Chapter 110 Flames and Aftershocks
Chapter One Hundred and Ten
Valenticia’s POV~
The moment Stefan ran out of the hall, the entire room exploded with noise. People gasped. Some stood. Some whispered loudly. And some started recording with their phones, like this was some kind of show.
I stayed in my seat for a few seconds, frozen. I could not believe what I just saw. He ran. He actually ran in the middle of his own wedding. For a moment, I didn’t understand why.
Then someone near me shouted, “He left his own bride!”
Another man said, “Is he crazy?”
A woman added, “The company is on fire! Didn’t you hear the announcement?”
And then more voices filled the space.
“Natasha is furious!”
“He ruined the ceremony!”
“What kind of groom runs away?”
“There must be something big happening!”
All the whispers rushed around me like a fast current.
My heart started beating too fast. I felt hot and cold at the same time. I stood up from my chair without thinking. I pushed past the people blocking my way. My steps felt shaky, my breath felt trapped in my chest.
I needed to know what was happening.
I needed to see for myself.
I needed to know if he was okay.
I didn’t want to admit that out loud, but it was the truth.
I hurried out of the hall, pushing the doors open so hard they hit the walls behind them. The moment I stepped outside, the noise from the crowd inside faded, and another louder noise replaced it.
Sirens.
Fire trucks.
Ambulances.
Reporters shouting questions.
Camera flashes.
People ran toward the street like they wanted to see the chaos happening across the city. Some pointed while others recorded. Some stood with their hands on their heads in shock.
I followed their gaze and saw it.
A tall column of smoke rose in the distance. Thick and dark. It stretched so high I felt my stomach twist. The fire really was happening. And it was big.
My chest tightened again.
“Stefan…” I whispered.
I started walking. Then walking turned into running. My heels hit the ground hard, but I didn’t care. I kept going, pushing myself as fast as I could. My dress felt too tight. My breath felt short. My heart felt like it was squeezing itself from the inside.
When I reached the street near the company building, I stopped for a moment. The heat from the fire reached the air around me. Flames burst from the windows on the east wing. Firefighters sprayed water, shouting orders to each other. Workers ran out of the building, coughing and crying. Reporters shouted questions at anyone they could reach.
“Is anyone still inside?”
“What started the fire?”
“Where is Stefan Blake?”
I scanned the crowd.
Then I saw him.
He was near the front entrance of the building. His suit was ruined, and his jacket was torn. The white shirt underneath was dirty and smeared with grey marks. Sweat covered his forehead. His hair was messy. His hands were shaking as he pointed people toward the safe area.
“Move to the back! Don’t go near the east wing!” he shouted. “Is anyone still inside? Someone check the accounts office!”
His voice cracked when he yelled, but he didn’t stop.
My chest pulled tight again. Seeing him like this hurt something inside me. He looked nothing like the groom who stood beside Natasha an hour ago. He looked more human. Scared. Tired. Worried. Real.
I walked toward him slowly at first, then faster when I saw one of the firefighters grab his shoulder to hold him back from going inside again.
“You can’t go in!” the firefighter said. “The ceiling is unstable!”
“I don’t care!” Stefan yelled. “There might be someone still inside!”
“Sir, you need to step back!”
But Stefan didn’t listen. He tried to move forward again.
I reached him and grabbed his arm. “Stefan!”
He turned so fast I almost stepped back. His eyes were wide. His chest was rising and falling quickly. When he realized it was me, something in his face changed. The panic softened. The fear in his expression eased a little.
He whispered, “Val…”
I nodded, holding his arm tight. “I’m here.”
His face broke in a way I had not seen in a long time. His voice shook when he spoke.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” he said.
The sound of his voice hit me deep. It wasn’t the strong, confident CEO voice everyone knew. It wasn’t the controlled tone he used in meetings. It wasn’t the cold tone he sometimes used around me.
It was weak.
Tired.
Lost.
“I didn’t know what to do,” he continued. “The alarms went off. People started screaming. I couldn’t think. I just ran. I had to see if everyone got out.”
I stepped a little closer. “Stefan, you did the right thing by running here.”
“No, I left my wedding.” His voice cracked again. “Everyone saw me leave. Natasha is probably furious.”
“She will be fine,” I said. “This is more important.”
He looked at the building again, his eyes filling with pain. “I worked so hard for this place. I built everything from zero. I can’t let it burn. I can’t lose everything.”
“You haven’t lost anything,” I said. “Everyone is getting out. The firefighters are here. You’re doing everything you can.”
He swallowed hard and nodded slowly. But his body kept shaking. His hands were trembling so much I almost reached out to hold them.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
He shook his head. “No. I’m not. Not at all.”
I stepped even closer, lowering my voice.
“It’s okay to not be okay right now.”
He looked at me again, and his expression softened even more. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to fall into me. He wanted to close his eyes and collapse. Like he was finally letting the weight he had been carrying fall off his shoulders.
I placed my hand gently on his arm. His muscles relaxed under my touch.
“I’m here,” I told him.
His breathing slowed.
The sound of the fire trucks, the screams, the reporters, everything in the background seemed to fade for just a moment. He looked at me like I was the only stable thing around him.
Then he whispered again, “Val… I’m scared.”
I held his arm tighter.
“You’re not alone.”
His shoulders dropped, and he let out a long, shaky breath.