Chapter 543
After Felicia finished treating Stephan’s injuries, she was about to pack up the medical kit when he stopped her.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere else?”
Stephan didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out, grasped her calf, and began untying her shoelaces. From the looks of it, he was intent on removing her shoes.
Felicia froze for a moment before realizing what he was doing. She quickly pulled her foot back, her face flushing with embarrassment. “What are you doing? Let go!”
“Don’t move,” Stephan ordered firmly as he continued to remove her shoes. “The blisters on your feet need to be treated too.
“I can do it myself… Really, I’ll take care of it. Let go…”
It was only natural for her to feel awkward–not because he wanted to apply medicine on her feet but because of something else. After walking and running through the rainforest for days, her feet had been hot and sweaty from being stuffed in her shoes. Just imagining. their odor made her want to hide in a hole.
But Stephan shot her a sidelong glance, his lips curving into a mischievous smile. In a low voice only they could hear, he murmured, ” No need to be shy, my dear. After all….I’ve seen all parts of you.”
She was speechless.
However, he wasn’t wrong. They had shared far more intimate moments than this. What was there left to be embarrassed about?
With a resigned sigh, she stopped resisting. To be precise, she didn’t have much of a choice. Stephan held her legs down firmly with. one hand while deftly removing her shoes with the other.
A pair of red socks appeared before them. They were originally white, but due to the blisters on her feet being popped repeatedly from all the walling and running, they were stained red..
Stephan’s movements faltered, his brows knitting into a frown.
Felicia, however, didn’t think much of it. Knowing the socks were likely stuck to her wounds, she assumed it would be difficult for him to remove them. She bent forward, intending to pull them off herself.
To her surprise, he stopped her.
From the medical kit, he retrieved a small pair of scissors. Lowering his head, he carefully began to cut the socks open, working meticulously to avoid causing her any unnecessary pain. His touch was gentle, precise, and tender.
Felicia didn’t feel any pain, only an unbearable ticklish sensation on the soles of her feet.
She wanted to laugh but held it in. The sight of Stephan cradling her feet with such reverence, as though handling a priceless treasure, left her flustered and at a loss for words.
Just what was he thinking?
Leaning back against the cabin wall, Felicia raised her hand to cover her eyes, hiding her expression.
No one spoke. The only sound was the steady hum of the helicopter blades cutting through the air.
Meanwhile, Stanley exchanged another glance with the two subordinates beside him. Without a word, they all reached the same conclusion–they had to firmly latch onto Felicia’s favor. Nothing else would matter!
Just then, a soft beep came from the communication device. Miraculously, all the signals disrupted by the magnetic field had been
restored.
Whether this was due to the seismic activity subsiding or the team leaving the peculiar rainforest, no one could say. Either way, it was
good news.
With the restored signal, Stanley quickly contacted the personnel stationed outside the rainforest. The other teams scattered within the rainforest also began regrouping at the designated meeting point.
After another half hour of flying, Stanley, who had been monitoring the ground below, spotted a clearing with several tents set up. He shouted excitedly, “We’re here! Prepare to land!”
