Lady Warrior's Warth on Divorce Day novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

If Zoya actually managed to rescue them, she’d be the one grabbing all the attention, and Jasmine would end up getting totally overshadowed.

Jasmine’s eyes snapped to another helicopter. “I’m coming too!”

“Wait, you’re going too?” Daphne exclaimed, shocked.

“Even though Zoya can fly a helicopter, she’s not as reliable as a professional pilot like me. And with the wind conditions out there being so unpredictable, I’m worried she might not only fail to save anyone but also put herself in danger. So I’ll go too, just to be safe,” Jasmine said.

She had to rescue those people before Zoya did!

“Fine, you go too!” Daphne deliberately raised her voice, her words sharp as ever. “Zoya has been discharged from the military for years now. Who knows how rusty her flying skills have gotten?”

That last part was meant especially for Wren.

Laurence nodded. “Alright, Jasmine, you go as well.”

Then he assigned another rescue crew member to board the helicopter with Jasmine.

“Nicolas, come with me,” Jasmine said.

“Me?” Nicolas looked thrown, hesitation flashing in his eyes. “But my hand’s injured. I don’t think I can do

much.”

“I don’t need you to do anything,” Jasmine assured him. “Just having you by my side gives me the courage to save everyone.”

She wanted Nicolas to see with his own eyes how much more capable she was than Zoya.

“Mr. Mayer, you should go with Jasmine,” Daphne urged, her tone full of urgency.

Of course, she also wanted Jasmine to outshine Zoya by rescuing the people first.

Nicolas wanted to say that even Wren wasn’t going, so why should he?

But with both women pushing him, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He just gritted his teeth and boarded the helicopter.

Laurence thought it was safer to have more people participating in the rescue, so he didn’t stop them.

Jasmine piloted the helicopter, with Nicolas and the rescue worker on board, heading toward the island.

Daphne turned to Wren. “Wren, let’s go back downstairs. Jasmine will bring the rescued people back soon.”

Then, he would see for himself that Zoya was nothing but an attention–seeking fraud.

But Wren didn’t move. He remained standing where he was, his eyes fixed in the direction where Zoya’s helicopter had disappeared as if he could still see her through the clouds.

‘I honestly can’t see what makes Zoya so special. Why is Wren so wrapped up in her?‘ Daphne couldn’t help but seethe with envy.

“Wren, quit staring!” Daphine stepped over and reached out to take his hand, but she suddenly froze, shock spreading across her face as she stared down at the man’s right hand in hers.

Wren’s hands had always looked beautiful. Yet to Daphne, they were the stuff of her nightmares.

Because that very hand had nearly gouged out her eye. Back then, she had thought his fingers were like blades, sharp, merciless, unstoppable.

It felt as if nothing on earth could ever make those hands falter.

Even years later, Daphne still had to see therapists, just to finally shake off her terror of his hands.

But at that moment, his hand was subtly quivering.

Wren withdrew his hand almost instantly.

“Wren, what’s going on? Are you not feeling well? Your hands are shaking,” Daphne blurted out.

Wren pressed his lips tight, lowering his gaze gently to his own hand, which trembled ever so slightly.

“Yeah, my hand’s shaking,” he murmured.

Because he was afraid. Afraid she might get hurt while saving others. Afraid that he couldn’t be there with her.

That fear spread through his chest, heavy and suffocating.

“So this is what it feels like… to really love someone,” he whispered, almost to himself.

Laurence, who’d overheard the confession, was taken aback. He had always sensed that Wren’s feelings for Zoya were unusual. But hearing him admit it aloud was another matter entirely.

‘But Daphne?‘ Laurence couldn’t help but worry.

He glanced at his niece and saw her biting her lip, eyes filled with burning hatred.

Laurence sighed and pulled her aside. “Some things aren’t meant to be forced. What you can’t have, no matter how hard you try, will never be yours.”

Daphne said nothing, but the hatred in her eyes only deepened.

She had lost an eye for him. Why was it that even after her sacrifice, she still couldn’t have what she wanted?

‘And Zoya gets everything handed to her, without sacrificing a damn thing, and Wren falls right into her lap? How is that fair?‘ Daphne’s envy burned even hotter.

She would never allow that.

*****

Two helicopters flew toward the island, one behind the other.

The closer they got, the stronger the winds howled, swirling in unpredictable patterns. It took nothing more than a split–second mistake for disaster to strike.

Jasmine gripped the helicopter controls tightly, feeling a cold sweat clinging to her palms.

She had a decent amount of flying experience, though she was only ever a co–pilot, not the main pilot who made critical decisions.

Still, she had always believed that if she were in command, she could make those decisions just as easily. She had never thought the captain’s flying skills were better than hers.

But now, facing the brutal weather alone in the cockpit, Jasmine hesitated. Her confidence wavered. She didn’t dare go any farther.

One wrong move in these wind currents, and they could all crash into the ocean.

She had only wanted to steal Zoya’s thunder, not risk her life.

“Ms. Ingram, why aren’t we moving forward?” the rescue worker asked nervously.

Jasmine’s face stiffened. “It’s too dangerous right now. The wind’s too strong. It’s almost impossible to fly through safely.”

‘Is it really that bad?‘ the crew member wondered, glancing at the helicopter ahead. It was slicing steadily toward the stranded location.

“But that helicopter ahead of us…” the crew member trailed off.

“That helicopter’s theirs, this one’s mine. Maybe they’re just getting lucky up front and haven’t hit the rough patch yet,” Jasmine retorted defensively. She shot the crew member an irritated look. “Are you doubting my judgment right now?”

The rescue crew member didn’t utter another word.

Nicolas tried to comfort her, “Jasmine, don’t worry. I believe in you. You’ll get us there safely.”

Jasmine bit her lip uneasily, trying to mask the nerves gnawing at her. Deep down, though, her confidence in her own flying was wavering hard.

‘Can I fly through this storm unscathed? What if… the helicopter goes down?‘ Jasmine wondered.

Her hands tightened around the controls. She felt like her fingertips went numb.

Out of nowhere, Jasmine jerked the helicopter’s nose hard, abruptly banking off in another direction.

The sudden turn startled both Nicolas and the rescue worker.

“Ms. Ingram, you’re flying the wrong way!”

“Jasmine, where are you going?” Nicolas asked.

Jasmine said coldly, “Since Zoya already went ahead, let her rescue those people. It was her mission to begin with. There’s no need for us to risk our lives too.”

Nicolas stared at her, shocked. He couldn’t believe those words came from her mouth.

This was supposed to be the woman who had once jumped into a river to save him. The woman who had charged into a border fire to save strangers without hesitation.

In his mind, a woman like her would always charge into danger to help others, never cut and run like someone afraid to face the heat.

Suddenly, Nicolas couldn’t shake the feeling that something just didn’t add up.

“You were willing to risk everything for me back then, and you didn’t think twice before taking on that fire at the border. So why won’t you take the risk now?” he asked.

Chapter 122

VOUCHE

Chapter 122