Imogen was teetering on the brink of life and death, her breath faint and fleeting. She lacked the strength even to open her mouth to take the medicine. Felicia clenched her jaw and, without hesitation, dislocated Imogen's lower jaw with a swift motion. She force-fed her the pills, ensuring they dissolved and were swallowed before carefully resetting Imogen's jaw.

At that moment, no one questioned Felicia's actions. Every effort was focused on saving Imogen's life. Despite this, Felicia felt Stephan's piercing gaze fixed on her. His intense stare felt like arrows aimed directly at her. He should hate her, she thought, to his very core.

The thought left a bitter taste in Felicia's mouth, but her hands never stopped moving. After administering the life-saving medicine, she grabbed another bottle from her pocket and poured the powdered medicine onto Imogen's wound. The blade that had pierced Imogen's chest remained lodged near her heart, but the powerful hemostatic properties of the powder almost immediately stopped the gushing blood.

The helicopter was prepped and ready for immediate takeoff. Two of Stephan's men hurried over with a makeshift stretcher. Stephan carefully lifted Imogen onto it, treating her with utmost care. As they prepared to move her to the helicopter, Stephan straightened up and turned to one of his men, "Where's the gun?"

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. The men understood. One immediately presented a pistol to Stephan with both hands. Stephan flipped off the safety and placed his finger on the trigger. His target: Maurice, pinned to the ground by two other men.

Felicia's heart clenched. Without thinking, she surged forward and grabbed Stephan's arm just as he was about to pull the trigger. The sudden interference caused the shot to veer off course, the bullet ricocheting against a nearby rock with a deafening crack. But the gunshot was nearly as terrifying as Stephan's expression.

"You're stopping me again?" Stephan asked, his voice dangerously low. His lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and his entire body radiated barely restrained fury. He was on the edge of losing control. His sister lay gravely injured before him, the assailant within arm's reach. Stephan considered a swift death merciful enough for Maurice. Yet Felicia was protecting the man responsible.

Felicia met Stephan's icy gaze. The disappointment and distrust in his eyes felt like daggers. It hurt more than she expected. "I'm not trying to stop you," she said, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean for Imogen to get hurt. I didn't want this to happen. But Maurice isn't to blame. He wouldn't have attacked her without reason. It's because—"

"Oh, you know him that well, huh?" Stephan cut her off coldly.

His gaze darted between Felicia's slightly reddened eyes and Maurice, who, despite the blood and pressure, was laughing, his expression twisted and deranged. Something inside Stephan snapped. He let out a bitter laugh. "So, this is how it is... I see it now."

Time was slipping away. Imogen needed immediate surgery. There was no room for delay. Stephan slowly pried Felicia's hand off his arm, one finger at a time. When he turned to leave, his parting words were laced with venom, "Next time, I will kill him." This time, he refrained from pulling the trigger because Felicia had shielded Maurice, but he wouldn't hold back next time. He let it go not because of mercy, but because he didn't know how far Felicia might go to stop him. He didn't want her hurt.