Chapter 356
Always a Step Behind
The commotion grew louder.
More students and staff gathered to watch.
"Who is that guy? He's so arrogant."
"He was with Fiona Valentine at the mixer. Is he her boyfriend?"
"No, he's a businessman. I've seen him in finance magazines!"
"Does money give him the right to act like this? He's threatening the botanical garden..."
The murmurs intensified.
The director's eye twitched. He took a deep breath.
He had intended to ignore Ethan Roscente.
But with so many people watching, he had to respond.
This botanical garden wasn't built on capitalist donations...
Before he could speak, Marcus Lawrence and Hannah Morse pushed through the crowd.
They looked frantic.
"Director, we're in Sophia Sullivan's group. Have you found her? What's happening?"
Seeing Hannah's genuine concern, the director answered directly.
"We've located Miss Sullivan. All three are safe and unharmed."
Hannah let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness they're found..."
Marcus pressed further. "If they're found, why aren't they out yet?"
Director: "The emergency lock was triggered accidentally. Exits are sealed. Technicians are on their way."
Marcus frowned. "How long will that take?"
"Perhaps... a few hours."
"Can you at least send supplies in?"
"That... isn't possible right now."
Ethan froze at the word "three."
It took him a moment to process.
"...Three? Why three? Wasn't it just Sophia?"
The director's expression turned cold toward Ethan.
"Professor Laurent and Mr. Evans arrived two hours ago. They entered the climate zone before we could stop them. They're with Miss Sullivan now."
Alexander Laurent and Sebastian Evans.
Again.
Why was he always a step behind?
Why?!
Ethan stared blankly, his eyes burning red.
Fiona Valentine hurried over.
Seeing Ethan like this, she felt she was seeing a stranger.
The aloof, composed man she knew vanished whenever Sophia Sullivan was involved.
Her heart ached, but she forced a smile.
She gently took his arm, speaking softly to comfort him.
"The director said Sophia is fine. Technicians will be here soon. Let's just wait a little longer. The door will open..."
Ethan remained silent.
The thought of two other men with her now felt like a stone lodged in his chest.
He couldn't swallow it or cough it up.
Hearing Fiona's words, the director's expression softened slightly.
"I know you're worried. I assure you, we are doing everything we can to rescue them. No one is slacking off. It's the middle of the night. Everyone wants this resolved quickly so we can all go rest."
He looked at Ethan.
"No matter how much you protest or threaten tonight, the wait time remains the same. It's better to wait quietly. This happened in our garden. You're anxious, but we are even more so."
"Let's try to understand each other."
Ethan's face was still rigid, but he stopped causing a scene.
He seemed to have listened.
Fiona quietly sighed in relief.
But...
The pointed stares and whispers around them were humiliating.
Her boyfriend was publicly losing his mind over another woman.
A woman who was their classmate in the same college and major.
The implications were enough to fuel endless gossip.
The world never lacked for spectators.
The crowd's size depended only on how juicy the drama was.
Ashley Lowell watched the arguing over Sophia Sullivan and sneered.
"Absolutely ridiculous!"
She thought something serious had happened.
But this?
Sophia was still alive, wasn't she?
They found her. Was all this fuss necessary?
"Exactly," Shane Holloway immediately agreed. "She got herself lost, and now everyone has to search for her in the middle of the night? Is Sophia Sullivan some kind of royalty? Do we all owe her something?"
Hannah glared at him.
"Watch your mouth! We're from the same college. If you won't help, fine, but there's no need to spread rumors."
Marcus said coldly,
"If you don't want to help, leave. No one is begging you. Since you have so many complaints, go back to sleep. We don't need your help, but don't you dare hold us back."
Shane snorted.
"Fine, I'm leaving! Who wants to stand around in the cold anyway?"
He turned and walked away.
Ashley rolled her eyes and followed.
"I'm tired. Going to bed."
Others gradually dispersed.
The director was handling it.
With the show over, there was no point staying.
Finally, only Ethan, Fiona, garden staff, Marcus, Hannah, and three lead teachers remained.
At some point, rain began to fall again.
A steady, lonely drizzle.
The night wind, heavy with moisture, seeped through the window cracks.
Frost formed on the wooden window frames.
Hannah tightened her coat and walked to the window.
She looked out through the glass, worried.
The nearby lights provided some brightness.
But further out, it was pitch black, tree branches swaying in the wind and rain.
Please be safe, Sophia...
By 2 a.m., the rain eased, but the temperature plummeted.
Alexander Laurent focused.
"The temperature control system must be adjusting."
This was supposed to be a tropical zone. It shouldn't be this cold.
But their area simulated a tropical desert climate.
A key feature of tropical deserts is the extreme temperature difference between day and night.
Alexander used the coat Sebastian handed him to wrap around Sophia.
His own jacket was already around her.
Even that wasn't enough.
Her body temperature was rising, yet her hands and feet were ice cold. She shivered violently.
The wind made it worse.
Sophia had only meant to rest her eyes for a moment.
But once closed, she fell into endless nightmares.
Her mind told her to wake up.
Reality was her eyelids were too heavy to open.
Cold...
So cold...
She instinctively curled up, wishing she could wrap herself into a cocoon.
It seemed the only way to feel slightly better.