Chapter 381
Daron shot Zara a sidelong glance before speaking in a calm voice. “Once we get out of the car, stay close to Garret,” he said.
Zara nodded gently, a smile spreading across her face as she looked at Daron. “Thanks, Daron. I won’t let you down,” she replied.
Daron glanced away from her, not sticking around for long. Zara was caught off guard, her smile stiffening. She bit her lip. dropped her gaze, and just sat quietly next to Daron, feeling a little deflated.
The car pulled up in front of the hospital. Garret got out of another car and walked over to Daron’s, opening the back door.
Zara was the first to step out, putting on a smile when she saw Garret. “Garret, Daron told me to stay with you,” she said.
Garret shot her a look, his brows furrowing as he spoke in a low, serious voice. “Since Daron wants you with me, here’s lesson one,” he said.
Garret wasn’t usually this serious. Zara’s smile faded instantly, her eyes wide with confusion as she looked at Garret.
Garret’s expression was cold as he spoke in a low, serious voice. “There was an incident at Zamora Group today. No matter how happy you might feel inside, don’t let it show,” he said.
He continued, “Your smile will be exactly what the media uses to criticize you. In such a serious moment, smiling is just wrong.”
Zara froze, her expression awkward as she stared blankly at Garret, not knowing what to say.
After saying that, Garret turned to Daron. “The families of the first three workers brought in are already here. They can’t accept losing their loved ones yet, so they might act out,” he said.
Daron nodded gravely. No matter what, they had to face it.
Garret nodded and said in a low voice, “The reporters who couldn’t get into the construction site earlier have probably already made their way to the hospital.
“Some shady media outlets love stirring up drama between the workers‘ families and the Zamora Group, so it’s likely those families are already riled up thanks to the press.”
With so many workers still trapped back at the site, everyone was focused on the ones who hadn’t made it out yet.
The families of the workers who’d died at the hospital hadn’t had a single person from the company come to check on them. Last night, they were drowning in grief, but now that the sadness had settled, all that was left was anger, and it was boiling over
Daron showing up now was like walking straight into the line of fire Seeing Daron’s serious face. Zara felt like she should say something to comfort him.
But then she remembered what Garret had just told her. Even Garret, who was usually so chill, was acting all serious now. If she said the wrong thing, it might backfire, so she decided to just keep quiet
She followed quietly behind Daron and Garret, already thinking about how she could soothe the victims‘ families later I 1 can help Daron deal with this mess, I’ll definitely score some points with him, Zara thought
Since the accident, Marina hadn’t been around Daron at all. But Zara had been there for Daron through all of this, so from now on, he’d probably see her in a better light.
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Chapter 381
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The workers who’d been rushed to the hospital earlier were still fighting for their lives. As for the three who didn’t make it, they’d already been moved to the morgue.
As Daron and Garret headed toward the morgue, they saw a crowd of family members waiting outside. Garret stayed close to Daron, mentally preparing himself for any unexpected situations that might pop up.
But as they reached the door, none of the families acted out or caused any commotion. A flicker of surprise flashed in Garret’s eyes.
There had been another safety incident at Zamora Group before. That was back when Leo was in charge.
Leo had gone to comfort the families right away, and Garret, who was just an intern at the time, had tagged along to help out. Garret thought Leo had handled things pretty well, but the families still went off on him.
With so many family members packed in today, just seeing the crowd made it clear; there was no way this was going to ju blow over. But not a single person showed any anger toward Daron.
Even when Daron stepped into the morgue to pay his respects to the fallen workers, not one of them tried to lay a hand on him. All they could see in their eyes was pure grief, not a trace of anger. The air was thick with sobs and heartbreak.
Daron bowed his head and offered his apologies to the families for the tragedy. The families could only cry in silence, unable to say a word.
Zara was totally caught off guard; this was nothing like what she’d imagined on the way here. All those plans she’d made in her head? It turned out that none of them even mattered now.
No one tried to confront Daron or demanded answers, and not a single person brought up money or compensation. Most of the families of the deceased were gathered outside the morgue, quietly waiting.
Even as Daron was getting ready to leave, nobody confronted Zara or gave her a hard time.
Zara saw one of the grieving family members sobbing uncontrollably. She hesitated for a second, then walked over, handed them a tissue, and said softly, “I’m really sorry for what happened. None of us wanted this, and we just hope…”
Garret was caught off guard by Zara suddenly speaking up, so he stepped in beside her and picked up where she left off. “We’ll take full responsibility. We’re not going to run away from this,” he said, his voice steady.
The family member looked up at Garret, eyes brimming with tears. “We know Zamora Group is a company with real integrity,” they said, their voice shaky.
‘Mrs. Zamora already came by earlier to comfort us and make sure we were okay. I trust Zamora Group won’t try to dodge responsibility. I believe they’ll make things right for us,” the family member added.
Garret’s eyes flickered with confusion when he heard the name, but he quickly pushed it down. Zara, on the other hand, was stunned for a few seconds.
‘Mrs. Zamora? Is it my mom? But she never said she was coming to the hospital, Zata thought, totally thrown off.
Actually, that worked out for the best. If Hayley had already handled everything, it meant Daron wouldn’t have to stress about it anymore. That way, she and Hayley would look even better in Daron’s eyes.
Zara fell silent, quietly staying by Daron’s side. Since there were still some injured workers in critical condition, a few of their families had already shown up at the hospital. That meant Daron needed to make his way over to the ER as well
Garret had someone stay back to keep the victims‘ families calm, then headed off with Daron toward the energency room.
On the way, Garret didn’t sugarcoat it when he spoke to Zara. “Zara, I get that you want to prove yourself, but right now isn’t
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Chapter 381
the time for anyone to try and show off,” he said.
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‘Say too much or too little, and you could easily set off the families; one wrong word and their emotions could explode,” he added.
Things had finally settled down, and Zamora Group’s staff were already on site, doing their best to calm the families.
Daron was about to head out when Zara decided to say something. If the families picked up even the slightest hint that Zamora Group was trying to dodge responsibility, the mood would’ve gone south real fast.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
