"Hello, Mr. Evans!" Bowen Rhodes stepped forward briskly, greeting him in a fluent London accent. "I’m Bowen Rhodes, in charge of this reception for Titan Engine. This is my colleague Julia Lowell, and this is Wendy Lynch." He enthusiastically extended his hand, a brilliant smile on his face.
Evans reached out and shook his hand, his voice slightly hoarse. "Mr. Rhodes, ladies, thank you for going out of your way to pick me up."
Wendy’s English was decent enough that normal, everyday conversations were not an issue for her, so she naturally understood their exchange.
The two assistants behind Evans also stepped forward. After a brief round of greetings, Julia smoothly presented the bouquet in her hands. "Welcome to Ramspire, Mr. Evans. I hope you have a pleasant trip!"
The bouquet was exquisitely wrapped. The bright tulips and vibrant sunflowers, accented by clusters of baby’s breath, made for a remarkably pleasing sight. Evans politely accepted it and turned back to continue discussing the upcoming itinerary with Bowen, completely oblivious to the few strongly scented stargazer lilies hidden deep within the floral arrangement.
After a few more pleasantries, the six of them followed the crowd out of the airport lobby. Two Toyota Alphards were already waiting at the entrance. Bowen guided Evans and one of his assistants into the first car, while Julia took the other assistant and Wendy into the vehicle behind them.
The cars slowly departed from the airport, heading toward the pre-booked five-star hotel.
Sitting in the back seat, Wendy’s gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept toward the car ahead. Normally, as long as an allergic reaction was treated promptly, it wouldn’t lead to severe consequences. However, a previous email had mentioned that this very bouquet had nearly killed Evans. That alone proved the treatment must have been delayed in the original timeline. Neither his assistant nor Bowen would have intentionally held up his medical care, which meant the only thing that could have caused the delay was the traffic.
Sure enough, shortly after the vehicles merged onto the airport expressway, Bowen, who was in the front passenger seat, suddenly received a call from the assistant in the back.
The smile on his face vanished, draining of color instantly, and his fingers trembled slightly as he gripped his phone. "What did you say? Mr. Evans suddenly can’t breathe?! How could this happen!"
Hanging up, Bowen immediately ordered the driver to pull over, his voice quivering. "Hurry! Pull over into the emergency lane! Something’s wrong with Mr. Evans!"
The driver didn’t dare delay; he quickly flicked on the turn signal and carefully brought the car to a halt in the emergency lane. Almost simultaneously, the car behind them also came to a stop.
Bowen shoved his door open and rushed toward the back of the vehicle, with Wendy and Julia hurrying closely behind him. As soon as the rear passenger door was opened, an overwhelming floral scent wafted out.
Wendy immediately spotted Evans slumped in his seat. His brows were knit tightly together, and his hands clutched desperately at the fabric over his chest. His face was flushed crimson, and his breathing was as heavy and raspy as a broken bellows. Every inhalation was accompanied by a painful gasp, and his forehead was already beaded with cold sweat.
"Mr. Evans! How are you feeling?" As a professional receptionist, Bowen had dealt with his fair share of difficult clients, but this was the first time he had ever encountered one suffering a sudden medical emergency. Completely stripped of his former composure and calm, he shouted, "Hurry! Call an ambulance!"
He fumbled for his phone as he spoke.
Julia stood off to the side, her face frighteningly pale as she muttered, "How did it get this serious... He was perfectly fine at the airport just a moment ago..."
Wendy took a deep breath; she knew it was time for her to step up.
The two cars were currently parked on the airport expressway, stranded in the middle of nowhere. The nearest hospital was at least thirty kilometers away. Even if they rushed there right now, it would take at least half an hour, assuming there was no traffic.
Wendy walked up beside Bowen.
"Yes, yes, we are currently at..."
She reached out and gently patted his shoulder. "Feeney, I..."
However, before she could finish, the usually gentle and refined Bowen snapped his head around and roared, "Look at the situation! Can you stop being a useless tagalong and let me do my job?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Bowen felt a pang of regret. "Sorry, I’m just..."
This time, Wendy cut in before he could finish. "I understand. You’re just too anxious, Feeney."
Knowing how urgent the situation was, Wendy skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Feeney, I think Mr. Evans is having an allergic reaction!
"I have a cousin who frequently suffers from allergies, and his symptoms look exactly like Mr. Evans’s when he has an attack!"
Few people tasked with reception duties were slow on the uptake. Bowen immediately understood what she was getting at, a flash of pleasant surprise crossing his face. "Are you saying you know how to treat him? Hurry..."
However, no sooner had he spoken than he found himself torn by a profound internal struggle. Evans was a crucial client for the company; absolutely nothing could be allowed to happen to him. If they sent him to the hospital now and something went wrong during treatment, the hospital would be the one to take the blame. But if Wendy treated him and an accident occurred, everyone—from himself as the receptionist to the entirety of Titan Engine—would be held responsible.
In an instant, Bowen’s tone became hesitant. "This is a matter of life and death. If you aren’t absolutely certain, please don’t do anything reckless!
"Maybe we should just take him straight to the hospital..."
Emergency first aid wasn’t complicated to begin with, and after reading last night’s email, Wendy was even more confident. She spoke with absolute certainty, "Don’t worry, Feeney!
"I can definitely handle this!
"Mr. Evans’s condition can’t be delayed. These allergic symptoms will only get worse!
"Based on my cousin’s experiences, he’ll start suffocating in less than ten minutes. If it gets severe enough, it could even be fatal!"
Bowen turned his head to look at Evans, who was thrashing in agony in his seat. He gritted his teeth hard. "Then... then I’ll leave it to you!
"Please, you can’t let anything happen to him!!"
Wendy had already simulated the emergency procedures in her mind countless times over the past two days. Because of this, not only did she feel completely unpanicked in this moment, but she even felt a faint trace of excitement.
Without a shred of hesitation, Wendy immediately began issuing orders. "If my guess is right, Mr. Evans is allergic to the floral scent!
"Feeney, Assistant Lynch, the two of you need to carry Mr. Evans out of the car.
"Julia, go collect all the bottled water in the vehicles."
The three of them froze for a second before snapping out of it, swiftly moving to do as they were told.
"Assistant Lynch, place Mr. Evans’s head on your lap.
"It’s best if you can create an angle of about thirty degrees between his head and chest."
Evans was soon laid flat on the emergency lane, his head resting on the male assistant’s legs.