Chapter 16

Joshua stood nearby, his eyes fixed on Celeste as she lay motionless on the floor. A heavy sense of dread tightened in his chest. "Everyone who doesn't need to be here, clear out now!" Adrian's commanding voice cut through the tension. Without hesitation, Joshua and the senior staff began ushering the crowd away. The second-floor hallway was empty within moments, leaving only Adrian, Celeste, and Joshua, who stayed close. "Mr. Wrenford, is she in cardiac and respiratory arrest?" Joshua asked. Adrian didn't respond. Instead, he stepped over Celeste's waist, dropped to his knees beside her, and placed his hands on her chest, beginning a series of forceful compressions. Celeste's body jolted with each push, rising and falling in a steady rhythm. But after several rounds, there was still no change in her condition. Adrian's forehead was slick with sweat as he stared down at Celeste's face. His hands, muscles straining beneath his skin, pressed into the floor on either side of her he