Chapter 612 Survived

Chapter 612 Survived

Though Poppy and the others had organized a firefighting effort, it barely made a dent in the blaze. The entire building was still burning fiercely.

Addison was inside. The chances of survival were slim.

"Mary, I'm your Aunt Reese. I'm your elder. How dare you hit me?"

Reese held her cheek, fuming:

"I ran and left your mother behind — that was pure human instinct. It's not like I chose to do it."

"Besides, your mother's in a wheelchair. How was I supposed to get her down?"

"I might not have saved her at all, and ended up dying in the fire myself."

"And this is partly your fault too. If you'd agreed to our terms earlier, I would've gone home with your mother long ago. We never would've been stuck in this awful place."

Reese doubled down: "If something happens to your mother, you're not off the hook either."

"You—"

Mary was shaking with rage. She was about to fire back when James grabbed her arm:

"Mary, don't waste your time on her."

James turned his gaze toward the burning building. "Right now, the only thing that matters is getting Addison out."

Mary spun toward Poppy. "Where are the fire trucks?"

"I called them right away, and they responded immediately — but they got blocked at the intersection by a black Audi parked in the way."

Poppy rushed to explain. "They're pushing it out of the way now, but it'll take a little more time."

"A black Audi?"

Reese's expression shifted. "Don't tell me that's my car."

"Those idiots better pay me double if they damage it."

She'd parked her brand-new million-dollar Audi right at the intersection because she couldn't stand the construction dust inside the R&D center. Whether it was illegally parked didn't cross her mind for a second.

One phone call and she could wipe any parking violation off the record.

"You're beyond help."

Mary snapped at Reese: "Get out of my sight. I don't want to look at you."

She turned to Poppy. "Push the security team again. Tell them to move every single car blocking the road — ram them if they have to."

"Whatever the damages are, I'll cover it."

Her voice trembled slightly. As much as she resented her mother, she still couldn't bear to watch her die right in front of her.

"There's no time!"

James let out a long breath. "I'll go back up."

"Go back up?"

Poppy gasped. "That's suicide!"

"Don't you dare."

Mary grabbed James by the wrist with everything she had. "I'm not letting you go back in there."

"It's okay. I got you out — I can get Addison out too."

James didn't actually want to save Addison. But he knew that if she burned to death, Mary would carry that weight for the rest of her life.

Mary's face was hard as ice. "I said no."

Right now, she couldn't afford to lose anyone — but she couldn't lose James most of all.

In one swift motion, James pressed a finger against a pressure point on Mary's body.

Her strength drained instantly. Her legs gave out, and James caught her before she could fall.

"James, what are you doing?" Mary cried out in a panic.

"Poppy, hold onto her!"

"She'll be fine in two minutes!"

James handed the limp Mary over to Poppy, then turned and ran straight back into the burning building.

"James!"

Mary screamed, desperately trying to lunge forward, but her body had no strength left to give.

She didn't know exactly what she felt for James anymore. But the moment she watched him disappear into the flames, it was like something had been hollowed out of her chest.

For the first time, a thought crossed Mary's mind — she would rather die in his place.

She knew the storage room was about to explode. That figure walking away might be the last she'd ever see of him.

The tears came again, and she couldn't stop them.

Poppy felt something stir inside her too — a feeling she couldn't quite put into words.

"I need a blanket, a helmet, and a shield!"

James got a soaked military coat from one of the security guards, strapped on a patrol helmet, and switched on its flashlight.

Then he picked up a shield and charged back in.

"Why is that guy going back in again?"

"Didn't he just pull Ms. Smith out?"

"I heard Ms. Smith's mother is still in there..."

"That young man is something else. He knows he might not make it, and he doesn't even hesitate."

"If he weren't taken, I'd set him up with my sister in a heartbeat."

The crowd of onlooking employees murmured among themselves, their faces full of undisguised admiration.

James didn't hear any of it. His only focus was getting to the third floor and pulling Addison out before the storage room blew.

The fire had gotten worse since he'd last been inside. It took him three minutes just to reach the third floor.

His military coat had burned to shreds along the way.

The hallway was choked with smoke — he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Waves of scorching heat pressed in from every direction, even more intense than before.

When he'd jumped out with Mary, he'd caught sounds coming from Addison's direction. So instead of calling out, he locked onto the conference room and made straight for it.

As he moved, he glanced across at the storage room — the security door had already collapsed, and flames were crackling hungrily through the boxes inside.

The situation was critical.

James gritted his teeth, kicked the conference room door open, and threw himself inside without a second thought.

"James!"

Down below, Mary stared up at the building, crying out over and over:

"You have to be okay. You have to be okay."

If Poppy and the others hadn't been holding her back, she probably would've run in after him.

Then — a thunderous explosion.

The third-floor storage room erupted into rubble. A long tongue of flame lit up the entire third floor in a blinding flash of red, and debris came flying out in every direction.

The crowd fighting the fire scrambled backward to avoid getting hit. Even so, several people were struck, their clothes scorched and torn.

"It's over — the third floor had the showroom and the storage room. There was so much alcohol in there."

"My God, that kind of explosion is worse than a gas blast."

"That young man... there's no way he made it. Nobody could survive that."

"He never should've gone back up. What a tragedy."

The crowd buzzed with murmurs — some filled with respect, some with sorrow.

Seeing the third floor reduced to smoldering wreckage, Mary's whole body shook. She nearly blacked out.

She tried to scream, but no sound came. It was as if every last bit of her had been emptied out.

She repeated his name inside her head, over and over: James... James...

"Someone's there!"

"Someone's coming out!"

Then, out of nowhere, one of the security guards shouted and swung his flashlight toward the exit.

Everyone turned at once.

And there he was — a young man, face black with soot, stumbling out of the building with an unconscious woman in his arms.

His steps were unsteady. He was gasping for air.

But he was alive.

James. And Addison.

"They made it out! They're alive!"

The crowd erupted.

"James..."

Mary burst into tears and ran to him, throwing her arms around him — and silently swearing she would never let him go again.