"Where’s Wren Wynter?!" he demanded, whirling around. His voice, icy enough to cut through bone, was directed at a pale-faced Joy Lynch outside.

Joy Lynch flinched back half a step, terrified by his hostile aura, but forced herself to remain calm. "Wren... she’s away on a business trip."

"A business trip? Where to?" Kaden Xavier pressed, advancing on her with each word.

"I... I don’t know. Kaden Xavier, what are you planning now? Wren, she..."

"This has nothing to do with you!"

Kaden Xavier cut Joy Lynch off coldly, then spun around and stormed toward the director’s office.

The director had just seen Wren Wynter off and was organizing some files when the door was thrown open. She saw Kaden Xavier barge in, radiating an icy chill, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Mr. Xavier..."

"Where is Wren Wynter?" Kaden Xavier interrupted her, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "I want the truth."

The director said nothing.

Kaden Xavier sneered, then called his assistant to check for recent outbound flight information.

Soon after, he had Wren’s itinerary. He looked at the director and issued a command.

"I heard there’s a cargo charter flight to the western region this afternoon that needs a flight doctor. Give me that assignment. I’ll be the captain of this flight."

The director was stunned. "Mr. Xavier, this... this is against regulations. You don’t have a flight assignment scheduled for today, and besides, it’s a cargo..."

"Regulations?" Kaden Xavier’s lips curled into a smirk. "I *am* the regulations. Make the arrangements. Now."

The director was furious but didn’t dare to speak out.

’I was just trying to do Wren Wynter a favor, letting her get away for a while to hide.’

’But now, my attempt to be clever has backfired spectacularly. I’ve shot myself in the foot.’

Kaden Xavier glanced at his watch. It was almost time. He didn’t linger and left immediately.

「That afternoon」

Wren Wynter arrived promptly at the airport’s Cargo Terminal 3, pulling a small carry-on suitcase behind her.

She quickly found the meeting point. A middle-aged man in an airline uniform greeted her, checked her name against a list and verified her ID, then gestured for her to wait, saying the flight crew would be there shortly.

Soon, several figures in pilot and flight attendant uniforms approached from a distance.

Wren Wynter instinctively looked up. The moment her gaze fell upon the tall, imposing figure in the lead, she froze, and the blood in her veins seemed to turn to ice.

Kaden Xavier.

He was dressed in a crisp captain’s uniform, the four stripes on his epaulets glinting coldly in the sun.

He strode forward, his eyes sweeping across the group before locking onto her with unnerving precision.

Wren’s heart began to hammer in her chest. She wanted to turn and run, but her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, rooting her to the spot.

Other colleagues and ground crew were around. She couldn’t make a scene.

Kaden Xavier walked straight up to her.

"Wren, where else do you think you can run?"

Wren gripped the handle of her suitcase so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She lifted her gaze, forcing herself to meet his, and kept her voice as steady as she could. "Captain Xavier. If there has been a mistake in the company’s arrangements, I can request a transfer to another flight or withdraw from this mission."

"There’s no mistake."

Kaden Xavier’s lips curved, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes.

"I requested this personally. It’s a work matter, and I expect Dr. Wynter’s cooperation."

He paused before adding, "Rest assured, I won’t bring up personal matters during work hours. The mission comes first."

Wren closed her eyes for a moment. "I understand. Captain Xavier, please lead the way."

「After takeoff」

A deafening roar filled her ears.

Wren had fastened her seatbelt, and after the flight was halfway through and everything had stabilized, she was just about to close her eyes for a nap.

Suddenly, a commotion and cries of alarm erupted from the rear of the cabin.

"Someone’s collapsed!"

"Help! Over here!"

Wren was instantly wide awake. She unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed over.

The other doctors and nurses immediately followed.

In a gap between stacks of cargo, a middle-aged man in a ground crew uniform lay on the floor. His face was a purplish-blue, his eyes were shut tight, his jaw was clenched, and his body was twitching faintly.

Another ground crew member next to him was panicking, unsure of what to do.

"Everyone, back off! Give him some air!"

Wren shouted as she knelt beside the patient and quickly checked his vital signs. "Weak breathing, I can barely find a pulse! Possible acute myocardial infarction or malignant arrhythmia! Prepare for emergency resuscitation!"

The area was now surrounded by onlookers, and of the flight’s assigned medical staff, she was the only physician.

Wren frowned. Just as she was about to speak, a man with a gentle and refined demeanor stepped forward.

"I’m a doctor. I can help."

Wren nodded doubtfully.

A life was on the line; she didn’t have time for second thoughts.

The two of them quickly formed a makeshift emergency team, skillfully administering first aid to the unconscious man.

"Get 1mg of epinephrine, stat!"

"I’ll start chest compressions. You maintain the airway!"

Their commands were clear, their teamwork seamless.

Mason Shaw glanced with surprise at the young, beautiful doctor. Her actions were swift, precise, and steady, her judgment decisively quick. Her technique was too practiced for an ordinary flight doctor; she seemed more like an experienced ER or ICU physician.

The resuscitation efforts continued for over ten minutes. Between the medication and the manual compressions, the purplish hue of the man’s face began to fade, and he started taking faint, spontaneous breaths.

"His heartbeat has returned, and blood pressure is rising. He’s stable for now."

Seeing the color return to the man’s face, Mason Shaw let out a long sigh of relief.

Wren was on the verge of collapse, her back completely soaked with sweat.

She slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.

Mason Shaw handed her a bottle of water, his eyes full of admiration and respect. "That was amazing. If not for your quick reflexes and sharp judgment, he wouldn’t have made it."

Wren took the water and managed a weak smile, shaking her head, too exhausted to speak.

’I hadn’t noticed it during the intense focus of the emergency, but now that I can relax, I realize my arms are sore and numb, and my heart is still racing.’

By the time she had more or less recovered, the journey was complete.

The plane landed at its destination airport.

An ambulance was already waiting, and the patient was quickly transferred.

Once everything was taken care of, Wren grabbed her suitcase, eager to get to her room and rest, when a voice called out from behind her.

"Miss, please wait a moment."

Wren turned around. It was the man who had worked with her earlier.

He walked over quickly, a gentle smile on his face, and handed her a business card.

"Hello. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Mason Shaw, and I’m the deputy chief physician in the cardiology department at City First Hospital. You must be Ms. Wren Wynter."

His gaze rested on Wren’s face, filled with undisguised admiration and a hint of curiosity.

Wren was a little surprised; she didn’t remember telling him her name.

"Actually... I saw your name a long time ago. Three years ago, on a very impressive intern résumé. Wren Wynter, a graduate of Capital Medical University, who had published numerous well-known papers. It was a real shame you didn’t end up joining our hospital back then."