Chapter 571
Chapter 571:
The water crashed over Brenden’s torso, yet the flames clinging to his leg stubbornly refused to die out.
Spring’s gentle chill still lingered in the air, wrapping the world in coolness.
The shock of the frigid deluge sent Brenden reeling. He was caught between bone-deep cold and scorching heat. Despair settled into his bones—his misfortune had surely reached its crescendo.
Brenden’s anguished howls echoed through the courtyard as he writhed across the stone ground, his desperate thrashing carrying him to the ancient cypress, where his skull met bark with a sickening crack.
The impact nearly dragged him into unconsciousness.
𝖭𝖾𝘸 𝗐𝗲𝘦k𝗹у ch𝗮𝗽𝗍𝗲𝗿𝘀 oո ѕ.𝘤о𝗆
“Brenden, stay away from there! Wait, I’m coming to help you!” Fiona’s voice cracked with panic as she scrambled to find anything that might battle the flames.
Samuel stood frozen, his mind struggling to process the chaos unfolding before him.
Within heartbeats, hungry tongues of fire began devouring Brenden’s clothing.
Samuel’s quick thinking saved the moment as he retrieved the household fire extinguisher.
At last, the flames yielded to defeat.
White powder coated Brenden from head to toe, transforming his once-handsome features into a ghostly mask where only his eyes remained visible. His left pant leg had vanished entirely, consumed by fire, leaving behind the tattered remnants of his former confidence and charm.
He appeared both pitiful and absurd.
Silence stretched between them like a taut wire.
Fiona crept closer with tentative steps. “Brenden, are you hurt p>
“Of course I’m hurt p>
Brenden’s mind replayed Fiona’s earlier assurances that failure would cost him nothing at all.
What ridiculous nonsense about having nothing to lose.
His losses felt mountainous.
Fiona approached with a towel, hoping to wipe the chalky residue from his face.
Brenden jerked away from her touch, his glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Fiona retreated at once, her voice dropping to a fragile murmur. “I’m really sorry p>
Rage burned through Brenden’s chest like wildfire.
Yet he knew Fiona’s intentions had been sincere—he could only curse his own wretched luck.
Samuel let out a long, heavy sigh from the sidelines. “Mr. Saunders, your misfortune runs deeper than anything I can fix p>
Brenden pressed his palm against his throbbing skull, then scraped a handful of white powder from his skin. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
“Fiona, I swear I’ll never set foot in a place like this again p>
His voice cracked as he limped away from Samuel’s villa, every step a raw reminder of his suffering.
Fiona hastily said goodbye to Samuel and rushed after Brenden.
Back at the hospital, Brenden returned with fresh injuries barely days after his last discharge, drawing sympathetic glances from the nursing staff.
In recent weeks, he had practically become a fixture in those sterile halls.
His earlier rescue of Daisy—and the daily roses she sent afterward—had already turned him into something of a legend in the hospital.
The doctor stared at him in stunned disbelief as he took in Brenden’s charred, swollen left leg, the sizable bump on his forehead, the dusting of white powder on his skin, and his wild, disordered hair.
“Mr. Saunders, were you attacked?” the doctor asked.
Brenden shot a meaningful look at Fiona. “She can explain p>
Fiona recounted the day’s disasters, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
The doctor listened, his expression shifting through a range of emotions that words could hardly capture.