Chapter 134

Dylan Orlando's pupils constricted sharply when he saw Evelyn Roland covered in blood. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, hissing through gritted teeth, "Those animals!"

Outside the mine, several shadowy figures were furtively cleaning up the scene. Spotting Evelyn's escape, they immediately closed in.

"Boss, is it them?" Dylan's eyes burned with fury.

Behind him, a dozen well-trained bodyguards assumed offensive stances.

"Leave them." Evelyn pressed a hand on Dylan's shoulder.

The black-clad men retreated hastily at the shift in dynamics.

"The storm will trigger another collapse." Evelyn wiped rainwater from her face. "Find the signal jammer first. Contact rescue teams."

She directed the group to the trapped miners' location, digging a small opening to drop a walkie-talkie and glucose packets inside.

"Stay on comms. Conserve energy," she shouted into the hole.

Dylan's men began excavating an escape tunnel.

Evelyn turned and sprinted back to her original exit point, leaping into the collapsed mine shaft without hesitation.

Sebastian Valdemar curled in the darkness, his body burning with fever. Though the toxin's effects were temporarily suppressed, infection from his high temperature was eroding his consciousness.

"Cold..." he murmured deliriously, clutching Evelyn like a lifeline.

In his haze, he relived the sunless dungeon—the whippings, starvation, endless dark. Doctors had said he wouldn't survive past twenty.

"Don't be afraid." Evelyn wrapped her coat around him.

Sebastian stilled abruptly, like a child who'd found sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Isabella Langley received a call from the shadows.

"She's alive?" Her coffee cup shattered on the floor, brown liquid splattering everywhere.

Forcing composure, she ordered, "Eliminate the foreman. Find a scapegoat. I'm coming now."

News of the mining disaster had spread. Isabella knew distancing herself from the incident before her parents was now critical.

Changing into work clothes, she rushed to the Colorado Mines. Under public scrutiny, she plunged into the collapsed shaft without hesitation...

Sirens from rescue teams wailed across the mining site.

At the Roland estate, phones rang incessantly.

"Both daughters are unreachable?" Sophia Roland paled as she hung up.

Breaking news footage showed rescue workers carrying stretchers from the ruined mine...