Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha hugged the child tightly in her arms and was stunned for a few seconds before raising her head to look at the madman who had collapsed in front of her.

The bullet struck accurately in the center of the forehead. A bloody hole had appeared and he died in one shot.

The demented and hideous look was still present in his eyes. He seemed to be staring at her defiantly and his entire face looked dreadfully shocking.

That was the first time Samantha saw a living person die before her very eyes and her heart began thumping wildly against her chest. She closed her eyes immediately and instinctively covered the child’s eyes to prevent him from looking at the body.

At the same time however, she was also fortunate to have cheated death. Had it not been for the sniper’s decisive and accurate second shot, she and the child would be the ones lying dead on the ground at that moment…

Samantha felt a stickiness on her fingers and looked down to see the wound on the child’s neck had deepened. Bright red blood was flowing continuously from the wound and she did not know whether the child stopped crying because of fear or pain.

Samantha quickly took off her coat and wrapped it around the child’s neck. She then tied a knot using the sleeves and comforted him softly, “Don’t be afraid. You’re fine now.”

The locked door was finally kicked open by the police and they all swarmed in.

One of the police officers stepped forward to confirm the madman’s death while another walked up to Samantha and asked, “Are you alright?”

Samantha replied, “I’m fine, but the child is injured. He needs to go to a hospital as soon as possible.”

As soon as she said that, a couple rushed out and hugged the child tearfully. “Are you okay, Billy? Mommy and Daddy were so scared! Ah! You’re bleeding? Come on, let’s go to the hospital!”

The child’s father picked up the child and sprinted out.

The mother was too focused on her child’s injury and hurriedly thanked Samantha without looking at her. She then rushed out behind her husband.

After the police ascertained that they were fine, they went to deal with other things on the scene. Even though Samantha had experienced a surge of strength during the moment of crisis, that energy seemed to have disappeared as soon as the crisis was averted and her body collapsed softly.

Just as she was about to fall to the ground, an arm stretched over and supported her in the nick of time.

“Are you alright, Sammy?” came a gentle voice.

Samantha looked up and saw Harmony’s worried expression. She answered weakly, “Thank you, I’m just feeling…a little weak right now.”

“It’s too chaotic here. I’ll help you out and find you a place to rest.”

As Harmony said that, she supported Samantha with all her strength as they walked out of the studio and toward an empty lounge.

Harmony helped Samantha in and set her down on the sofa but noticed that her face was still pale. “Just lean back and rest for a moment, alright. I’ll get you a cup of hot water.”

“Thanks.”

Harmony turned and left the lounge.

Samantha leaned on the sofa to relax and felt her strength recovering slowly, but the pain on her waist was starting to become even more noticeable.

The madman had exerted so much force with the kick that she did know if it had struck the bone. It was so painful that there was cold sweat on her forehead.

It seemed that she had overestimated herself and ought to visit a doctor.

Samantha touched her pocket in search of her cell phone, but soon remembered that she had dropped it somewhere in the studio when she was fighting the madman.

She tried to stand up on her own, but the slight movement was enough to make her feel as though her waist was being pierced by needles. She decided to drop the idea of getting up so the pain would stop.

When Harmony came back, Samantha would just borrow her cell phone to make the call.

Footsteps were heard outside the door about five minutes later and the door was then pushed open. Samantha thought that Harmony had returned, but she looked up to see Timothy walking right in.

Her pupils widened slightly and she wondered if the pain was making her hallucinate.

The man walked up to her in a couple of steps and squatted down on one knee while stroking her face with his big palm. His voice was trembling slightly as he asked, “Are you alright?”

Timothy was the only one with such a delightful voice.

Samantha snapped back to her senses and looked at the man in front of her. He probably rushed all the way to her because he was still panting. The panic and anxiety in his eyes were just completely undisguised.

He probably came over as soon as he knew that she was in danger.

Samantha tried her best to put on a smile because she did not want him to be worried. “I am.”

Unfortunately, her answer was less than convincing due to the frown that was caused by the pain. Timothy’s voice became a little more solemn, “Where are you hurt? Tell me or I’ll check you myself.”

Samantha knew she could not hide it from him and therefore told him the truth. “My waist. I was kicked just now.”

“You…” Timothy closed his eyes and suppressed the anger that erupted from his concern. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes again, then said, “Let’s go to the hospital.”

“Okay.”

He carefully helped Samantha to sit up before turning his back to her and putting her arms over his shoulder. Then, he lifted her up gently and walked out.

…

Harmony walked back with a cup of warm water and saw that the door of the lounge was opened. She stopped for a moment when she looked up and saw Timothy coming out while carrying Samantha on his back.

He came over so quickly…

Based on the distance between the Barker Group and Lychee TV’s company building, he must have rushed over as soon as news broke out.

The incident happened so suddenly that it was impossible for any news report to have named the reporter or anchor who was dealing with the madman. In that case, he would have rushed over at first instance—despite having no idea who was involved—just because Samantha was at Lychee TV and might be in danger.

There was a flash of emotion in Harmony’s eyes as she continued walking straight toward Timothy and Samantha.

However, Timothy did not look at her and walked straight ahead even though they had brushed shoulders. She was unsure if it was because Timothy did not notice her, or because his thoughts were entirely on Samantha.

Harmony froze on the spot for a few seconds before turning around. She watched as Timothy carried Samantha on his back and walked away. Once they disappeared from sight, her grip on the cup tightened slowly.

Not long later, her lips curled up again as if nothing had happened.

…

At the hospital, Timothy insisted that the doctor perform a full-body examination on Samantha even though she said that only her waist was hurting.

After the examination, the doctor confirmed that she had only injured her waist, but it was a bone injury instead of a minor one.

When the doctor told his findings to Timothy, Samantha watched as the expression on the man’s handsome face sank rapidly..