Chapter 355: Whispers In The Dust
’Am I dead?’
That was the first thought that invaded her mind.
’Remember... Remember what you forgot. See beyond what your naked eyes cannot see... ’
A mysterious voice whispered inside her muddled head before a sharp, piercing ring filled her ears.
Then came a low, pained groan, and the heavy, solid weight of a body pressed on top of her.
Her eyes remained tightly shut. She could feel warm, ragged breathing fanning across her face, but the moment she attempted to flutter her eyelids open, the suffocating plume of dust forced her to squeeze them shut. The air was thick and gritty, making her lungs burn with every shallow breath.
"...iana!"
"Aliana!"
Someone’s frantic voice called out to her, followed by several others shouting through the chaos.
"Oh God!"
"Call 911!"
"Mr. Pierce, don’t go in there!"
"Let go of me right now!" another furious voice snapped.
"Boss! Can you hear me?! Somebody help!"
Panic began to surge in her chest until she felt a pair of arms tighten around her. The man covering her whispered huskily against her ear. "Shh... you are alright, Aliana." His grip tightened around her frame. "I got you. You are safe."
But his words did nothing to ease her racing heart.
If anything, having someone unfamiliar so close made her deeply uncomfortable. Being physically restricted under the weight of a man who was not her husband brought an agonising memory flooding back.
It was the memory of being trapped inside that cramped, suffocating shipping container, completely helpless, right before that monster of a man tried to have his way with her.
An involuntary shudder ran down her spine, her hands curling into tight fists.
’Why? Why am I thinking about that right now? What’s going on?’
Desperate to break free, Aliana parted her dry lips and choked out a hoarse plea: "Help!"
"Calm down, Aliana. It’s me, Owen. I’m here with you," Owen urged gently, pulling her even closer against his chest, but she felt a sense of suffocation getting stronger the longer she stayed within his arms.
Just then, a powerful gust of wind swept across the platform, clearing the heavy dust and causing several workers nearby to cough violently.
The frantic voice that had been calling her name was suddenly right beside her. "Aliana, don’t move! I’ll get you out of here."
She recognized the voice instantly, and relief bled into her voice. "C-Cillian?"
"Yes, it’s me," Cillian replied, stepping closer as on-site paramedics and crew rushed toward them.
"Mr. Ross, hold still," one of the site workers shouted. "We’ll clear the debris over your feet!"
Owen could only grunt as several people lifted the broken chunk of concrete that had trapped his ankle. Fortunately, there had been a slight gap beneath the debris. Otherwise, the impact could have crushed his ankle completely.
As soon as the debris was lifted, the site workers helped Owen to his feet and guided him towards a nearby chair.
Meanwhile, Cillian wasted no time helping Aliana up, his panic-filled eyes scanning her dust-covered figure from head to toe.
"Are you all right? Do you feel any pain anywhere?"
Aliana fought to steady her breathing, but flashes of that shipping container continued to rush through her mind, leaving her body trembling slightly.
Cillian, who still had his hands on her shoulders, felt the tremors and grew deeply concerned by how shaken she was.
Wrapping his arms around her, he murmured quietly, so only she could hear, "Calm down, Aliana. You wouldn’t want your powers to react here. I’ll take you home. Gavriel will meet you there."
Aliana squeezed her eyes shut, trying to regain control. She knew how disastrous it could be if her powers began manifesting in front of everyone.
More than that, she realised just how much comfort Cillian’s presence brought her, especially when compared to Owen.
At the thought of him, she lifted her head from Cillian’s shoulder and looked towards Owen.
There were several people gathered around him to check on his injured ankle. Yet despite the commotion, his green eyes remained fixed on her with an unreadable expression.
Something about that gaze made Aliana instinctively tighten her grip on Cillian’s coat.
Just then, paramedics arrived at the scene and rushed to assess both of them, along with anyone else who might have been caught in the accident.
Throughout the entire process, Cillian never once left Aliana’s side.
While she was being examined, he also listened carefully as the site engineers and emergency personnel assessed what had caused the accident and how narrowly everyone had escaped a far more devastating outcome.
It was revealed that the heavy chains securing the massive steel beams to the crane had snapped, causing the beams to plummet from a great height. While the impact had occurred several yards away, the beams had smashed into a supply pile below, launching pulverised concrete and jagged metal in every direction like bullets.
Had Owen not tackled Aliana to the platform and shielded her with his body, she would have taken a direct, fatal hit from the flying shrapnel.
This alone made Aliana and Cillian realise that she owed Owen a debt that could never be easily repaid... he had saved her life.
.....
Later that day, inside the grand expanse of Ross Mansion...
"Oh, my poor boy! Look at this heavy cast on your leg. You barely stepped back into the country, and look at the state of you!" Nina wept softly, hovering over her son’s bandaged foot as Owen leaned back against the headboard of his vast king-sized bed.
𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Hmph! This is all that bitch’s fault! Why did you need to save her like that?" Alec spat venomously, pacing near the foot of the bed. "A serious injury would have kept her arrogant self from flying so high!"
Owen’s brows pulled together at his father’s words. "Dad, she could have died if I hadn’t stepped in. The debris was flying fast enough to pierce anything. We both barely made it out."
Nina pressed her lips together upon learning the severity of the accident, while Alec stared at his son in silence for a moment before speaking up. "So what? Had she died, wouldn’t we have one less major obstacle to worry about?"