Josephine's arm was grabbed suddenly.
She was anxious, tears in her eyes, and had been stopped multiple times, making her impatient. "Let go of me!"
"Go back!" Stuart pulled her forcefully. "I'll find Liam."
Josephine looked at him in disbelief.
Stuart frowned but stayed firm.
"No need." Josephine tried to control herself, but her voice was still choked. "I'll find him myself."
The situation was urgent. She didn't want to waste time arguing.
She struggled free, ignoring the sharp pain in her wrist.
Stuart, not wanting to hurt her, let go but then picked her up.
He took long strides, ignoring her struggles, and placed her aside, telling two bodyguards, "Watch her!"
Then he turned and entered the ruins.
"Stuart!" Josephine was held by the shoulders, unable to move.
Tears streamed down her face as she watched Stuart disappear.
Her heart clenched as she shouted, "Stuart, you bastard!"
She struggled hard. "Let go of me! Let go!"
The bodyguards didn't dare use too much force. "Mrs. Haustia, Mr. Haustia has already gone in. It's too dangerous for you!"
"None of your business!" Josephine bit the arm of the bodyguard next to her.
The bodyguard winced in pain, and Josephine quickly grabbed a steel pipe. "If you stop me again, I'll die right here!"
The two had no choice but to let her go.
Josephine was in a panic, worried about Liam and angry at Stuart.
Neither of the two men could she let go. She couldn't stand by and watch.
Everyone was running out, but she moved against the flow.
In some places, she had to climb using both hands and feet.
Finally, she entered through a hole, finding the corridor half-collapsed and pitch dark.
"Liam!" Her voice was heart-wrenching.
Stuart, already inside, shuddered and roared, "Josephine! Get out of here!"
Josephine pretended not to hear him and kept moving forward, crawling through another hole.
With a crash, sand and dirt poured down. She screamed and dodged, narrowly avoiding being buried.
Her heart pounded, but she calmed down and continued.
"Liam!" Her clear voice echoed through the building.
She sniffled and called out again with a sob, "Liam!"
She didn't know how long she had been walking or shouting.
Josephine's heart was sinking.
Suddenly, she heard a faint sound. She turned, focused, and listened intently.
Even if she couldn't save Liam, she had to save others.
Liam called her, "Josephine..."
Josephine's eyes widened in disbelief. "Liam?"
Liam said weakly, "I'm down here."
The intermittent voice came through, and Josephine almost cried with joy. "Liam!"
She ran over and looked towards the source of the voice.
Through a fist-sized gap, she saw Liam pinned down by a fallen beam.
"Liam, how are you?" Josephine was anxious. "Don't move. I'll get help right away!"
"I'm fine." Liam's face was unrecognizable, and his voice was weak. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
How could Josephine not worry?
Just as she was about to find a way over, Stuart arrived, having heard the voice.
His face was stern, with a few streaks of dust making him look a bit disheveled.
Josephine looked at him in surprise. "Liam is down there!"
Stuart replied coldly, "I'm not deaf."
In the next second, he bent down and hoisted Josephine over his shoulder with lightning speed.
Josephine shouted, "Stuart! What are you doing? Put me down!"
Hanging upside down, she pounded on his back.
Stuart said, "Behave yourself!"
At his wit's end, he slapped her on the butt.
He took her outside again, giving the two bodyguards a cold look.
Then he said to Josephine, "Wait here. I'll get Liam out safely. If you don't listen, I'll blow up the building again."
Josephine gritted her teeth. "Fine! Hurry up!"
She blurted out, not caring that he might also be in danger.
Stuart glared at her fiercely and turned to leave.
Liam's foot was trapped, but fortunately, there was a gap below, and his ankle was immobilized.
He had just finished surgery and was giving instructions to the nurse when the building collapsed.
In that moment, he only had time to protect the nurse beside him.
The nurse, six months pregnant, insisted on working.
Protecting those around him was almost an instinct ingrained in Liam.
The Clement family had been taught to save lives since childhood, and he had trained at a military base.
Even though the nurse wasn't his compatriot, she was a woman and pregnant. If Liam had only cared about his own safety and ignored her, he would have felt guilty even if he had escaped.
Besides, the situation was too urgent for him to think much.
Now, the nurse he protected was unharmed.
Fortunately, he was only trapped by his ankle.
Despite the excruciating pain, Liam, being a doctor, knew it was likely just a fracture and nothing more serious.
Stuart had people move the rubble and beams, personally helping Liam out.
Liam suppressed all his emotions and said coldly, "Thank you."
Stuart didn't want to say a word to him.
Liam felt the same and grabbed a nearby stick for support.
Stuart immediately let go of his hand.
Through her tear-filled eyes, Josephine saw Liam limping towards her.
She ran over and hugged him, unable to hold back her sobs.
"It's okay. I'm fine." Liam's voice was gentle. "Josephine, don't cry."
"I'm sorry." Josephine couldn't stop crying, filled with regret. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you here."
"I'm fine, really." Liam patiently comforted her. "Stop crying, be good."
Stuart said jealously, "Now's not the time to cry. We should get him to a doctor."
Josephine snapped back to reality and immediately asked, "Where are you hurt? Is it serious?"
Liam forced a smile. "My ankle is hurt, but it's not serious."
Josephine said, "I'll help you!"
Just as Josephine was about to support him, Stuart's arm came out of nowhere. "I'll do it!"
Josephine didn't care about anything else. The rescue work was already underway by others. Call her selfish, but she only cared about Liam now.
If they were back home and it was her fellow countrymen who were injured, Josephine might have continued to help.
However, here, it was different.
She recalled Stuart's words and suddenly understood his feelings a bit.
She might feel sorry for those people. But none of them compared to Liam.