Silly Bride

Chapter 204

Winnie was racked with worry.Immediately after she asked those questions, someone in front yelled, “They’re coming out! The people inside are coming out!”Upon hearing the shouts, Winnie looked ahead and spotted several people rushing out from the inferno. One of them was carrying another person on his back.She hurried forward without hesitation.Those who just escaped had wet towels wrapped around their faces, so she could not tell who they were.Suddenly, she heard someone say, “Quick! Old Mr. Fairchild is unconscious. Hurry up and call for an ambulance!”Then, that person lowered Rufus from behind his back.Seeing that, Winnie and the butler quickly went to help.Rufus’ breathing became easier after getting out of the burning building. Soon, he opened his eyes and could even talk.After seeing that Rufus was fine, Winnie began calling Xavier’s name.As she shouted, she tore away the damp towels covering the faces of the others around Rufus. However, none of them were Xavier.Her heart lurched and seemed to stop beating for a split second.A moment later, she regained her senses and asked the people around her worriedly, “Did you see Xavier? He went in about a few minutes ago to save Old Mr. Fairchild. Did you see where he was when you were coming out?”Two of them shook their heads at once. “No. We didn’t see him.”Another person, the security guard who had carried Rufus out on his back, piped up, “I heard Mr. Xavier’s voice. The door was locked from the outside at the time, and we couldn’t open it from the inside. The person who came to open the door for us was Mr. Xavier. However, we had already retreated next to the window, so he rushed into the room. After coming in, he went to get wet towels for us, then told me to carry Old Mr. Fairchild out first. It was a life-or-death situation, so I did as he said. I thought Mr. Xavier would follow us out, but it’s clear he didn’t. I don’t know where he is now either.”Upon hearing what happened, Rufus was so agitated that he started coughing. He fixed his gaze on the butler and said, “Save him! Hurry up and get Xavier out of there! No matter what it takes, I want to see him come out alive!”“Old Mr. Fairchild, the firefighters and fire trucks will be here any second now. They’ll definitely find him in time!”“By the time they get here, Xavier will have suffocated to death!” Unable to think of another way, Rufus grabbed the hand of the security guard next to him.“All of you go in and save him. If any of you manages to rescue my grandson, I’ll give each of you one hundred million. And if you perish inside, I’ll give that money to your family.”Even with such a choice, the security guards did not feel tempted. The fire is so intense that going back in will only mean certain death. There are no two ways about it. One hundred million is a large sum, but what good is all that money if we’re dead?The security guard, whose hand was in Rufus’ tight grasp, said, “The fire inside is too strong, and we don’t have any equipment to fight the flames. There’d be no way of escaping once we go in. We have elderly parents and young children back home, so we can’t take such a risk.”All those at the scene could empathize with everything he said. However, humans are selfish creatures and naturally want their nearest and dearest to survive.Rufus’ gaze flicked toward the security guard. “You do know Xavier was the one who gave you the towel to wrap around your face, don’t you?”The man was momentarily stunned. Then, he quickly fell to his knees in front of Rufus. “Yes, I know that! M-My entire family and I will never forget Mr. Xavier’s kindness!”Not wanting to waste time, Winnie picked up a wet blanket from the ground and covered herself with it.“That’s enough talk. I’m going in to search. Xavier isn’t someone who’ll die so easily. As long as there’s a path cleared for him, he’ll surely make it out alive.”Rufus had a wet blanket wrapped around him while getting carried out, and she guessed it was Xavier who had prepared it for the older man.He gave all chances of survival to his grandfather!However, Rufus grabbed Winnie’s arm just as she was about to rush in.“Winnie, you’re Xavier’s wife. If something has happened to him, I don’t want to see you also—”“That won’t happen. Have you forgotten? Didn’t your friend say I’m Xavier’s benefactor? I believe that as long as I’m by Xavier’s side, we can surely turn any misfortune into a blessing,” she reassured Rufus with a steadfast look in her eyes.With that, she continued running forward. After she had gone some distance, she suddenly turned around and shouted, “Grandpa Rufus, if anything happens to me, help me look after my granny!”The fire up ahead burned fiercely, and the tongues of flame rose so high that they threatened to devour everything.Everyone watched as Winnie ran forward with determination. It seemed as though she was ready to face death unflinchingly, never to return.At that moment, fire truck sirens suddenly blared, and four large vehicles drove into the compound one after another.After turning and taking a look, the butler said to Rufus excitedly, “It’s the firefighters! The fire trucks are here, and there are four of them! There’s hope for Mr. Xavier!”Rufus glanced at the firefighters, then raised his voice and shouted, “Quick! Hurry up and tell Winnie to come back! Get her back here!” Alas, no matter where they looked, there was no sign of Winnie.The fire department had dispatched a fire truck, a water truck, a foam truck, and a rescue truck. The well-trained firefighters were clear about each of their tasks, and they carried out the rescue operation in an orderly manner.They stopped Winnie at the entrance to the fiery scene.“This is a fire scene. All unrelated personnel, please stay away!” they said loudly, speaking over the sound of the roaring blaze and dissuading her from going any further.Gazing at the group of firefighters in full protective gear, Winnie knew she would only be an inconvenience if she went in.She was very calm as she spoke in her loudest voice to make sure the firefighters could hear her clearly, saying, “My husband is still inside and is the only one left. He’s likely trapped in one of the bathrooms or somewhere with water. I leave the rest to you.”“Got it. Hurry up and leave. Go to a safe place and wait for our news.”After saying that, the firefighters charged into the raging fire.Not wanting to cause any trouble for them, Winnie turned to leave.However, she had just turned around when