The wide, empty room held no trace of his daughter.
The only thing that stood out was the blood-splattered across the cold concrete, trailing right
to Ryan’s feet.
Reporters who had followed close behind froze when they saw the scene, just as stunned as
he was.
It took Ryan a long moment to find his voice.
“This… how is this possible?”
“There were still more than ten minutes left. That was plenty of time to disarm the bomb. How
could it have exploded?”
His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed. He had to grip the railing beside him just to stay
upright.
Then, as if something had clicked in his mind, he barked at the site manager.
“Pull the security footage-now! This doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible!”
The manager turned to go, but Hailey quickly stepped into his path, turning to Ryan with wide,
wounded eyes.
“Ryan… you don’t think I’d lie to you, do you? I set everything up exactly right. The child should
have been fine.”
But the blood soaking into the floor told a different story.
Sensing the hesitation in his eyes, Hailey’s gaze flickered with calculation.
“If you ask me, I bet Natalie took the kid. She probably staged the blood to make me look bad.”
Her voice broke into delicate sobs.
Ryan thought for a moment, then exhaled slightly.
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“If that’s true, then Natalie has gone too far. Doesn’t she care that the bomb on Sophie could go off at any moment?”
He pulled out his phone, dialing Natalie again and again.
Then he tried his daughter’s smartwatch.
Every time, the same cold, mechanical voice answered: [The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…]
The more he heard it, the more unease coiled in his chest.
Hailey gave his arm a gentle tug, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“She’s so protective-she must have found a way to disarm it. She’ll come back after she’s made her point. Let’s just go to the award ceremony. Thanks to all the publicity from our CP,
the organizers are willing to give me the prize.”
For once, Ryan didn’t feel the rush of pride she expected.
His chest felt heavy, like a thousand-pound weight was dragging him down.
Still, with reporters surrounding them, the two of them headed to the venue.
In an instant, they were the center of attention.
“Once Ms. Grant gets her license, you two can rescue hostages together-it’s such a great
partnership!”
“The couple nickname ‘Red and Blue Duo’ really suits you two. No wonder a master’s student is just as outstanding as their teacher!”
Ryan listened to the flattery with a blank expression until a male reporter asked,
“Mr. Cole, does your wife and daughter support you and Ms. Grant playing up this CP for the
public?”
At the mention of Natalie and his daughter, every nerve in Ryan’s body went taut.
He shoved the reporter aside, his patience snapping.
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“Work is work. Don’t drag showbiz gossip into it.”
He turned to leave, but Hailey caught his arm.
“The awards are coming up. It wouldn’t look good if you weren’t here.”
She was certain he would stay.
Instead, Ryan coldly pried her fingers off.
“Sophie’s fate is still unknown. That award is pure PR fluff. If you want it, stay and take it
yourself.”
The iciness in his tone made Hailey stare at him in disbelief. She clung to him harder.
“I thought I was the one you cared about most. Why are you acting so cold all of a sudden?”
“Fine-if you walk out of here, I’ll kill myself!”
She thought the threat would stop him.
Ryan only frowned in annoyance and peeled her hands away.
“Don’t overestimate yourself.”
Before he could take another step, his assistant burst through the door, pale and breathless.
“Boss, there you are! I called you a dozen times. I had to tell you… the victim who died in the blast was Sophie.
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