Sensing the aggression behind her, Carrie tried to run, but it was too late.
Still, Ralph would not give the perpetrator a second chance to hurt Carrie.
He pulled out a gun from his back holster while hooking Carrie in his arms. At the pull of a trigger, he fired at Brian's right arm
and left thigh.
Ralph acted swiftly.
It had better be a perfect crime.
Otherwise, Ralph would turn things around.
Brian whimpered in resentment and pain, his knees sinking to the ground.
The police swarmed toward him and cuffed his hand behind his hand. At last, the man who took drastic measures for his
daughter was caught.
As Brian collapsed to the ground, the sniper had his view obstructed by the safety railing and stood down.
That was the reason why Ralph fired another shot into Brian's leg.
Terrified by the booming gunshots, Carrie covered her ears in Ralph's arms and curled up in shivers. With her breathing rugged,
she broke out in a cold sweat. "Don't be scared. Everything is fine now."
Ralph did not take her away there and then. Instead, he sat on the cement platform and held Carrie tight. He patiently and
tenderly consoled her. "Haven't you seen fireworks? That noise was fireworks I unleashed to congratulate you on your survival.
Do you feel better now?"
Burying her tearful face in his clothes, Carrie sobbed.
Ralph sighed heart-wrenchingly and gripped her shoulders tighter.
"I thought I was going to die." It took a while before Carrie's muffled voice rang out.
"You won't. You're a smart and brave girl. You're better than me."
Carrie's earlier interaction with the perpetrator stirred Ralph's feelings. With a smile, he drew close to her face. "Besides, I won't
let anything happen to you on my watch. I won't let down my uniform, Bella, or Justin."
Most importantly, Ralph did not want to let Carrie down.
However, Ralph kept that thought to himself.
"I wasn't trying to distract the man. I want to help him." Carrie's lips quivered.
"Carrie." Ralph turned somber. "You said you were a survivor of abuse. Is that true?"
Carrie's eyes widened as she shivered in the man's arms.
"No, I wasn't abused. I was just saying. I wasn't bullied."
Ralph had a lot of questions, but the emotional strain was more than Carrie could take. Hence, he said nothing.
He clenched his fists.
Ralph did not think Ryan did a good job of protecting Carrie.
Help for her autism was a separate matter. Carrie clearly experienced trauma, and Ryan did not seem to notice despite living
with her. Ryan should just stick to what he did best, which was being a player.
To prevent a media frenzy, Ralph carried Carrie out of the school building with clothes over her head.
She was shielded from the media and brought into the ambulance right away.
The medical personnel in the ambulance patched the wound on Carrie's neck. For precaution's sake, Carrie was taken to the
hospital for a physical examination.
Carrie relaxed and quickly fell asleep.
Sitting on the opposite sides of Carrie, Ralph met the gaze of Yasmin, whose face was stained with tears. Tension was thick in
the air.
"You can contact Ryan to see Carrie in the hospital."
"I've called Mr. Hoffman." Yasmin held Carrie's hand while holding the teddy bear.
"Do you need me to explain the situation to him?" Ralph asked out of decency.
He had witnessed how much Ryan cared for Carrie. Now that Carrie was involved in an accident, Yasmin, her bodyguard, would
be held accountable. Ryan could be nasty when he was angry.
"That won't be necessary. Your involvement would put me in a tougher spot and make Mr. Hoffman angrier."
Yasmin pursed her discolored lips and said grimly, "I'm grateful that you saved Carrie, Mr. Ralph, but here's a word of advice.
"Ms. Carrie is Mr. Hoffman's fiancee.
She's the future wife of the Hoffman
Group's CEO. They are in love, no one can tear them apart, stand by and watch someone come in between them."
Ralph narrowed his eyes and ran his tongue over his teeth.
"A cop fights for justice. Surely, you won't throw away your pride and steal another man's woman," Yasmin said harshly.
Yasmin kept a clear head in the face of Ryan's potential rival.
"If Ryan wishes to marry Carrie and Carrie accepts, I'll give my blessing. However, he needs to take good care of her and make
her happy."
Ralph grinned offhandedly, and the smile sent chills down Yasmin's spine. "Otherwise, I can't say that your concern won't
happen."