Chapter 72 Voicemail
Thick smoke, mixed with a sharp, toxic stench, forced its way into Olivia's nose.
She didn't have time to argue with Mia anymore, clutching her mouth and nose tightly.
Her skin quickly turned hot from the smoke, and her throat felt like it was on fire. Every breath was a stabbing pain.
The flames had already reached the door, the file boxes crackling as they burned. Sparks flew onto her skirt, scalding her and making her jump up in shock.
"Damn!" Olivia cursed under her breath, frantically patting out the sparks on her skirt while her eyes darted around in the thick smoke.
This lousy room didn't even have a proper window, just a tiny ventilation hatch at the top, sealed shut with a few thick iron nails.
Gritting her teeth, she stumbled over to a nearby shelf, her hands fumbling across it until she felt something cold and hard—a metal crowbar used to pry open crates.
She grabbed it and rushed toward the ventilation hatch. Every step felt like walking on burning iron, the smoke choking her until tears streamed down her face, her vision so blurry she could barely make out shapes.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The crowbar slammed against the nails, the impact jarring her hands until they went numb.
From outside, Mia's cold laugh pierced through the door and the crackling of the flames, grating on Olivia's nerves.
"Olivia, don't waste your energy. That window's nailed shut. You're not getting it open."
"Just stay in there quietly. Once it's all over, no one will know it was me. They'll just think it was a warehouse accident, and you were unlucky enough to get burned alive."
"Luca will belong to Windy from now on, and so will the company. You're just in the way!"
Satisfied with her taunt, Mia turned and walked away.
Olivia ignored her, focusing only on smashing the nails.
"Open up!" she roared, putting all her strength into one hit. Finally, one of the nails loosened.
With a breakthrough, the rest came faster. She pried with her hands and feet, her fingernails splitting, blood mixing with dust on her hands, the pain making her gasp.
After what felt like forever, Olivia knocked out the last nail. She flung the ventilation hatch open, and as fresh air rushed in, she nearly collapsed to the ground.
But the space was tiny, barely enough for one person to crawl through, and it was over two meters above the ground.
As she climbed onto the ledge, the flames licked at her arm, sending a sharp, piercing pain through her. She almost fell off.
"Ah!" She groaned in agony, gripping the edge of the ledge tightly. The skin on her arm was already red and blistered from the burn.
She couldn't stop. Biting down hard, she leaned her body out, smoke pouring into her collar. Her head spun, her vision fading in and out.
Taking a deep breath, she jumped down with all her might.
With a thud, she landed and twisted her ankle, the pain forcing her to drop to one knee, unable to stand for a moment.
The fire in the warehouse had already burned through the roof, thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Olivia didn't care about the pain. She struggled to her feet and staggered away, running until she was hundreds of meters from the warehouse. Only then did she let go of her mouth and nose, coughing violently.
The coughing tugged at the wound on her arm, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.
She pulled out her phone. The screen was blackened with soot but still barely usable after unlocking.
Her first call was to emergency services, her voice so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable. "Hello... A warehouse in the suburbs... It's on fire... I've been poisoned... Arm burned..."
After giving the address, she quickly hung up and dialed Jason's number.
The call connected after two rings, and Jason's gentle voice came through. "Olivia? Why are you calling at this hour? Your voice sounds off."
"Jason... help me..." Olivia's voice trembled uncontrollably. "I've been set up... At the suburban warehouse... They used white phosphorus... I'm poisoned..."
"What?!" Jason's tone instantly turned urgent. "Where are you now? Are you okay? I'm coming right away!"
"I'm outside the warehouse... I'll send you the address..." Olivia said, then started coughing again, doubling over as her stomach churned.
After hanging up with Jason, she fought through the pain to call Luca.
She didn't want to reach out to him, but this involved the company warehouse, Mia, and Windy. As the CEO, he should at least know.
The call went through, but all she got was a voicemail prompt. "Hi, this is Luca. You know what to do."
Olivia's heart sank. She tried again, but it was the same result.
She could picture it—him by Windy's side, his phone either on silent or ignored because he didn't care to answer.
Of course. Windy just had a cracked leg bone, and he dropped an international meeting for her. Here she was, nearly burned to death, but what did that matter to him?
A wave of disappointment and hurt washed over her. Her nose stung, and tears she couldn't hold back rolled down her face.
She crouched on the ground, her arm burning with pain, her ankle throbbing, and her heart aching even more.
Still clutching her phone, she stared at Luca's name on the screen, her finger hovering for a long time before finally tossing the phone aside.
Forget it. Relying on him was worse than relying on herself.
The effects of the toxic gas grew stronger. Her head spun, everything around her blurring and swaying. Her body felt boneless, sliding down to the ground.
In her fading consciousness, she thought she heard the sound of an ambulance and Jason's anxious shouts.
"Olivia! Olivia!"
She wanted to respond, but her mouth felt glued shut. She couldn't open it, and soon, everything went dark.
In the hospital, Windy leaned against Luca, whining in a soft, delicate voice. "Luca, will the surgery hurt a lot? I'm scared of pain."
Luca patted her back, his tone gentle. "Don't worry. The doctor said it's a minor surgery. With anesthesia, you won't feel a thing."
But in his mind, he was still thinking about the international meeting. His assistant had just texted that Henry Brooks was still being unpleasant, and he wondered if Olivia could handle it.
Just then, his phone rang urgently. It was his assistant.
"Hey, how did the meeting go?" Luca answered, a hint of hope in his voice.
"Sir! It's bad! Something terrible happened!" The assistant's voice was shaky, almost sobbing, the words tumbling out fast. "Miss Olivia is in trouble! Warehouse Number 3 in the suburbs caught fire, and she was trapped inside. She's been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment!"
Luca froze, nearly dropping Windy from his arms.
"What did you say?" His voice shot up. "A fire? Why was she at the warehouse?"
"We don't know the details yet. The fire department says it looks like arson—someone used white phosphorus in the warehouse!" The assistant's voice trembled. "The doctors said Miss Olivia inhaled a lot of toxic gas and got burned. She's in critical condition!"
White phosphorus? Arson?
Luca's mind went blank with a loud buzz.
"Which hospital?" Luca stood up abruptly, causing Windy to almost slip from his hold.
"It's the same one you're at now!"
Luca hung up, not even glancing at Windy, and bolted out the door.
"Luca! Where are you going? My surgery is about to start!" Windy called after him, her voice filled with shock and frustration.
Luca didn't look back, his steps quick as the wind.
He rushed to the emergency room, where a crowd had gathered. Jason, wearing a white coat, stood there with a grim expression.
"Jason! How's Olivia?" Luca grabbed his arm, his voice frantic and desperate.