Chapter 172 - I'm Sorry, Mister Qin.

Lewis and some police were following Julian, being extra careful of Julian's threats to kill her. They couldn't really do anything at this point aside from this because their priority was Devon's safety. 

"Young Master." Derek glanced at the front passenger seat, where Lewis perched. The latter was just looking at the car ahead of them, barely blinking.

Derek decided not to speak, as it was obvious Lewis wasn't listening. Instead, he kept a close distance from Julian's car. They wouldn't speed away since Lewis had shot the tire. Still, if Julian kept driving, it would also be dangerous.

"She wasn't speaking."

Suddenly, Lewis spoke after a long silence. His eyes were still fixed on the car ahead, with no trace of emotion on his face. It was completely dead to the point it looked... sinister.

"During the phone call, I didn't hear her. Did he kill her?" he muttered listlessly, gripping at the pistol in his hand. "I shouldn't have... I should've acted faster. I will not forgive myself if something happened to her."

"Young Master, please calm down. Julian is obsessed with her. If he killed her already, he wouldn't be running away." Derek remained calm and composed in Lewis's stead. He didn't want to think about the other problems that would come forth after this incident. What was important right now was to make sure Devon would get rescued. They could resolve the other issues later; once Lewis had calmed down. 

Derek's eyes glinted, thinking of ways to stop Julian. The toughest thing in this situation was, they needed Devon alive. So being reckless was the last thing they needed to do. 

Suddenly, Julian's car switched lanes. Derek immediately followed them, thinking Julian was simply trying to lose them, which was a futile attempt. However, when the car switched lane again, and then again, going from left to right, Derek furrowed his brows. 

"What's going on?" he murmured before he thought of one possible reason behind this anomaly. Devon was fighting with Julian. 

'No, stupid!' Derek's eyes dilated as he panicked internally, thinking that this would lead to more problems.

"What are they doing?" Lewis muttered in a shaky voice, eyes fixed on the car. "They're picking up their speed."

Derek instinctively stepped on the pedal to catch up to them. It was a good thing the police had closed off the roads. However, if Julian's car continued like this, they would go through the not-closed exits.

Just as Derek feared, Julian's car went over the median strip at full speed. All he could do was watch the spark from Julian's car tire as it drifted on the other side of the road, which wasn't sealed off just yet.

"No..." Derek whispered, and all they saw was an incoming truck.

Time seemed to slow down from everyone who had their eyes and followed Julian's car. The next thing they saw was the car crashing into the truck. 

Lewis's heart stopped beating momentarily at the sight of it. "No..."

Seeing Julian's car crash into the truck with Devon as his passenger was akin to reliving those traumatic memories of the past. It made Lewis recall how he lost his parents and now how he would lose her.

"No..." His mind went blank while Derek glanced at him. The latter panicked as he drove faster, taking a turn, and stopped near the median strip. He didn't wait as he hitched outside and jogged to the spot where he could see the accident.

The front of Julian's car was wretched, as smoke from it ascended to the sky. The windows broke, granting others to see Julian's head on the airbag of the steering wheel. But one could see he was bleeding. Sadly, from this vantage point, he couldn't see Devon. 

"What the..." 

Derek turned around to see Lewis dragging his feet to see the accident. "Young Master..."

"Dev," Lewis called under his breath while his entire body shook. The scene before him was something traumatic. Knowing who was the person involved, Lewis' mind couldn't function anymore. He didn't even know what to feel as he just stared at the accident vacantly. 

"This can't be... happening."

*******

It would be an irony to say it was a good thing the paramedic and the police were following the car from the beginning. So, help immediately arrived. Nevertheless, they immediately rescued the people inside the car. The driver of the truck was alright with minor injuries, but the two people inside the car were both in critical condition who needed immediate surgery.

Lewis sat outside the emergency room, staring at his hand vacantly. The scene of the accident kept flickering in his head, and the sight of Devon as she was being rescued. There was so much blood and it was just a gore sight to see. He couldn't forget it, making his hand tremble. 

This might be heartless of him, but he wouldn't even bat an eye if it was others. Unfortunately, it was his beloved fiance whom he would marry. Now, she was inside this surgery while all he could do was wait for the news if she was alive or... dead.

"She can't die," he muttered through his gritted teeth, clasping his hand tightly. His breath hitched as his eyes stung. The next thing he knew, tears dripped onto his linked hands. 

He promised her. 

Lewis swore his life to protect her. He gave his word that he would let her live a peaceful and happy life, but now she was on the verge of death. 

"It's my fault," he whispered, convinced that this was all his fault. "This is all my fault..."

"Young master," Derek called. He was sitting beside Lewis, wanting to tell him everything would be alright. However, he couldn't. Things turned out for the worst outcome.

They had seen her. Unlike Julian, who regained his consciousness while on the stretcher, Devon's injuries were far worse. Derek knew that there was a higher chance for Devon to die than to live. But they could only remain hopeful that she would survive this. 

"Brother! Assistant Wang!"

Derek raised his gaze and saw Dion and Bella, along with Rio and Ansel. The four of them darted their eyes to Lewis and then to Derek. Confusion and shock dominated their pale face.

"What's going on?" Dion was the first to break the silence, gazing at the door of the surgery room. "How is my sister?" 

Silence answered him. They had rushed here after they heard about what happened. It was already a shock to them about what happened to Quentin. Now, this? Dion had a good grasp of what could've taken place, but this wasn't what he expected at all. 

"Did... the second brother really did this?" came out a weak inquiry from Ansel. He was the closest to Julian more than his other brothers. In the youngest eyes, he couldn't believe it. To him, Julian, although aloof, was a kind man. Never in Ansel's wildest imagination, he would ever think of Julian hurting other people physically. 

Julian was a lawyer, after all. He could destroy anyone without harming them physically. But Ansel's question wasn't answered. The silence reigned in the corridor. 

"Ansel, sit down first." Rio, who was composed enough in this situation, patted Ansel's shoulder. He helped the youngest take a seat, as this was too much for them. 

"Will she be alright?" this time, Bella was the first to speak while gazing at Derek. The latter didn't give her a verbal answer, but Bella already knew that they should expect the worse. 

She clutched her sleeve, hanging her head low. In her mind, if she wasn't being the 'drama queen', Devon would've celebrated with Lewis. They would've been together instead of going to that place to accompany Bella. 

Bella gnawed her lower lip as her eyes welled up, shaking uncontrollably. Her knees gave way, but Dion caught her. Slowly, she looked up at him, trying to suppress her tears.

"It's my fault, brother Dion," came out a muffled confession, choking at the tension in her throat. Bella clutched Dion's chest, shaking her head.

"She just wants to be a good friend, but... it's my fault. If it's not for me, this wouldn't happen. She wouldn't be in that place in the first place." The more Bella tried not to break down, the more she did. 

The space between Dion's brows creased as his heart broke for Devon and for this situation. Hearing Bella blame herself tugged his conscience. So, he did the right thing he thought he should do.

"Of course, it's not your fault," Dion muttered, embracing her while patting her head. "My sister will be fine, Bella. Don't cry. It's not your fault..."

Dion gazed down while trying to comfort Bella. "It's my fault."

Derek stared at the two of them in silence. His eyes lingered on Bella, who was in another man's embrace. He wasn't that dim-witted to take this as more than what it looked like. Dion and Bella were close friends, and they were with Devon but didn't see this coming. 

Still, Derek couldn't help but ball his hand but loosened it a second later. Instead, he looked away and stayed silent. 

Shortly after, the light above the emergency room turned off. When the door slowly opened, Lewis, who kept quiet the entire time, sprung up to his feet. He rushed towards the door, followed by everyone who was hoping for good news. 

"How is she?" asked Lewis in urgency, watching the doctor look at him apologetically.

"We did everything we can…" the doctor expressed sincerely, but his voice gradually sounded distant for Lewis as it faded into the background. "... I'm sorry, Mister Qin."

"No way," Bella muttered as her breath hitched, feeling her knees give way.. Not just her, but everyone turned pale, as they couldn't believe what the doctor said.