Chapter 240: Chapter 240: My Brother Will Definitely Be Fine
A roar echoed in Sienna Everett’s mind, and she froze solid for a moment.
Warm, red blood dripped onto her face.
Blood...
"Julian Forrester!" Sienna Everett’s eyes instantly reddened, her voice trembling.
The man let out a muffled groan from the intense pain. The coppery taste of blood filled his throat, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Yet even then, he tried to comfort her. "Don’t be afraid. I’m fine..."
Sienna Everett’s eyes stung. ’How could he possibly be fine!’
The floor was covered in shattered fragments from the exploded chandelier and pools of stark, red blood—all of it flowing from him.
"Brother!!"
Keith Sterling’s pupils contracted violently as he scrambled over. He supported Julian Forrester with one arm while his trembling fingers fumbled for his phone to call an ambulance.
Sienna Everett pushed herself out from under the man’s protective embrace and saw that his back was a blurry mess of blood. When the massive chandelier fell, the exploding shards had sliced his skin and embedded themselves in his flesh. Blood poured out relentlessly.
And his head...
The back of his head had been struck as well. His dark hair was matted with crimson blood. He looked as if he’d been pulled from a river of it, and the air was thick with the heavy, acrid stench of blood.
Sienna Everett’s hands were shaking uncontrollably. Half-supporting, half-holding Julian Forrester, she said in a quavering voice, "The ambulance will be here any second!"
His injuries looked absolutely terrifying, and she didn’t dare move him, terrified that the slightest wrong move would make things worse.
The accident was so sudden and severe that the restaurant manager and staff rushed over at once.
The moment he saw the injured man in the hall, the restaurant manager’s face went white.
J... Julian Forrester?!
’It’s over.’
’For someone of Julian Forrester’s stature to be so grievously injured in his restaurant... even shutting down the business wouldn’t be enough to atone for this!’
A chill ran down the restaurant manager’s spine. He scrambled over recklessly, fumbling for his phone, on the verge of tears from panic. "M... Miss Everett, Master Sterling, I’ll arrange a car to take Mr. Forrester to the hospital immediately!"
Seeing the manager, Keith Sterling suppressed his panic and commanded in a cold voice, "Lock down all information. Not a single word of this gets out!"
’His brother’s injury would have enormous repercussions—for the Forrester family, for the Forrester Group, and for public perception.’
’They had to suppress the news of his brother’s injury right now, to lock down every channel and prevent any leaks.’
The restaurant manager, completely out of his depth, immediately nodded and promised to do as Keith Sterling said.
Fabian Vance and Moss heard the commotion from their private room and rushed out.
When he saw the injured man was Julian Forrester, Fabian Vance panicked and rushed over. "Sierra, what happened to Mr. Forrester? And what about you? Are you hurt?"
Sienna Everett shook her head, her eyes not leaving Julian Forrester for a single moment. "Grandpa Vance," she said curtly, "I have to get him to the hospital first."
"Yes, yes, of course! Go quickly!" Although Fabian Vance didn’t understand why Sienna Everett and Julian Forrester were so close, he knew now wasn’t the time to ask.
The wail of an ambulance siren sounded from outside.
Keith Sterling finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sienna Everett looked at the restaurant manager, her tone unprecedentedly cold and harsh. "Check the surveillance footage for the main hall, the second-floor corridor, and the area outside the restrooms."
The manager nodded profusely. Even if Miss Everett hadn’t demanded it, after such a disaster, the restaurant would have had to pull the footage to investigate the cause anyway.
Finally, they were in the ambulance, speeding toward the hospital.
Julian Forrester’s injuries were on his back and the back of his head. He lay on the stretcher, covered in blood, while the paramedics urgently removed the chandelier fragments embedded in his body.
Sienna Everett gently held Julian Forrester’s hand, her own eyes stinging as if burned by the sight of his gory wounds. "How are you feeling now?" she asked, her voice thick.
"I’m fine..." The man’s eyelids drooped with exhaustion, as if he could pass out at any second. He fought to suppress his pained gasps, not wanting to worry her. "Sienna... don’t worry..."
Sienna Everett’s chest felt tight and painful. ’How could I not be worried...’
’How did he manage to run over so fast, to shield me so recklessly...?’
Keith Sterling, who had also boarded the ambulance, felt his throat tighten at the sight, as if a fishbone were lodged in it. He opened his mouth but found he had no words.
It was dinnertime, the peak of rush hour, and even the ambulance was caught in stop-and-go traffic.
’At this rate, when will we ever get to the hospital?’
Keith Sterling cursed under his breath in frustration, pulling out his phone to make a call to some director.
In no time, nearby patrol cars and motorcycle police converged on their location. Lights flashing and sirens wailing, they carved a path through the congested traffic.
With the police escort, they faced a clear path of green lights and arrived at the hospital swiftly and unimpeded.
He was rushed from the ambulance directly into the emergency room.
Sienna Everett and Keith Sterling waited anxiously outside.
The hospital’s director, vice-director, and a whole entourage of staff rushed over. "Miss Everett, Mr. Sterling, please rest assured. We have assigned our most senior and experienced doctor to treat Mr. Forrester!"
Keith Sterling nodded, then glanced at Sienna Everett beside him, noticing she was staring intently at the emergency room doors without blinking.
Keith Sterling sighed. ’Any words of comfort would be useless right now. The only thing that matters is my brother coming out of that emergency room safe and sound.’
In less than ten minutes, Master Forrester arrived, supported by Samuel Sutton and trembling visibly. "Sienna, Keith, what in the world happened? How could he get hurt so badly out of the blue?"
"Grandpa..." Hearing his voice, Sienna Everett turned toward Master Forrester, a wave of guilt washing over her.
Keith Sterling saw right through her and quickly interjected, "Sierra, this has nothing to do with you!"
’He was certain that, even if it happened all over again, his brother would protect Sienna Everett without a second thought.’
Keith Sterling quickly explained to Master Forrester how the chandelier had fallen and how his brother had shielded Sienna Everett.
Only then did Master Forrester understand why Sienna Everett felt so guilty. He quickly took her hand. "Silly child, don’t let your mind run wild. This has nothing to do with you. Right now, we just need to wait for Julian to come out of the emergency room, alright?"
Sienna Everett nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the emergency room doors, her heart lodged in her throat, refusing to drop.
A little while later, Keith Sterling’s parents also arrived. As Julian Forrester’s elders, they were equally worried.
Sienna Everett greeted them politely.
Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were both very cordial. They obviously knew who Sienna Everett was and treated her with the kindness one would show to a family member.
"Grandpa, please, sit down," Keith Sterling said, helping Master Forrester into a chair.
"That’s right, Dad. Don’t be anxious. Julian will be alright," Mr. and Mrs. Sterling added, trying to soothe him.
Master Forrester sat down in the chair, his eyes, weathered by the years, filled with anxiety. He took Sienna Everett’s hand. "Sienna, you mustn’t worry too much either."
Sienna Everett murmured in assent, but her eyes remained fixed in the direction of the emergency room.
Time crawled by, each second stretching into an eternity.
Outside, the sky grew progressively darker until it was completely black.
After what felt like an eternity, the doors to the emergency room finally swung open.