Chapter 7 A Gun Shot

Chaos erupted instantly. Guests screamed and ran to flee in all directions.

The first thing Archie did was to shield Cassie firmly behind him.

Jonathan's target was clearly Archie. He aimed his gun squarely at Archie's heart.

But no one noticed that Vivian had moved.

As Jonathan pulled the trigger, Vivian, driven by her instinct, lunged forward to shield both Archie and Cassie.

A gunshot rang out.

Warm blood gushed from the wound in her chest, staining her white uniform crimson.

A searing pain shot through her, and, with her body growing limp, she collapsed.

As she fell, she saw the shocked expression on Archie's face and a mix of emotions that flickered in his eyes.

But that flicker of emotion on his face quickly disappeared because of Cassie's sobs.

Amid the chaos, a stray bullet shattered a nearby champagne tower. Shards of glass flew in all directions, and one of them grazed Cassie's arm. She let out a sharp cry.

The moment he saw the blood on Cassie's arm, his face paled. He turned and pulled her tightly into his arms, then urgently said, "Are you okay, Cassie?! Don't be scared!"

Archie's bodyguards quickly regained control of the scene.

Holding Cassie in his arms, he strode past Vivian, who lay in a pool of blood, and shouted at his assistant, "Get a car here! To the hospital! Now!"

He never looked at Vivian again the entire time.

As if she were nothing but a stranger, thin air, or a speck of dust.

Lying in the cold pool of her own blood, Vivian watched his resolute and ruthless retreating figure and suddenly laughed.

So bitterly that tears streamed down her face.

Even if she died for him, he wouldn't even spare her a single glance.

She loved him so pathetically and laughably.

Her consciousness was fading. Just before she slipped into darkness, she seemed to hear some distant shouts. "Hurry! Someone's been shot! Call an ambulance!"

"She's bleeding a lot..."

...

In the hospital, Archie waited anxiously outside the emergency room where Cassie was being treated.

The doctor soon came out. "Miss Fuller only sustained superficial wounds, but the blood loss has left her quite weak. She has Rh-negative blood, and the blood bank is currently low on supply of this type of blood. A transfusion is necessary for her to recover quickly."

"Take mine," Archie said immediately. "I have the same blood type."

"You've consumed alcohol today, Mr. Palmer, so you can't donate," the doctor said with a troubled expression. "Besides, she needs at least 400cc."

Just then, Archie's assistant rushed over with an ashen face. "Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Palmer... I mean, Vivian has been brought to this hospital, too! She was shot. And she is in emergency surgery right now!"

Archie's previously dim eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed the doctor's arm, his tone commanding, leaving no room for argument. "Then take her blood, now! Take 400cc... No, 800cc! Make sure Cassie comes to no harm!"

The doctor was stunned. "But Mr. Palmer! That patient was shot in the chest, and she is fighting for her life. Drawing that much blood from her would kill her!"

"I said, take hers!" Archie's eyes were fierce, like a beast in wrath.

Outside the emergency room, the red status light that had been glowing all night finally went out.

The doctor removed their mask and said wearily to their colleague waiting at the door. "The bullet was out. It was just one millimeter from her heart. We managed to save her life."

The doctor's colleague asked, "What about the patient? I heard they forcibly drew blood from her..."

"She is temporarily out of danger, but..." The doctor sighed, their expression grave. "The patient was four weeks pregnant. But, because of the gunshot wound and the massive hemorrhage from the forced blood draw... we couldn't save the baby. And because of the severe blood loss and the bullet's impact, her uterus was badly damaged... It will be very difficult for her to have another baby in the future."