought of Rupert's ruthlessness sent shivers down Finn's and Wren's spines.
They frantically searched for the explosive, only to discover that bombs were hidden in every nook and cranny of the entire plane.
Even if they were to disarm each and every explosive, it would still take at least half an hour.
However, only five minutes were left on the clock before the detonation. They really are ruthless!
Next, Finn and Wren searched every inch of the cabin, and surprisingly, no parachute was found.
“Boss, we've searched the entire cabin, but there are no parachutes. The bombs are about to go off, and it's too late to defuse them now.” Finn and Wren broke out in cold sweat from the intense anxiety. Their usual calm was gone.
Cayden remained unflustered. His voice was stern and solemn as he ordered, “We're currently at an altitude of thirteen thousand and forty-two meters, and we have three minutes and forty-two seconds until the explosion. The ideal altitude for parachuting is around a thousand to eight hundred meters. I will descend to the optimal altitude for jumping in a while. Everyone must jump from the plane on my command. Do you understand?”
“Understood!” Finn and Wren responded in unison.
They had faith in Cayden's skills.
Cayden was piloting the airplane, pushing it to its maximum speed. The once smoothly gliding aircraft suddenly dove down from mid-air like a fierce predatory bird.
When they were about to plunge into the sea, he yelled, “Jump!”
The three of them instantly huddled together and took a daring leap from the opened cabin door.
The plane violently erupted with a thunderous boom, exploding in mid-air the very moment they jumped.
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