Chapter 76
Chapter 76
“Mr. Blair, are you saying we should do as she said?” The office director looked utterly shocked.
Worried that Byron hadn’t fully understood what Sylvia had just said, he quickly added, “Mr. Blair, this young lady just asked us to evacuate all the visitors. That’s no small matter.”
Byron already knew Sylvia’s plan. In fact, Byron still couldn’t understand the basis of Sylvia’s judgment. If this turned out to be a false alarm, the Blair Group would become a laughingstock.
“Do as she says,” Byron ordered, his face expressionless.
He thought to himself, ‘So she can’t say I never trusted her. Even without any evidence, I’m still choosing to believe her now. Happy now, Sylvia?”
To Sylvia’s surprise, Byron not only followed her but also gave her full support. With his order in place, things really did go much more smoothly.
The office director made phone calls, arranging for staff to guide visitors in an orderly evacuation.
Sylvia quickly added, “The animals here also need to be evacuated temporarily.”
Byron’s face instantly darkened. ‘Enough already. There’s got to be a limit to this nonsense,‘ he wondered.
The office director froze. Evacuating visitors was challenging enough, and relocating the animals would be a massive undertaking. He shot Byron a helpless look.
Sylvia stared at Byron and urged, “Come on, Byron, just give the nod already. Quit stalling.”
‘What an attitude. Have I been too nice to her, letting her keep pushing her luck?‘ he wondered.
Byron gritted his teeth, barely containing his fury, and barked at the office director, “What are you standing around for? Just do what she said.”
The office director didn’t dare to delay. He immediately redialed, all the while stealing glances at Sylvia, his mind racing with questions. ‘What on earth is her relationship with Mr. Blair? Since when does Mr. Blair follow her every word?‘ he thought.
Sylvia nodded at Byron. “Well, Byron, you didn’t let me down this time.”
But the moment the words left her lips, Sylvia regretted it. ‘With a guy as full of himself as Byron, even the slightest bit of friendliness and he’ll start overthinking things,‘ she thought.
Sure enough, a smug smile crept onto Byron’s face, his gloomy mood vanishing instantly. “Sylvia, I swear I’ll never let you down again. Just come back to me.”
“Keep dreaming, Byron.” Sylvia shot him an icy glare, then turned on her heel and strode out of the office.
Zack and Ruby were waiting by the door, their big eyes wide with anticipation.
Sylvia grabbed both children’s hands and hurried toward the zoo gates. There was real danger here. She needed to get the kids to safety immediately.
“Attention all visitors. Due to urgent maintenance, for your safety, please follow staff instructions for an orderly evacuation.” The announcement played on a loop throughout the premises.
Though confused, the visitors began filing out of the zoo under the staff’s guidance.
Under the guidance of the zookeepers, the zoo animals were loaded onto trucks one after another and quickly driven away from the zoo.
In the blink of an eye, the once bustling zoo was completely deserted. Even the staff had evacuated. Some visitors lingered at the zoo entrance, exchanging bewildered glances as they tried to make sense of the situation.
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Byron frowned deeply at Sylvia beside him. “Sylvia, I did exactly as you asked. They have gotten everyone out. But nothing seems to be hagrats
Byron couldn’t help but feel this was turning into a ridiculous farce. All because of something Sylvia said, they’d gone to all this trouble cleaning de entire zoo, and even emergency services were already on their way.
Sylvia said firmly, “There’s definitely a gas leak inside. Wait until the emergency crew arrives. They’ll check, and you’ll see I’m right?
She had no regrets about her decision. Even if people misunderstood her in the end, her conscience was clear.
As they spoke, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd. The pungent odor of natural gas billowed out from the zoo, growing stronger by the second until it engulfed the entire area.
There was a massive leak in the natural gas pipelines inside the zoo. With a deafening blast, the leaking natural gas ignited, sending flares shooting high into the sky.
Outside the zoo, faces paled as people scattered in panic, relief washing over them for having escaped just in time. A moment later, and the consequences would have been disastrous.
Byron stared at Sylvia in utter disbelief, a storm of emotions flashing through his eyes. ‘Thankfully, I have listened to Sylvia’s advice and alerted emergency services well in advance,‘ he wondered..
At that moment, fire trucks came roaring in, and the firefighters swiftly brought the raging flames and leaking gas under control.
The zoo was an asset of the Blair Group. Byron wasted no time. He immediately sprang into action, making urgent calls to coordinate the response. “Immediately contact the media and arrange a press conference regarding the natural gas leak at the zoo.
“In addition to holding the gas supplier accountable, arrange thorough medical checkups for all visitors and provide support to reassure them.”
“Mommy, you’re amazing. Thank goodness you spotted the danger, and everyone got out safe because of you.” Zack gazed up at her with starry–eyed
admiration.
3
Ruby stood nearby, her cheeks flushed with pride for her mother. When she saw staff members coming over to thank Sylvia, she blushed even deeper, eager to show everyone she was Sylvia’s daughter.
She called out loudly, “Mommy, come and give me a hug right now.”
Sylvia scooped up Ruby in one arm and took Zack’s hand with the other. “Let’s go home.”
After hanging up, Byron noticed Sylvia was about to take Zack away, too. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path, and said coldly, “It’s a school day tomorrow. Zack can’t go with you.”
Sylvia clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Byron, I just did you a huge favor. I’m not asking for anything else. As repayment, just let Zack stay with me tonight, okay?”
Byron’s face darkened with displeasure. The only reason Byron let Zack stay with Sylvia last night was to have him eavesdrop on her, not because he genuinely wanted Zack back by her side.
‘Zack is my son. There’s no way I’m letting Sylvia snatch him away from me,‘ Byron thought fiercely.
Gritting his teeth, he hissed through a clenched jaw, “I’m saying this one last time, absolutely not.”
Before Sylvia and Byron could start arguing, Zack hesitantly raised his head and spoke up with newfound courage. “Dad, I want to stay with Mom tonight.”
Byron’s face darkened with fury. He never expected Zack to be so close to Sylvia now. Annoyed, Byron tugged at his tie.
‘After all I’ve done for him, the little traitor.‘ Byron fumed inwardly. ‘Doesn’t he fear getting in trouble when he gets home?‘
Zack flinched under Byron’s withering glare, his hand trembling for a moment before clinging tightly to Sylvia’s, making it clear he had no intention of
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listening to his father.
