Chapter 484
[ 506 words ]
Chapter 484:
Inside the vehicle, Jarrod watched her shrinking figure in the rearview mirror. The moment she was out of sight, the softness on his face vanished, replaced by the cold, hard mask of the commander.
He turned to the man at the wheel. “Bell. Get me the president of Washington General on the line.”
K.C. Bell, though momentarily surprised, didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir.”
“You are to handle the resignation process for Nurse Caroline Romero,” Jarrod continued, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. “Do not submit anything without her signature. Prepare the documents, identify the penalties, and make sure every administrative path is clean. Any financial penalties are to be paid from my personal account if she chooses to proceed. Immediately.”
He was clearing the path. He was removing every obstacle that stood between her and the future he had designed for them.
K.C. Bell kept his eyes on the rutted track ahead, his hands steady on the wheel. After a long moment, he gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Understood, sir,” he said, his voice imbued with a new level of weight. “It will be handled.” He said nothing more, but the set of his jaw and the careful precision of his driving spoke of a man who had just grasped the full gravity of an order.
𝗠os𝘵 r𝗲а𝘥 𝗍his 𝗐𝖾e𝘬 𝗈𝗇 𝘨𝘢𝗅𝗇𝘰𝘃𝘦𝗅𝘀.𝘤𝗼𝗆
Miles away, on a rumbling transport truck heading back to the temporary civilian shelters, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken emotions. Caroline sat beside Brenna, the tingling sensation on her lips a phantom reminder of the farewell kiss, a faint blush still warming her cheeks.
Across from them, Ashley Wright sat with her arms crossed, her face a thunderous mask of fury. She looked like a queen who had just been publicly usurped.
Brenna nudged Caroline with her elbow, her eyes dancing with mischief. “I saw that, you know,” she whispered. “That was a very memorable goodbye.”
Caroline shot her a weak glare. “Don’t.”
Brenna’s grin widened. “The Colonel is definitely a man of action. I think Ms. Wright over there might actually explode.”
Caroline’s gaze drifted across the truck. Her eyes met Ashley’s, and she saw a look of pure, venomous hatred. Caroline held it for a second before looking away, a profound sense of indifference washing over her. The woman was irrelevant.
In the corner of the truck, Dr. Julian Croft stared down at his own hands, his shoulders slumped. He was a portrait of quiet devastation. The image of that kiss was burned into his mind, a relentless, repeating loop of his own foolishness. It was over. It had never even begun.
The truck jolted to a stop outside the main shelter. The medical staff began to file out, weary and dust-covered. A sleek, black sedan was parked at the curb, looking ridiculously out of place amidst the disaster relief vehicles.
“That’s my ride,” Brenna said, waving a hand at Caroline. “Talk soon!”
Ashley, climbing down from the truck, saw the car and let out a snide, jealous laugh. “Well, well. Must be nice to be an O’Malley. Special treatment even in the middle of nowhere.”
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