Love and Devotion No Longer His to Claim (Angela and Dexter) novel Chapter 343

Angela was the first to notice something was wrong. She hadn't even finished speaking when a sense of foreboding hit her. The moment the enormous crystal chandelier fell, she instinctively moved to evade it.

Alas, the chandelier was too large. Even after taking a few hurried steps away, she couldn't completely escape its range. A sharp fragment of the fixture slashed across her back, sending a searing pain through her body.

She staggered and fell to the ground with a muffled groan, but she instinctively suppressed her voice, trying her best not to appear too disheveled.

"Angela!" Several anxious voices rang out at the same time, while Dexter and Finn rushed toward the center of the stage almost simultaneously.

By then, all the other lights at the venue had been turned on, and the crowd erupted in shock.

Smelling the metallic tang of blood made Angela dizzy. Yet, her first thought was that she must not let this ruin the celebration.

"I'm fine!" Angela grasped Dexter's wrist. "Let's get off the stage first. Get Clara to take things from here. I… I still have to come out to present the awards later."

"Are you insane?" Finn's voice carried frustration. "You're injured. What's more important, your health or—"

"My work is more important." Angela locked eyes with Finn. "Finn, everyone is watching. I can't afford another misstep."

"But you didn't cause this. Everyone saw what happened, and you're hurt." A look of concern crossed Finn's gaze, mixed with puzzlement.

"I know I'm injured, but I can hold on. If I can return to the stage, people will respect me even more. My company needs this kind of recognition. Do you understand?" Angela's urgency made her voice sharper.

Finn was frantic. "I don't understand. You're—"

"Get off the stage immediately." Dexter added, "Who are you to her? Do you want her to be caught up in gossip?"

Finn's face stiffened. He swallowed back his words, an overwhelming bitterness settling in his heart.

As it turned out, he had no right anymore. He didn't even have the right to worry about her.

Right then, the others came over as well, including Fiona, Joseph, and Mia.

Before anyone could speak, Angela calmly stated, "I'm fine. Dexter, take me to get my wound treated. The rest of you should go back to your seats. Don't panic, and don't let anything go wrong."

The wound on her back was several inches long, with a deep, bloody streak that was shocking to see.

The doctor looked at Dexter with hesitation.

Just as Dexter was about to speak, Angela covered his mouth. "Don't try to talk me out of it because I won't listen. I feel perfectly fine right now. I must make an appearance."

Dexter looked at her with a complicated expression. After a few seconds, he nodded to the doctor. "Please treat her as quickly as possible. Make sure she can appear in front of people within an hour."

Angela smiled in relief.

Of course, when everyone else had frozen in shock at that critical moment, Dexter had remained pretty composed and supported her.

She had instinctively believed he would understand her—that he would understand her predicament and her determination.

The doctor administered the anesthesia. When the suturing began, Angela felt no pain, but she was acutely aware of someone's hands moving over her back.