“Wife?”

Sherry Stone’s heart skipped a beat. She repeated the word, questioning it. “President Grant is married? When did that happen?”

‘How is that possible?’

Caroline Whitman frowned. “Is this really the time to be discussing his private life?”

Sherry Stone said, “As a qualified rescuer, when I see an injured person being taken away, I have to ask for clear details. Otherwise, I can’t properly report back to my superiors. I hope you can understand, Miss.”

Caroline Whitman replied, “Not long ago.”

‘Not long ago? So it hasn’t been announced publicly.’

‘And if it hasn’t been announced, who knows if it’s even true.’

‘Adrian Grant would never get married at a time like this.’

“Well, I haven’t heard anything about it.” Sherry Stone turned to Martin, her tone shifting back to the brisk efficiency of a professional rescuer.

“Captain Marshall, I’m familiar with President Grant’s physical condition. I led the team the last time he was in the Southwest. His head injury can’t be delayed. I recommend we transport him down the mountain on our stretcher for treatment immediately.

“The turbulence from a helicopter is very risky for a patient with a head injury. The family might not be aware of this.”

“President Whitman is well aware,” Martin spoke up.

“The medical helicopter is equipped with a full set of emergency first-aid equipment. We are not lacking the professionalism you mentioned.”

“Captain Stone, do you believe your team is more professional, or that the Grant Group’s medical rescue setup is more professional?”

Martin’s tone left no room for argument.

He didn’t know why she was trying to interfere with this rescue, but they had been commissioned by the Grant Group. It was a high-paying job, and they were on the verge of success. For someone to suddenly appear and try to stop them, it was hard not to suspect it was intentional.

Sherry Stone was left speechless by his words, her expression turning sour.

The young team member behind her had already started to secretly tug at her sleeve.

‘He couldn’t figure it out. What was wrong with Captain Stone today?’

‘How could she think their simple stretcher was a safer way to get someone down the mountain?’

He glanced at Adrian Grant, not daring to think about the deeper implications.

The helicopter had already landed smoothly, and Reina Carson was now walking up the slope.

“President Whitman, everything is arranged. We can fly back to Kingsport now.”

Caroline Whitman nodded without another word.

Reina Carson walked over, intending to take Adrian Grant, but Caroline instead held him securely and carried him down the slope herself.

Martin and the others cleared a path in front, while Reina Carson walked alongside holding an umbrella, though the umbrella was basically useless at this point.

But she had to keep up appearances; she couldn’t lose the dignified air of a professional secretary.

Sherry Stone stood on the slope watching their retreating figures. Raindrops slid down from her forehead and dripped onto her shoulder.

The team member behind her asked in a low voice, “Captain, should we pack up?”

“Pack up.”

“Captain, will we still get paid for this?”

“Don’t worry. The Grant Group is loaded. Anyone who participated in the rescue will get paid.”

—

Inside the helicopter cabin, the accompanying doctor had already taken over care of Adrian Grant.

After a series of examinations, he was confirmed to have no life-threatening injuries.

Those four words allowed Caroline Whitman’s nerves, which had been stretched taut all day, to finally relax.

She took out her phone, connected via satellite, and reported her safety to Franklin Whitman, also asking about Ryan Grant’s condition.

When she learned that the boy was much better this morning and his heart was fine, Caroline felt as if she had just crawled out of a mire. The delayed effect of her relaxed nerves washed over her, and her limbs went weak.

“Good.” Caroline Whitman hung up.

Adrian Grant lay on the stretcher with his eyes closed, the heart monitor beeping steadily.

Caroline Whitman tilted her head to look at him, then reached out and gently touched his brow bone.

She wondered, ‘In the original plot, would Adrian Grant have also suffered such a serious injury?’

‘She didn’t dare to imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t come and found him in time. Would Ryan have suddenly disappeared?’

「Safely back in Kingsport.」

Adrian Grant was transferred directly to the private hospital owned by the Grant Group.

A line of white coats stood in the top-floor corridor; the heads of every department were all present.

The examination results were consistent with the accompanying doctor’s assessment.

He had no fatal internal injuries, but the external trauma to his head from a severe impact would require a few days of quiet rest to observe for any after-effects.

After he was moved into the hospital room, a nurse adjusted the speed of his IV drip.

「Outside the hospital room.」

As expected, the first thing Caroline Whitman received was a scolding.

“My child, you’ve really done it this time.”

Yolanda Young gripped her hand, her eyes still red, but her words were merciless. “Running into a mudslide disaster zone alone in the middle of the night… did you think you were immortal, or that our hearts were just too strong?”

Caroline Whitman opened her mouth, but before she could explain…

Grace Lawson had already come up from behind Yolanda Young, equally agitated. “Your mother is right. We spent half the night at the hospital trying to talk you out of it. You agreed to our faces, but as soon as our backs were turned, you got on that helicopter. Caroline, you came back safely this time, but what if you hadn’t? How would we have explained it to Adrian? How would we have explained it to your parents?”

Caroline Whitman lowered her head, her attitude one of perfect contrition. “I wasn’t thinking about all that at the time.”

‘Back then, she truly understood how impossible the choice was. On one side was her husband; on the other, her child. To save her child, she had to start with Adrian Grant.’

Grace Lawson reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Caroline’s ear, saying irritably, “Of course you weren’t thinking. You were only thinking about your husband.”

“Hey, I came back safely, didn’t I?”

Caroline Whitman gave herself a thumbs-up, gesturing toward herself. “And I even managed to bring him back.”

‘Now that she’d had a moment to recover, she felt pretty damn awesome.’

Yolanda Young looked at her “I’m so amazing” expression, so exasperated she raised a hand as if to smack her. But she stopped halfway and just gently brushed off Caroline’s shoulder instead.

“Oh, you.”

Franklin Whitman and Jonathan Grant had been standing silently in the back. After the two women finished their scolding, Franklin Whitman leisurely stepped forward and asked a question that was on a completely different wavelength from everyone else:

“How did you find Adrian Grant?”

‘He also thought his daughter was pretty damn awesome.’

‘The whole thing took less than 24 hours, and she found him.’

Jonathan Grant also found it incredible. ‘Could this be the legendary power of true love?’

Caroline Whitman explained what happened. In truth, her trip to find Adrian Grant had gone much more smoothly than she’d imagined.

She had been terrified that she would have to go through countless hardships, fail to find him, and then receive the news of Ryan’s sudden death and disappearance.

No one had expected Adrian Grant to be found in a cave.

“A cave?” Jonathan Grant frowned.

‘That’s a dangerous move. He didn’t think Adrian Grant would choose to do that.’

Caroline Whitman nodded. “We’ll have to wait until he wakes up to find out what happened.”

The others nodded and told Caroline Whitman to go get some rest first.

Caroline Whitman took a shower and changed into clean clothes in a VIP room, then went to see Ryan Grant.

The boy’s fever had just broken that morning. According to Franklin Whitman, the pain in his chest and his persistent low-grade fever had only completely disappeared after Adrian Grant’s helicopter landed in Kingsport.

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