Ste froze for a moment before she realized what Joshua was asking.


    In a quiet voice, she replied, "I''ll answer that once you''re out of surgery."


    Joshua nodded. "Alright."


    He closed his eyes.


    Half an hourter, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.


    Ste thought it must be Abby.


    She looked up, expecting to see her friend-only to find a tall, broad-shouldered figure striding toward her.


    "Neville Connolly?" Ste was surprised. "What are you doing here?"


    She''d left her phone in the car, only managing to call Abby-she hadn''t even told Neville what happened.


    But Neville had arrived before Abby.


    Did Abby call him?


    Neville''s handsome face was unusually serious. "Star, are you alright?"


    Ste shook her head. "I''m fine, just a few scrapes."


    But Neville''s gaze fell on her bandaged fingers, his expression tightening.


    "Star, you hurt your hand. It needs to be disinfected-now."


    Only then did Ste remember how fiercely she''d clung to Joshua, how ss shards had cut her fingers as she pulled him from the wreck.


    She hesitated.


    Neville''s eyes narrowed; he could guess what she was thinking.


    He said gently, "Star, I''m here. Go take care of yourself—I''ll handle things with Joshua."


    Ste considered for a moment, then nodded.


    She trusted Neville.


    While her hand was being cleaned and bandaged, Abby and Antoney arrived.


    Abby stayed by Ste''s side, helping with her wound care, while Antoney waited outside the operating room with Neville, taking charge of everything rted to Joshua''s surgery.


    When Abby appeared, Ste looked up anxiously. "How''s Joshua? Is he going to make it?"


    Abby had juste down from the surgical ward.


    She shook her head. "He''s not in any immediate danger, but he lost a lot of blood. His internal organs are bruised from the impact—it''l take timè for him to recover."


    Ste exhaled, relief washing over her. "As long as he''s going to be okay."


    Abby nced at Ste''s wrapped hand. "What about you? Is your hand alright?”


    Ste answered, "The doctor checked-it''s just some cuts from the ss. I''ll be fine after I rest a bit. It won''t affect the tournament."


    Abby shot her a look of exasperation. "You''re still thinking about the tournament at


    a time like this? Your safetyes first, not somepetition."


    By the time Ste''s wounds were fully treated, over an hour had passed.


    Joshua was still in surgery.


    Seeing that Ste was truly alright, Abby finally let out a sigh of relief.


    She asked, "Star, what happened? How did you end up in a car ident?"


    Before Ste could speak, Neville answered for her. "It was Karl''s people. The team I assigned to protect Star was lured away by Karl''s car."


    He looked at Ste, guilt flickering in his eyes.


    "Star, I''m sorry. I should have protected you better."


    Ste shook her head. "If Karl managed to lure your people away, he must have known there were guards in the shadows. He would have prepared for everything.


    Even if you''d sent more people, they would have found a way to break through." Having protection didn''t mean she was invincible.


    Even presidents surrounded by bodyguards could be assassinated.


    If they hadn''t prepared thoroughly, why would they have dared to make a move?


    Abby was incredulous. "Karl? Just because of what happenedst time, he wants to kill you on the street? That''s insane-ruthless!"


    Ste said quietly, “If Joshua hadn''t reacted so quickly today, we might not have made it out alive."


    There were more than two cars tailing them. Joshua crashing those vehicles was the only reason they survived.