Chapter 343: Chilled to the Bone
At that moment, the tightly shut door of the adjacent cold storage room opened. Inside the storage room, the temperature was adjusted to a chilling 18 degrees Celsius. This storage room housed the Harper family’s collection of rare and exquisite delicacies.
Summer and Merry shivered as waves of bone-piercing cold rushed out. Every icy breath they inhaled sent biting chills through their bodies.
As time passed, Summer, who was already frail due to her pregnancy, began to show signs of distress. Her lips turned an alarming shade of purple.
Merry, ignoring her own discomfort, hurriedly removed her vest and draped it over Summer. But it was futile. The thin fabric was no match for the relentless cold. They were both dressed lightly, especially Summer, who was in an elegant evening gown. Even a man clad in a thick down jacket would not last a night in this frozen chamber, let alone them.
Merry trembled violently, her teeth chattering as she stammered, “Summer, are… are you okay?”
Summer clenched her jaw, enduring the cold. “I’m fine.”
Merry looked down and suddenly noticed something alarming. She saw a damp stain appear beneath Summer’s dress. Her eyes widened in horror, and she cried out, “Summer… I think you’re… bleeding! No, please don’t scare me…”
Summer’s face was pale from the cold, but she forced a weak smile. “Don’t… worry, it’s not blood.” She had merely brushed against a wet patch on the ground. But because her gown was black, under the dim light, the dampness looked eerily like blood.
Still, the cold was becoming unbearable. A sharp pain throbbed in her abdomen, the spasms growing more intense. She dared not move too much. She knew they had to get out of there. Fast. If they stayed any longer, even if she wasn’t bleeding now, the relentless cold would endanger her unborn child.
Merry gritted her teeth, enduring the pain in her twisted ankle as she struggled to her feet. She limped towards the door, using the wall as support, and started pounding on it with all her strength. “Anyone out there? Please help us! We’re trapped in here!” She shouted over and over, but outside was just dead silence.
The storage room was far from the banquet hall, nestled in the mountainside. If no one happened to pass by, they could scream until their voices went hoarse, and still, no one would hear them.
Panic set in. Merry paced anxiously, rubbing her arms, trying to generate some warmth. But it did not work. The cold had spread out from the storage room, permeating the surrounding warehouse, making it just as frigid. If they stayed any longer, the very air would freeze. And so would they.
Desperate, Merry kept slamming her fists against the door, ignoring the pain in her hands. She shouted until her throat burned. “Somebody! Please, help us! Summer is about to pass out!”
Summer’s eyelashes were now dusted with a thin layer of frost. Her chest ached from the cold. “Merry… stop. Save your strength.”
Merry staggered back to Summer’s side, horrified by her worsening condition. She could see Summer’s lips were nearly purple due to the cold.
Tears streamed down Merry’s face, blurring her vision. Guilt and despair overwhelmed her. She slapped herself hard across the face, and her cheek instantly swelled up, turning red and raw. “It’s all my fault! I’m a walking disaster! I keep dragging you into danger!” she sobbed. “If anything happens to your baby, you should just kill me!”
Summer winced. Merry’s cries made her head throb even more. She reached out and grasped Merry’s trembling hand. Their hands were icy and stiff like frozen blocks.
Merry clung to Summer’s hand. Her voice was thick with emotion. “I’m so scared. What if no one hears us? What if we really freeze to death here?”
Summer spoke with confidence, despite her condition. “We won’t die here.”
Merry looked into Summer’s determined eyes. She could see flickers of hope. She sniffled. “How can you be so sure?”
Summer’s gaze drifted down to the sapphire bracelet around her wrist. In the darkness, the sapphire gleamed and cast a soft, ethereal, vibrant blue glow. “Because Fraser will come for me,” she said firmly. Her voice held absolute certainty although she was weak. “He will find me.”
Merry did not know why Summer was so sure, but she believed her. She silently prayed with all her heart that Fraser would come as soon as possible. Because they were reaching their limit.
Summer’s eyes, ened by the cold, fluttered shut for a moment. She whispered softly to the life growing inside her, “Hold on, baby… Let’s wait for your daddy together, okay?”
Chapter 343: Chilled to the Bone
Meanwhile, at the banquet hall…
Fraser stood among the guests, engaged in a discussion with Samuel and his brother, Cedar. They had just reached a preliminary agreement regarding the northern city development project.