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<b>, </b><b>and </b>began untying her shoces. 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 <b>doing</b>? Let go!”
“Don’t move,” Stephan ordered <b>firmly </b><b>as </b>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 <b>he </b>wanted to apply medicine on her feet but because of something else. After walking and running through the rainforest for <b>days</b><b>, </b>her feet had been hot and sweaty <b>from </b>being stuffed in her shoes. Just imagining. <b>their </b>odor made <b>her </b>want to hide in a hole.
But <b>Stephan </b>shot <b>her </b>a sidelong nce, his lips curving into a mischievous smile. In a low voice only they could hear, he murmured, ” No need to be shy, my <b>dear</b>. After all<b>….</b>I’ve seen all parts of you.”
She was speechless.
However, he <b>wasn’t </b>wrong. They had shared far more intimate moments than this. What was there left to be embarrassed about?
<b>With </b>a resigned sigh<b>, </b>she stopped resisting. To be precise, she didn’t have much of a choice. Stephan held her legs down firmly with. one <b>hand </b>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 <b>red</b><b>.. </b>
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 <b>pull </b>them off herself.
To her surprise, he stopped her.
From the medical kit, he <b>retrieved </b><b>a </b>small pair of scissors. Lowering his head<b>, </b>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 <b>soles </b>of her feet.
She wanted tough but held it in. The sight of Stephan cradling her feet with <b>such </b>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 <b>raised </b>her hand to cover her eyes, hiding her expression.
No one spoke. The only sound was the steady hum of the helicopter des cutting through the air.
Meanwhile, Stanley exchanged another <b>nce </b>with the two subordinates beside him. Without a word, they all reached the same <b>conclusion</b>–they had to firmlytch onto Felicia’s favor. Nothing else would matter!
Just then<b>, </b><b>a </b>soft beep came from themunication device. Miraculously, all the signals disrupted by the maic 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 <b>outside </b>the rainforest. <b>The </b>other teams scattered within the rainforest also began regrouping at the designated meeting point.
After another half hour of flying, <b>Stanley</b>, who had been monitoring the ground below, spotted a clearing with several tents set up. He shouted excitedly, “We’re here! Prepare tond!”