Collins froze. His heart pounded as he felt something tugging at his clothes. For a second, he prayed it was nothing more than fabric snagged on a chair or a loose wire. He didn’t dare look back. Instead, he frantically used his free hand to unhook himself.Then he felt it—warmth. A soft hand gripping his own.He turned sharply, terrified, only to find a patient looking up at him. Her eyes were weak, her lips trembling, and her fingers clung to his sleeve as though holding onto life itself.“Oh—I am so sorry,” the young woman said quickly, noticing the horror etched across his face.“You almost killed me!” Collins snapped, his voice loud enough to make nearby patients stir. His fear had tricked him into imagining something crawling over him, some insect carrying infection or worse.The girl’s eyes widened. “I said sorry. You… you look so much like my friend. I thought he had finally come to say hello.”Collins let out a heavy breath and forced himself to calm down. “It’s fine. Just… t

The live coverage of the stampede continued for a week. Every news station played and replayed the horrific images, each with its own version of the story, and the city was still gripped by fear and unanswered questions. The school board and the competition committee had no choice but to set up an emergency meeting. They had to decide whether the competition could continue, and even more urgently, they had to uncover what had caused the stampede despite all their careful preparation and safety measures.The conference hall at the school, where the most important meetings were always held, was filled to capacity. The atmosphere was heavy. The agenda was simple: either stop the competition entirely or move forward. But beneath that simplicity lay deeper consequences. The incident had drawn the attention of the FBI and the presidency. What once looked like a tragic accident was now being treated as a possible terrorist attack.At exactly 10 a.m., the meeting began. School board represent

Early the next morning, the school board released official announcements to every major news outlet. Statements filled the airwaves, from radio to television to the most followed online platforms. The draft carried a carefully worded apology and a promise of compensation for the victims of the chaos. It was not from guilt, but from necessity—public anger had grown louder overnight, and the only way to control it was to soften hearts.They moved quickly to redirect attention. Alongside the apology, the board unveiled details of the next phase of the competition, insisting that despite the tragedy, the vision was still alive. No more large gatherings, they promised, only virtual campaigns. Tiles and slogans were dropped strategically, ensuring the world stayed glued to their platforms for every update.Far away, within the halls of the Raymond empire, the atmosphere was different. In the hospital, John’s grandfather stirred weakly from the grip of his heart attack. Tubes and machines su

Rita was still in Jerry's embrace a while and was very pissed off at him for thinking that he could just walk back into her life whenever he chose so she pushed him away.“Do you think a hug can make up for what you did?”Rita said after pushing Jerry away from herself “I am sorry.” Jerry apologised“Cut that crap, did you hear me when I made the noise, answer truthfully?” Rita said knowing fully well that Jerry was going to.make the same mistake again when given the opportunity “Yes I did.” Jerry answered truthfully because he knew that Rita was angry and didn't want her to do anything stupid “Did you stop?” Rita asked now with tears welling up in her eyes “No.” Jerry said with his head bowed, he could not face her after hurting her that much “That's all I need to know, now get out, I want to take a bath.” Rita said as the flowers form her eyes but she quickly cleaned them so that Jerry won't see them “Let's bathe together, I am sorry babe!” Jerry said this time walking towards

Collins was stunned to turn around and see an awakened and alive Anna and he was more than grateful that she had woken up from her supposed unconscious state.“Nurse, I think you need to see this.” Collins yelled as he walked back to Anna and embraced her , he had thought that he had lost her and would have not been able to forgive himself if he had.“I am so sorry Anna for not coming sooner.” Collin's said to Anna while embracing her weak body.“Where is John?” Anna asked while trying to catch her breathe and Collins released her from the embrace “John? Why? What happened to him?” Collins asked as he was worried that she was mumbling that name over and over again but wasn't saying anything “He was helping me and he…” Anna said and then slipped back to being unconscious and Collins became more frightened and looked back to see if the nurse was close to offer some help.“It's fine Collins let her go, I will take it from here.” The nurse said while she and her team got to Anna bed and