Chapter 151
Bianca felt a sharp, piercing pain shoot through her ankle.
The sign-in book flew out of her hands, papers scattering across the floor.
She instinctively braced herself with her elbow, but still couldn't fully cushion the impact. Her right knee slammed hard against the cold marble floor.
The pain drained the color from her face instantly, but she bit down hard and didn't cry out.
"Bianca!"
That cold voice cut through the noisy crowd, approaching at an alarming speed.
Almost the second she fell, a solid force caught her shoulder.
Terrence knelt beside her on one knee, his usually calm eyes now dark with fury. He moved quickly to scoop her up horizontally, his arms steady without the slightest tremor.
"Get the car. Nearest hospital." He ordered Barry, who followed close behind, without looking back, his voice cold as ice.
"Yes, Mr. Anderson." Barry immediately made the call while quickly moving ahead to clear the crowd.
Everyone watched as the usually cold and reserved Terrence now showed undisguised anxiety in his eyes, carefully protecting the injured girl in his arms.
Bianca leaned against his chest, clearly hearing his heartbeat racing much faster than usual. She tried to speak: "I'm fine, just twisted it a bit..."
"Don't talk." Terrence looked down at her, his gaze sweeping over her bloodless face and rapidly swelling ankle, his jawline tensed tight.
He ignored anyone trying to approach with questions or help, carrying her with long strides through the automatically parting crowd, heading straight outside.
The black sedan had already rushed over and stopped smoothly at the entrance.
Terrence protected her head as he placed her in the back seat, then got in himself, saying in a low voice: "Central Hospital, contact the best orthopedic and surgical doctors, now."
"Already arranged, Mr. Anderson." Barry sat in the passenger seat as the car drove away from the venue smoothly but quickly.
The car's interior was filled with tense pressure.
Terrence still held Bianca tightly, letting her injured leg rest flat on his lap, trying to avoid any movement.
Those deep eyes now showed no attempt at concealment, filled with undisguised heartache.
"Does it hurt badly?" His voice was very soft, his fingertips brushing her temple with extreme gentleness.
Bianca shook her head, forcing a smile: "Really, it's okay, probably just a sprain, scraped my knee a bit."
She looked at his tense profile and gently touched his arm, "Terrence, don't worry."
Terrence grabbed her cool fingers in return, holding them in his palm with somewhat heavy pressure, "How can I not worry?"
His voice was low and hoarse, "How could I let you get hurt right in front of me?"
The suppressed emotion in those words made Bianca's heart tremble.
She remembered the scene from her past life of him lying in a pool of blood, her heart suddenly constricted, and she couldn't help but grip his hand tighter.
The hospital was already on standby.
The director personally led the team waiting, directly guiding them to a prepared top-level examination room.
A series of detailed examinations proceeded quickly and orderly.
Terrence stayed by her side the whole time, his gaze never leaving Bianca for a moment.
The final results came out: moderate sprain of the right ankle ligament with minor soft tissue damage, superficial abrasion on the right knee with local bruising, nothing else serious, just needed rest and care for a few days.
Only then did the frightening low pressure around Terrence ease slightly, though his brow remained furrowed.
In the VIP hospital room.
Bianca's right foot was already professionally stabilized, the knee wound cleaned and bandaged. She sat propped up on the hospital bed, watching Terrence carefully ask the doctor about precautions.
After the doctors and nurses left, only the two of them remained in the room.
Terrence walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down, quietly looking at her for a moment before speaking: "It wasn't an accident, was it?"
Bianca met his gaze that seemed to see through everything, knowing she couldn't hide it from him, and gently nodded.
"I noticed it on the way to the sign-in table. I saw an abnormal, slight bulge in the carpet, and the people standing nearby looked a bit nervous. I pretty much guessed whose doing it was."
Terrence's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Blair."
"Yes." Bianca didn't deny it.
"I could have avoided it, or exposed it on the spot, but I changed my mind."
She looked up, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes, "I wanted to see how far she would actually go. Only by letting her make her move in front of everyone and leaving solid evidence could I completely nail her down, leaving her no chance to turn things around or make excuses."
Bianca's tone carried a hint of coldness: "Just verbal slander—she'd always find ways to whitewash or deflect. Only by letting Blair personally cause real harm would the school truly take it seriously."
Terrence looked at her silently for a long time without speaking.
After a while, he reached out, his fingertips gently brushing the edge of her bandaged knee with extreme tenderness, but his voice was so heavy it made her heart tighten: "So, you knew it was a trap and deliberately stepped into it anyway."
Bianca heard the suppressed anger in his tone, her heart softening as she explained: "I had it under control, I assessed the risk. That height would at most make me fall and get minor injuries, and what I gained was the chance to expose her wrongdoing in front of all the teachers, students, and media. It was worth it..."
"Not worth it." Terrence cut her off.
He looked up, staring straight into her eyes, the churning emotions there so complex they made her heart race.
"Bianca Rodriguez," he called her by her full name, his tone serious, "your safety is more important than anything else. Nothing is worth risking your body for, not even the slightest risk is worth it."
His Adam's apple bobbed, the rest of his words left unspoken, but the vulnerability and panic that flashed through his deep eyes carried more power than any words.
Bianca froze.
She looked at the storm in his eyes that rose only for her, felt the slight tremor from his palm, and her heart felt like something had hit it hard—sour yet burning hot.
"I'm sorry," her voice was a bit hoarse as she intertwined her fingers with his.
"I didn't think it through."
She admitted that the hatred from her rebirth and the fear of her past life's tragedy sometimes made her more aggressive, more willing to pay any price.
Terrence looked at the guilt and attachment in her eyes, and the cold, hard aura around him finally softened.
He sighed, pressing her hand against his forehead, saying in a low voice: "Bianca, revenge is important, but you need to remember, your safety is what matters most to me. Everything can be left to me. You don't need to put yourself in danger. Promise me you won't do this kind of thing again, okay?"