Chapter 4 Success Only, Failure Is Not an Option

Everyone immediately followed the sound and looked over. At the other end of the banquet hall, a little boy about six or seven years old was clawing at his throat, his small face flushed deep red. His mother, Pamela Hoffman, was desperately pounding his back, while the guests around them panicked and hurriedly backed away. Veronica's expression changed sharply. This was choking from food obstruction. She rushed over to the boy, Carter Sowle, in just a few strides. "Move," Veronica said coldly. She shoved Pamela aside without hesitation, stepped behind Carter, wrapped her arms firmly around his waist, and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. "What are you doing?" Seeing this, Pamela panicked and instinctively reached out to stop her. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Mrs. Sowle, don't go over there. She's trying to save Carter," Gregory said. When Pamela turned and saw Gregory, it was as if she had found support. "Gregory, look at Carter. What's wrong with him?" Gregory's face was grave as he explained, "He's choking on food. Carter must have accidentally gotten something stuck while eating." "Carter… Carter!" Pamela cried out, tears streaming down her face. Gregory comforted her while glancing sideways at Veronica, who was entirely focused on performing the rescue. This side of Veronica felt unfamiliar to him. When Veronica tried abdominal thrusts for the third time, Carter suddenly went limp and lost consciousness. At that moment, his chest no longer rose or fell, and his lips had turned bluish-purple. Veronica dropped to her knees beside him and quickly checked his carotid pulse with her fingers. "Complete airway obstruction. His heartbeat is already very weak." Gregory's expression changed sharply when he heard that. He turned to the surrounding guests and asked sharply, "Has an ambulance been called?" At that moment, the heir of the Steele family, Roderick Steele, stepped forward. "It's already been called, but it will take at least ten more minutes." Without hesitation, Veronica gave orders to a nearby housekeeper. "I need a sharp knife, high-proof alcohol, and a straw. Now." The housekeeper did not dare delay and immediately ran off to prepare the items. Gregory stared at Veronica and questioned her in a low voice. "Veronica, what are you trying to do?" Only then did Veronica look up and meet Gregory's sharp, pressing gaze. Seeing that familiar handsome face, her breathing faltered for a few seconds, but she quickly regained control. She answered seriously, "He can't wait for the ambulance. I have to perform an emergency cricothyrotomy immediately." As she spoke, Veronica had already pulled open Carter's collar and precisely located the hollow just below his thyroid cartilage. "What does a cricothyrotomy mean?" someone in the crowd asked. "To put it plainly, it means cutting an opening in his neck," another guest explained. "What? Right there? That's way too dangerous," someone whispered in alarm. At that moment, a gentle yet anxious female voice suddenly rang out. "No! Veronica, you're just a funeral parlor mortician. You don't have the ability to perform this kind of emergency procedure." The speaker was Rowena. "Even if you want attention, you can't gamble with a life," she added urgently. Veronica had always worked at a funeral parlor in Bircanda City, and her mother had objected many times. Yet Veronica had always refused to quit. "A mortician? That… isn't that someone who does makeup and grooming for the dead? Oh my god, who let someone like her in here? This is bad luck!" someone exclaimed. "Exactly! She talks so confidently and looks so professional that I actually thought she was a doctor, but it turns out she only works on corpses," another person chimed in. When Pamela realized Veronica was just a mortician and not a real doctor, panic immediately set in. She ran over in a few quick steps and shoved Veronica aside, her voice sharp with warning. "I won't let you touch Carter!" Veronica lost her balance and was pushed to the ground. Seeing this, Gregory instinctively furrowed his brow. At that moment, the housekeeper had already brought the items Veronica needed. She didn't have time to think and immediately tore a piece from her dress, then knelt in front of Carter again, pouring high-proof alcohol over the knife and straw to sterilize them. "What are you doing? You're not allowed to touch my child!" Veronica snapped back, turning to glare at Pamela, raising her voice, "If we waste even a few more minutes, not even a miracle could save him! Are you really going to watch your son die?" Pamela went pale, fear gripping her heart, yet she stammered, "But—" A low, husky voice cut her off. "Mrs. Sowle, let her do it." Hearing that, Pamela turned in shock to look at Gregory. Veronica's brows twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but lift her eyes to meet his. At that moment, he was watching her intently. Though Veronica had always worked at the funeral parlor, he knew she had studied medicine in college. His voice carried a subtle threat as he said, "Veronica, you're only allowed to succeed. Failure isn't an option."