Chapter 63

Evelina's immediate reaction was to cover her eyes,simultaneously protecting Minnie and Jasper with her other arm.

Amidst her agony, which came with a sharp burning sensation, she warned everyone, "Be careful! It's quicklime!"

"Evelina!" Jasper sprang into action, his voice filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Startled by the consequences of his actions, the boy who had thrown the lime broke down crying.Simultaneously, Minnie's cries echoed loudly, adding to the chaos.

A caregiver swiftly took Minnie to safety, while Jasper instructed the bodyguards, "Catch that boy don't let him escape."

The situation might have been worse if the boy were Kamryn, seeing the commotion, said, "Please, don't panic. Return to your classrooms." She then approached Evelina to assess her condition.

Realizing her eyes were compromised by the lime,Kamryn called out desperately, "Someone bring purified water quickly!"

"First, bring me some vegetable oil," Evelina interjected, despite her pain. "I need to use it to get most of the quicklime out of my eyes before rinsing them with purified water."

Kamryn immediately dashed towards the kitchen."I'll get it immediately!"

"Evelina-" Jasper's voice betrayed his panic.

"Jasper, stay calm!" Evelina urged as she grasped his sleeve, her hand shaking yet her voice steady."There are cotton swabs in my bag. Please use themn to clear as much lime as you can from my eyes. Also, my phone is there; call Dorothea. I'Il explain so she can get things ready at the hospital."

"Understood," Jasper responded, meticulously following Evelina's directions.

While handling the cotton swabs, his hands shook slightly- he knew this task was too delicate to entrust to anyone else.

Concerned that the bodyguards might be too harsh,he pondered the consequences of their potential clumsiness.

Jasper steadied his nerves; knowing Evelina depended solely on him in this moment, he had to ensure his hands were as stable as when he held a firearm.

His precise and gentle efforts succeeded in removing much of the lime from her eyes.

Kamryn arrived shortly with the vegetable oil.Following Evelina's detailed instructions, they dripped a few drops of oil into her eyes and used cotton swabs to remove the quicklime. Then they rinsed her eyes thoroughly with purified water.

Without delay, Jasper whisked her off to the hospital,navigating the streets that were miraculously clear of any traffic.

Evelina would later find out that Jasper had ensured an open route by promising a substantial investment to the local traffic authority.

Upon arrival at the hospital, they found Dorothea and the rest of Evelina's surgical team fully prepared and waiting.

Evelina was rushed directly to the operating room upon her arrival at the hospital.

Thanks to the swift first aid and her rapid transport,the quicklime damage was limited to superficial eye tissue, sparing her deeper ocular structures.

Dorothea emerged shortly after the procedure to update Jasper, who had been anxiously waiting outside. "She'll need about a week of hospital care,but Evelina's eyes should heal fully. There's no need for excessive worry."

Jasper's relief was short-lived as Caleb stormed in and landed a punch on his jaw.

"How could you let this happen if you're always at her side? Weren't you supposed to protect her?"Caleb's voice was thick with blame as he seized Jasper by the collar, eyes burning with anger.

The Russell family's bodyguards started to intervene,but Jasper waved them off.

Matching Caleb's aggression, Jasper struck back,catching him in the mouth and drawing blood.

"Throwing punches is easy, but where were you when Evelina needed protection?" Caleb taunted,wiping the blood from his lip, gearing up for another round.

Just then, Florrie rushed in, shouting, "Stop this right now! Don't you dare hit my uncle Jasper!"

Florrie, at just nineteen, displayed remarkable sharpness. "It's distressing that Evelina was hurt, but right now, we need to focus on her recovery and uncover who orchestrated this attack."

She and lan had hurried to the hospital immediately after learning of the incident, discussing the details on the way.

"lan and I gathered some information on the way here," Florrie continued. "Kamryn interrogated the boy responsible for the lime incident. The boy believed he had purchased a harmless powder for magic tricks, hoping to surprise Evelina with a performance. At only thirteen and known for his good nature, it's clear he was misled into using harmful materials."

Florrie laid out the sequence of events with concern,saying, "Consider the connections here- from Evelina's solo trip to the orphanage, to her involvement in the land dispute at the orphanage, to the attack with lime powder. The orchestration behind these events indicates a cold level of calculation.

We're fortunate Uncle Jasper was there to mitigate the harm. If not, Evelina's condition could have been as dire as my own past injuries."