She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 787

Laurence looked thoughtful. "Do you believe the girl will eventually end up with him?"

"Secrets have a way of coming out, especially with people sharing our family's blood. We're all too sharp for our own good," Loyce said. "With how paranoid and possessive he is right now, if he couldn't have her, he would have destroyed her. I couldn't let that happen. I'm just buying them time. Time to settle down, mature, and approach their relationship rationally."

Laurence sighed in admiration. "It makes sense that you're both SaintHealer and the head of the X Arms Syndicate. Your mind is leagues ahead of everyone else's."

Hank practically tore the iron gates off their hinges.

Tires shrieked against the gravel driveway. He threw himself out of the car before it even fully stopped, leaving the door hanging wide open. His usually flawless hair was wild from the wind, and a storm of absolute devastation raged in his eyes.

"Where is she?" His voice was a harsh rasp, his gaze cutting like shattered glass across everyone in the room.

Laurence sat calmly by the fireplace. Loyce was reorganizing a medical kit with Lucian's help. Nightingale and Storm stood silently in the shadows.

Laurence looked up. "Who are you referring to?"

"Giselle!" Hank closed the distance in three massive strides, slamming his hands down on the armrests of Laurence's chair. He leaned in, his voice ground out through clenched teeth. "The drop zone below the cliff. You told me the team didn't catch her. Where. Is. She?"

The logs in the fireplace popped and crackled. The firelight flickered across Hank's face, illuminating the fractured, desperate look in his eyes.

Loyce put down a roll of gauze and spoke evenly. "Hank, Mr. Laurence set up the air cushions and the rescue detail exactly as planned. But when she fell, the crosswinds in the gorge were much stronger than anticipated. The cushion was blown off the mark. The team only managed to grab her jacket."

Nightingale stepped forward and handed him a familiar beige cardigan. There were blades of grass still clinging to the cuffs.

Hank stared at the fabric, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. Of course he recognized it. It was Giselle's.

"Impossible." He shook his head slowly, his tone rejecting reality, his eyes brimming with wild suspicion. "Something this simple doesn't fail. The wind direction and angles were calculated perfectly. Even with a deviation, there was a secondary safety net rigged below. Where did she go, Loyce?"

Hank had never raised his voice at his precious little sister before. But he was spiraling, completely unmoored. He couldn't imagine anyone but Loyce having the capability to hide Giselle from him.

"You hid her. Didn't you?"

He stepped toward her, accusation burning in his voice. Instantly, Lucian stood up, using his cane to block Hank's path. His tone was heavy and dangerous. "This has nothing to do with Loyce. Do not raise your voice at her. You need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and figure out where you went wrong."

"I didn't hide her," Loyce said, her voice remaining perfectly steady as she looked around Lucian. "I didn't want things to turn out this way either. The wind speeds spiked forty percent above predictions. It was a localized gorge turbulence that even the weather stations missed. The cushion was blown fifteen meters off target. She fell into the rapids."

"Then find her!" Hank abruptly straightened up, his voice rising to a raw shout, trembling in a way he didn't even realize. "Search the river! Both banks! Send everyone! Now!"

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