Chapter 355

The impact sent their out-of-control vehicle careening forward, the disabled brakes offering no resistance. The massive truck beside them hadn't fully stopped either.

Olivia's pulse hammered against her ribs as she realized their car might become the filling in a deadly metal sandwich. Miraculously, with mere inches to spare, all three vehicles shuddered to a stop.

The black sedan had taken the worst of it.

Their own situation wasn't much better. Smoke curled from the hood as the driver warned about leaking fuel.

Panicked shouts filled the air as everyone scrambled for safety. Olivia tried to move but cried out - her legs refused to cooperate.

Her assistant Evelyn reached for her, but the petite woman's hands were already injured from the initial impact. She lacked the strength to drag Olivia free.

"Go!" Olivia gasped, pushing weakly at Evelyn's arms. "Just leave me. Maybe this is how it's meant to be."

Evelyn's face contorted. "Don't you dare give up! That fuel could ignite any second!"

A bitter laugh escaped Olivia's lips. She willed her limbs to move, but the concussion left her dizzy and her hands numb.

This wasn't how she'd imagined her end. If she died here, it would look like a tragic accident rather than the carefully orchestrated murder it truly was. Despair clawed at her throat as she thought of the black car's occupants - they'd tried to help, only to meet the same fate.

Then a deep voice cut through the chaos. "Move!"

Olivia looked up into the familiar contours of a silver mask.

Mr. Liam's pale throat bore a crimson streak. Even his black dress shirt couldn't conceal the spreading bloodstain.

Olivia's breath hitched. Had he been in that black car?

Without ceremony, Mr. Liam bent and scooped her up, his powerful arms cradling her against his chest. The group stumbled away from the wreckage.

Seconds later, Olivia's car erupted in flames. The black sedan followed suit. The truck driver had wisely retreated several yards.

The inferno painted the twilight sky orange.

Olivia stared from the burning wreckage to the masked man holding her. "Why?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why risk yourself for me?"

His only answer was a sudden stagger.

The world tilted as Olivia instinctively tightened her grip around Mr. Liam's neck.

He collapsed to his knees, muscles trembling with exhaustion, yet refused to drop her. A pained grunt escaped him as veins stood out along his forearms.

When Olivia tried to wriggle free, Mr. Liam pitched forward, consciousness abandoning him completely.