Orion could barely see a thing; visibility was extremely low.
He shouted, "Lemira, where are you?"
He searched frantically, never before had time felt so agonizingly slow.
Lemira, where are you?
"I'm here."
A faint voice reached him. Orion followed the sound and found Lemira huddled behind a large vase in a corner, near a window.
Seeing her curled into a ball, clutching the prototype, he rushed over and wrapped his jacket around her. "Are you trying to get yourself killed for a prototype?"
His voice was sharp with anger.
Lemira was about to speak but broke into a violent coughing fit.
The smoke in the room was thick and acrid.
"Don't talk. I'm getting you out of here."
Orion shielded Lemira in his arms and tried to make a break for the exit, but the fire had grown, blocking their path.
Lemira saw the flames and her own heart pounded with fear.
Was Orion insane? Rushing in here alone to save her!
Just then, firefighters burst in and quickly brought the blaze under control.
Only then did Orion lead Lemira outside. He anxiously checked her for injuries.
But Lemira's only concern was the prototype in her arms, checking to see if it was damaged.
When she saw that it was perfectly intact, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
She looked up at Orion, her face beaming with excitement. "Look, the prototype is fine. I protected it."
Seeing the joy in her eyes, the anger that had been simmering in Orion's chest began to dissipate.
What a fool.
Was a prototype more important than her life?
Orion's face was stern. "You're still worried about that at a time like this? Do you have a death wish?"
Just then, Thaddeus hurried over. "I'll handle things here at the company. Lemon, you need to go to the hospital for a check-up. You've inhaled harmful smoke and need treatment."
Lemira handed the prototype to Thaddeus. "Take good care of it this time."
She had a feeling this fire was no simple accident.
Now that she had calmed down, Lemira realized her throat and nose were bothering her. Even though she had covered her mouth and nose, she had still inhaled some of the toxic fumes.
Seeing her discomfort, Orion grabbed her hand. "Let's go. To the hospital."
Lemira had only taken a few steps when a team leader cried out, "Lemira, your leg is bleeding!"
She looked down and saw that her calf had been burned and was bleeding at some point, something she hadn't even noticed.
But now, it was starting to hurt.
Seeing the blood on Lemira's calf, Orion swept her up into his arms and strode toward the elevator.
Lemira felt the eyes of her colleagues on them and whispered to Orion, "You can put me down. I can walk on my own."
"It's just a superficial wound, not a broken leg."

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