บท 104: You still owe me for that slap

"I will!"

She hugged the boy tightly for one second before pulling the oxygen mask over his face, "Breath. I will save them" .

"He... This is too light..." thought Kai Xin worriedly as she picked him up.

She wanted to carry him out to surface first but he refused.

Using his last remaining strength, he had tugged on her shirt begging her to save them first.

He understood what it was like to be abandoned and he refused to do the same to the children.

Originally, Kai Xin had wanted to knock him out.

However, the thought that he might be injured badly in his currently weakened state stopped her from doing so.

Hence, despite her reluctance, she placed him down.

Once she was sure that he can breathe by himself and that there was no internal injury, she went over to check on the older kids.

Their pulses were weak but with good after care, they would survive.

She quickly carried them over to the entrance and handed them over to the men waiting at the entrance.

When she saw that water were entering into the basement, she was worried and moved faster.

Once she made sure that there were no other survivors, she picked up Little Lyle but just as she was about to leave with him, he had cried and pointed at the bodies of the children that were lifted slightly by the water.

"They are gone." explained Kai Xin. She hated this, but there was nothing she can do.

The water level were increasing at an alarming rate and it had reached her knee level.

"F-friends...Help…"

Turning her body around so that the two of them can see the dead children clearly, Kai Xin gently explained, "They are gone, Lyle. They went to heaven."

He looked up at her with his sad, forlorn eyes.

He had not heard that name for so long that he had thought it was a name he conjured up in his imagination.

"Jack is waiting for you, Lyle."

"Jack", thought Little Lyle. He knew that name but he cannot remember exactly who Jack was.

"Let's go back to Jack, should we?"

It took him a long while before he finally turned away from the dead bodies of his little friends.

He nodded into her shirt weakly to let her know that he understood.

On their way out, Kai Xin had reassured him that they would be given proper farewell.

When she resurfaced with Little Lyle in her arms, she came face to face with an angry DX. The torrential downpour followed by angry thunder did not help.

When he woke up and heard from Han Ye about what had happened, he nearly killed the guy for not stopping his crazy woman.

"They are coming up!" shouted one of the workers.

DX immediately released the terrified Han Ye and went straight to the opening. When he saw her coming out from the hole, he released the breath that he was holding.

Gently taking his son away from her, his hands shook as he hugged the boy tightly against his chest.

When he saw the scars, bruises and cuts on Little Lyle's face, hands, and legs, he tears fell.

His sons should have been bathed in luxury and loved by everyone.

Instead, due to his own cold nature and the callous way he treated others, his sons had to suffer.

After making sure that he was breathing, DX reluctantly gave him to a paramedic.

Then he turned to Kai Xin and he slapped her, right there and then, in front of all his men.

The men gasped collectively.

They thought he was angry because she undermined his authority in front of everyone and they tried to plead for her,

"Boss...It's not her fault..."

"The young miss was just helping!"

DX glared at them and snapped, "Shut up!"

The two stared into each other's eyes.

Hers were filled with disbelief as she held onto her reddened cheek that was starting to sting while his were filled with pure unadulterated anger.

It was the first and the last time she saw him with so much anger in his eyes.

Kai Xin stuttered, "I-"

He slammed his fist on the hood of a Jeep, making a dent on the thing.

It startled her so much that she took a step back unconsciously.

"Don't ever do that again!" yelled DX.

He grabbed her shoulders and continued yelling at her, "You scared the fuck out of me! What were you thinking!"

"I just wanted to help," said Kai Xin.

She had never seen him in such a state before and it scared her.

DX snapped, "I don't need your help! What if something happened to you? Have you thought about it!"

Roughly, he shook her again as he continued to yell at her, "I didn't pay them a fucking fortune to let you put yourself in danger!"

The men standing nearby hung their head down in shame when they heard him.

Angered at how unreasonable he was, she pushed him away and yelled back, "They were unable to do anything! I was the only one who is small enough to fit into the hole! Why can't I help? Why should they be placed in danger and not me!"

"Have you ever thought how I would feel if I lost both you and my son!!" shouted DX, finally admitting to himself his true fear.

When he had heard that she went down there without anyone else, he had thought of all sort of possibilities where she might not re-emerged.

The thoughts of losing both of them at the same time terrified him.

She glared at him, "I am fine now, aren't I!"

Shocked by his own behavior, he took a step away from her.

He had never lost control before and it made him afraid that this woman that he barely knew had such an effect on him.

Turning away from her, using the same cold tone he used with his subordinates, he said, "I think we should stop seeing each other for a while."

Kai Xin snarled, "Fine!"

Stomping off, she headed straight to where the paramedics were. She checked on Lyle for a moment before leaving the place with one of the ambulance carrying the other kids.

…

"That was the worst 6 months of my life." DX said as he took a quick guilty glance at her.

Kai Xin shook her head, "I was brash and acted without thinking...but you know what?"

She looked at Lyle, "...I have never regretted my action that day."

She had thought about her own actions after she got back into the country.

Once the initial anger died down, she had realized how stupid her actions were but she knew she would do it all over again if they were placed in the same situation again.

"I regretted my action..." DX smiled ruefully, "I should never raised a hand against you no matter what. You were the one who managed to keep her head in while I was completely broken."

"It was easier to stay calm when it was not my kid in danger."

Leaning over to give him a quick peck on his cheek, she smirked, "You still owe me for that slap."

When she saw his guilt-ridden face, she laughed softly, "I was joking, you big dummy!"