Chapter 13 The Xander Family Was Truly Wealthy
Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the ground. Everyone was running outside.
If Gabriel weren’t afraid of fire, he would have been able to escape. But he had a deep–rooted fear of fire. Once it broke out, it would be nearly impossible for him to get out.
Gabriel was going to die!
Everyone was fleeing, and no one realized that someone inside might not make it out.
She had been married to Gabriel for three years. Though he had never given her love, he had given her a comfortable life and had even helped her at work.
Resenting him was one thing, but she didn’t hate him enough to let him die.
Margaret’s matter was still unresolved. If he died now, they would never uncover Sienna’s true face.
She needed him alive. He couldn’t die like this! She wanted him to see for himself just how wicked Sienna truly was!
The familiar scent of thick smoke filled Gabriel’s nose. He stood frozen at the doorway, dazed, until a tall figure rushed in.
That person anxiously cupped her face.
“Gabriel!”
She tried to drag him out.
Gabriel closed his eyes, his throat dry, and weakly murmured a name.
Seeing him like this, Eleanor frowned deeply.
His legs worked, but he wasn’t moving. As expected, this was a psychological issue.
She had noticed long ago that Gabriel never entered the kitchen and deliberately avoided anything related to fire.
She had always been curious but never asked, afraid of touching a wound he didn’t want to reveal.
Gabriel shut his eyes, his entire body trembling.
Amidst the rolling smoke, Eleanor’s eyes stung with tears.
She gritted her teeth and pulled him forward.
Step by step, from the room to the staircase, she used every ounce of strength she had.
“Gabriel, hold on! Cough…”
She leaned close to his ear and shouted, “If you don’t, all your wealth will be mine!”
Gabriel’s eyelids twitched.
Seeing that this worked, Eleanor continued provoking him. “I’ll use your money to feast, indulge, and keep a few handsome young men. I’ll be living my best life.”
She blurted it all out in one breath, then covered her mouth with a damp towel.
Gabriel’s tightly shut eyes finally opened. He coughed and rasped, “You wouldn’t dare!”
Her rosy lips curved upward. So he did care, after all.
So, his paralysis in the face of fire was a psychological issue. As long as he was pushed, he could overcome it.
She patted his leg. “Can you stand?”
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Where she patted him, his skin burned with heat. Gabriel frowned, lifted his foot slightly, but still couldn’t move.
He pushed her
away and said in a low voice, “Go. Don’t worry about me.”
Eleanor glanced outside. The entire first floor was shrouded in smoke, the door completely invisible, let alone an escape
route.
Furniture lay toppled on the ground, blocking the way.
“There’s no way out.” Eleanor let out a bitter laugh. “Gabriel, am I going to die with you? If I had known, I wouldn’t have saved you.”
Her crisp, teasing tone made Gabriel’s closed eyes snap open.
His eyes carried a faint redness, his gaze cold, filled with a misty haze.
She spoke ruthless words, but her expression showed no trace of fear.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, though her usual low profile had hidden it.
Perhaps he had never truly seen her clearly. He had thought she was timid, yet she had rushed in to save him.
He remembered she had been outside. She could have stayed safe.
Ever since that incident, he had been afraid of fire. In a blaze, he didn’t feel heat, only cold. The doctor had said it was a psychological issue. Maybe one day he’d recover, or maybe he never would.
But Eleanor’s presence lit a small flame in his heart, warming him from within.
Outside, the sound of fire truck sirens echoed. The rescue team had finally arrived.
Summoning strength from somewhere, he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up with her support.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch her die here.
Suppressing his deep–seated fear, he forced his stiff legs to move forward.
Just as Eleanor exhaled in relief, a loud crash sounded.
With a crack, the chandelier above shattered, its crystal pieces raining down.
Under the intense heat, the crystals had become scalding hot. One after another, they struck, burning and searing.
Gabriel yanked her into his arms. With a muffled grunt, he shielded her from everything.
His embrace was warm and steady, like a towering tree on the verge of collapse.
“Gabriel!”
There was no response.
Suddenly, the weight on her increased.
“Gabriel! Stay with me!” Eleanor held him up, but his eyes were tightly shut.
She dragged him forward. The sweat and smoke blurred her vision, but she had only one goal, to keep moving forward, carrying Gabriel with her.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when, at last, a sliver of light pierced the dark room.
People rushed in.
“There’s someone here! We found someone!”
“Rescue them!”
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Eleanor smiled.
They were finally saved!
She couldn’t describe what she was feeling. Exhausted, Eleanor closed her eyes.
At last, she sank into darkness.
She dreamed of her university days when Gabriel had funded her studies for four years as a benefactor. After graduation, the jewelry she designed had already won awards abroad. She had declined offers from prestigious international companies and instead joined McKenzie Corporation as a junior designer.
Back then, McKenzie Corporation’s designs were mediocre. She faced discrimination from her colleagues, but Gabriel had casually helped her. Using her own abilities, she had elevated the company’s design department to new heights.
When she awoke from the dream, it was morning. There was no one else around, only a nurse conducting a checkup. Eleanor sat up and said to the nurse, “I want to be discharged.”
The doctor strongly advised her to stay, but Eleanor, feeling that she had no serious injuries, refused to remain in the hospital.
The hospital’s atmosphere made her feel suffocated, constantly reminding her of the moment Margaret died.
The cause of the McKenzie Residence fire was still under investigation.
Gabriel was out of critical danger but remained unconscious. Sienna stayed by his side without leaving, and even the news reports painted her as Gabriel’s savior.
Unwilling to see such obviously fabricated reports, Eleanor turned off her phone and took a taxi to the Xander Residence.
The Xander Residence covered an enormous area. It took half an hour just to walk from the main gate to the residence.
The McKenzie family also had a large residence, but it was farther from the city and not as vast.
The Xander family was truly wealthy.
She thought about the Xander family’s lost daughter, Joanna Xander, and felt an inexplicable pang of envy. A family this affluent would spare no effort to find their lost child. Unlike her, she had been abandoned.
Enduring the weakness in her body, she unlocked her phone and dialed Ethan’s number.
“You’re here?”
Ethan, who had seen the news, spoke in a serious tone over the phone. “Didn’t I tell you there was no need for you to come?”
“I’m fine. Since I promised you I would come, I intend to keep my word.”
She honored her promises, and she hoped he would do the same.
Ethan let out a helpless chuckle. “Don’t worry. Since I agreed to help with the Sullivan family’s matter, I will keep my word. Forget it, since you’re already here, stay put. I’ll come get you.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Eleanor remained where she was.
A group of people passed by, all dressed as servants, moving hurriedly.
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They looked like Xander family staff, running anxiously while searching.
“Madam Adele ran off! Find her quickly.”
“How are we supposed to find her in a place this big? If Mr. Hudson finds out, we’re done for!”
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Madam Adele… Mrs. Xander?
Eleanor paused slightly and looked in their direction.
