His heart pounded uncontrollably. Despite using all his strength to maintain control, panic and fear surged over him like a tide.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, and Lucas rushed out like a gust of wind. He raised his hand to hail a taxi, pulling out three green bills with Franklin's face on them.
"Mount Sinai Hospital. Red lights and speeding are on me."
Face grim, exuding an aura that could kill with a single glance, Lucas radiated a cold, dangerous presence.
The taxi raced ahead.
With a screech of the brakes, the car stopped in front of Mount Sinai Hospital.
Lucas moved forward with unstoppable momentum—
Observe, judge, identify, move.
Without pause or questions, he headed straight to his destination. From afar, he could already see the busy and tense film crew, filling the hallway chaotically without any semblance of order. Although no one spoke, an oppressive mix of confusion and anxiety permeated the air.
Lucas had no time to distinguish who was who; his eyes scanned the crowd swiftly and landed on his target.
"Noah!"
"Tell me, what happened? Where is Anson now, and who is the attending doctor?"
In just a few words, Lucas got to the point—
Nothing else mattered now; only Anson mattered.
Noah's eyes were full of panic, his voice burdened with deep guilt. "It's my fault. I didn't take good care of Anson. Mr. Wood, I'm so sorry."
"Anson… Anson was filming, and he fell from two stories high. He... he lost consciousness. He's undergoing scans right now…"
Noah's words were disjointed and flustered as he tried to stay calm, but his mind was a mess, instantly pulled into the darkness by fear.
A shadow briefly flashed across Lucas's expressionless face. "How did this happen?"
Accident? Or something else?
Noah's face was blank; he clearly didn't have an answer to Lucas's question. "I... I don't know. Everything happened too quickly."
"Mr. Wood, Anson... he could barely speak, and if…"
Noah didn't dare to finish, afraid his words would bring bad luck. He shut his mouth tightly, and his eyes gradually lost focus.
Suddenly, Lucas's heart nearly stopped. He stood there in a daze, feeling as if he were in an ice cellar, despite it being midsummer.
Stay calm!
He needed to be calm. Anson needed him.
In the chaos, Lucas clenched his fist, his neatly trimmed nails digging into his palm. He felt no pain, but at least he sensed some stability, and his blood seemed to start flowing again.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'm here for Anson."
Lucas gently patted Noah's shoulder, trying to calm him down and to regain his own composure.
"You mentioned on the phone that Anson was conscious and even spoke to you?"
Noah nodded hastily. "He was joking with us, but only for a moment before he passed out. The paramedics said it might have been due to pain. Later, in the ambulance, Anson regained consciousness briefly and he said…"
Noah carefully glanced at Lucas.
Lucas didn't say anything, just looked at Noah quietly.
Noah obediently continued, "Anson said, don't call Mom and Dad."
Lucas: …
Noah tried to explain on Anson's behalf. "He was just worried about them…"
Lucas gave Noah a look, and Noah stopped talking. Clearly, Lucas understood Anson better than Noah and needed no explanation.
Standing at a distance, Noah could feel the chill emanating from Lucas—an aura not just warning strangers away but one of unstoppable determination, a presence that seemed to say he would crush any obstacle in his path. It caused the air around them to cool down bit by bit.
It wasn't just Noah; the chatter around them also mysteriously quieted down as everyone's gaze turned to Lucas.
Lucas paid no attention to it. He was only focused on the situation at hand.
Right now, Anson was undergoing scans, and they still had to wait for the results and the doctor's assessment. No matter what, Anson was the priority.
But that didn't mean he would sit here idly waiting.
There were still a lot of things that needed to be dealt with.
From all the noise and chaos, Lucas sorted out a plan, feeling gravity pulling his heart back to the ground.
"Alright, we've got work to do. The cause, the sequence of events—this can't be left unresolved. I need your help."
"First, find a room where all the crew members can gather instead of standing here creating disorder. Disrupting the hospital's order makes it easy for someone to take advantage."
"Second, contact Edgar and let him know what's happening. He's too far away in Los Angeles, but he can go directly to Sony Columbia's office. They need to organize a PR team—to protect the hospital, prevent paparazzi from sneaking in, and release an official statement to avoid media speculation."
"Third, talk to the on-set supervisor and remember every witness to the incident. Not just one person, but everyone who saw the entire event unfold. Ask them what they saw. I need a complete picture of what happened."
"And finally."
Lucas paused, his temples throbbing as an uncontrollable anger burned in his chest.
"Tell me where the director is. There are some things I need to discuss with him."
Noah stared blankly at Lucas, overwhelmed by the sense of danger, and swallowed hard.
Lucas noticed, his lips tugging up slightly. "Don't worry. I won't hurt him."
Noah obediently nodded in agreement.
Honestly, everything was still chaotic, his mind restless and uneasy.
Lucas couldn't stay completely calm, but the more chaotic things got, the more focused he became, with only one thought in his mind—
No matter what, he would not let this incident pass easily. Even if it was just an accident, someone had to be held accountable. No one could walk away unscathed after hurting his brother.
No one.
If necessary, he didn't mind getting his hands dirty.
The accident was bad—really, really bad. But it had already happened. There was no point dwelling on it endlessly. What mattered more was how they handled things afterward.
Lucas exhaled softly, going over everything in his head to make sure he hadn't missed anything. For now, that was all. If there were any oversights, he'd deal with them later.
His gaze refocused.
"Noah, I believe in you."
With those simple words, he helped Noah regain his balance amidst the stormy waves. Finally, Noah's eyes found their focus again.
Noah wiped his face hastily, nodding solemnly. He carefully went over Lucas's instructions before stepping forward resolutely.
Lucas followed Noah's direction, and found Sam Raimi slumped on a bench, exhausted, disheveled, and lost. He approached him head-on.