Chapter 1480:


    Momentster, the door opened. A doctor and two nurses entered, moving with brisk efficiency. They checked his pupils, reflexes, and vital signs.


    The doctor’s eyes lit up. “A miracle. Truly a miracle — the patient has regained consciousness and his functions are stabilizing. Contact the family immediately!”


    At that moment, the soft murmur of the hallway television filtered through the half-open door.


    “Good morning. We interrupt with an urgent news update…”


    The screen showed the charred ruins of Harmony za’s banquet center. Smoke twisted into the sky, rubble smoldered, and the sense of devastation was immediate and suffocating. Scrolling captions confirmed the chaos.


    The fire at the banquet center has been brought under control. Several people remain missing; rescue operations continue.


    Richard’s gaze sharpened. Then his body froze.


    The television shed the list of missing persons. A name stabbed into his vision, searing his heart like fire.


    Maia Watson.


    Time seemed to stop. His breath caught. The room fell silent, as if the world itself held its breath.


    “Maia… Maia…” His lips trembled, his voice quivering and nearly breaking. “My… Maia…”


    Tears slipped down his cheeks and ran into his graying hair, unbidden and unstoppable.


    The footage switched to a solemn on-site reporter. “Search and rescue efforts continue. Due to the intensity of the fire and multiple explosions, survival chances remain uncertain…” The camera lingered on survivors — soot-streaked and shaken, voices raw with fear and grief — as they recounted the horrors in broken fragments.


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    Richard let out a strangled howl, a sound thick with anguish. His pupils dted with sheer, undiluted horror.


    Regret surged through him, crushing and absolute. This should never have been Maia. It should have been Rosanna — the malicious force that had tormented the Morgans for so long. He could not fathom why fate had chosen Maia. Why she, of all people, had been caught in such peril.


    The shock, stress, and grief battered his already fragile body without mercy, and beneath the weight of despair, his health began to crumble.


    The once-steady readings on the bedside monitor spiraled into chaos, warning lights shing like frantic signals. The piercing rm cut through the ward, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine.


    Richard’s blood pressure shot up, his pulse surging past 160.


    “Oh no — he’s in a hypertensive crisis! Ventricr tachycardia!”


    The doctor’s face drained of color as he watched the numbers leap uncontrobly, cold sweat forming on his brow. Moments ago, Richard had seemed stable — even awakening from a vegetative state. Now, the signs pointed straight toward acute heart failure. One wrong second could mean sudden death.


    “Quick! Prepare intravenous lidocaine — get the defibritor ready!” the doctor barked, his voice taut with urgency. “Call the department head immediately. Something is seriously wrong. Hurry!”


    Meanwhile, within the secluded garden of Wront Prison, a world apart reigned.


    Beyond the high walls and electrified fences, the city was still reeling from the aftereffects of the previous night’s chaos. Here, however, the air was still, carrying only the rich, serene aroma of freshly brewed coffee.


    Zoey set her white porcin cup down on the stone table with a soft click. Her gaze drifted to the old-fashioned radio beside it, which was crackling with updates about the Harmony za fire.


    “Siena, would you turn that off? The noise is grating.”


    Siena reached over at once and pressed the power button. A low buzz marked the silence, leaving only the sound of wind stirring through the leaves.


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    Message from Noa: Sometimes time flies by, dear ones! Have an excellent Tuesday. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (??????)


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