I looked at him, a smile tugging at my lips. "Thank you, Jason. You really didn't have to do all this."
He shrugged, his smirk softening. "It's the least I could do, especially after what we just went through. Life-and-death situations have a way of putting things in perspective."
I bit my lip, feeling a strange mix of emotions I couldn't quite name. "I hope it didn't stress you out too much," I said, eyeing the sheer number of pastries he had brought. The bag was nearly bursting with an assortment of croissants, muffins, and danishes.
Jason chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "Nah, it's not even that far."
****
Vincent in the far corner looked at it, his eyebrows twitching.
Isn't that far? Just downtown?
He recognized the bakery name. It was an exclusive bakery that baked goodies for the Lincoln family and all other top notch people, eating it is like tasting an heavenly realm.
And he is saying it as if…it's nothing.
Vincent was trying his best to keep his eyebrows from twitching.
****
"Besides," he paused, opening the bag wider for me to see, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I figured bringing a little bit of everything would cover it."
I couldn't help but laugh, the sound surprising me. "A little bit of everything? Jason, if I eat all this, I'll turn into a balloon. And I'll probably need another hospital room after dealing with a running stomach."
He grinned, the humor lighting up his bruised face. "Better to have too much than not enough, right?"
"Right," I agreed, reaching for a flaky almond croissant. I took a bite, the rich flavor melting on my tongue. It was the first thing I'd eaten since waking up, and the sweetness was comforting. "This is really good," I mumbled, covering my mouth as I chewed.
Jason leaned back in his chair, watching me with a satisfied expression. "Told you," he said, stretching out his legs. He glanced down at his cast and flexed his fingers absentmindedly.
"Does it hurt?" I asked, nodding to his hand.
He raised an eyebrow. "What, this?" He held up the cast, a crooked grin forming. "You're not going to believe it, but I'm pretty sure it hurts less than having to listen to Vincent snore for the past few hours."
Vincent, who had been quietly observing the exchange, scowled. "I do not snore, sir."
Jason smirked. "Keep telling yourself that."
I stifled another laugh, feeling more at ease than I thought possible given everything that had happened.
"Actually you do and I bet you can sleep through an alarm."
Vincent huffed, crossing his arms against his chest.
The room fell into a comfortable silence, the three of us momentarily forgetting the chaos that had brought us here.
But then Jason's gaze turned serious, his eyes meeting mine. "You really scared me back there, Kiara," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
I set the pastry down, my smile fading. "I scared myself too," I admitted. The memory of being trapped, the ceiling caving in, the moment I thought I might actually die—it all came flooding back. I looked at him, at the exhaustion hidden behind his eyes, and realized he must have been reliving something too.
Jason's jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something more. But he just looked away, his expression unreadable. "We'll talk about it later," he said finally. "Right now, just focus on getting better."
I nodded, unable to shake the feeling that there was more he wanted to say. But whatever it was, it would have to wait.
The silence hung between us, a quiet reminder of what we'd just survived. I glanced at Jason's hand, then back up at him. "Do they know what caused the earthquake?" I asked, trying to focus on something practical, anything to push away the lingering fear.
Jason's eyes darkened for a moment, and he exhaled slowly. "Preliminary reports say it was a natural shift, but it felt… different. Unpredictable. They're still investigating."
Vincent, who had been shifting in his chair, suddenly leaned forward, eyes darting to the bag of pastries. He reached out slowly, fingers hovering above a chocolate croissant.
Without missing a beat, Jason slapped his hand away. "Those aren't for you, Vincent."
Vincent flinched back, a mock-offended look crossing his face. "Hey! I've been here all night. A man needs to eat too."
Jason shot him a sidelong glance, his smirk returning. "There's a vending machine down the hall. Knock yourself out."
I laughed, unable to help it, and Vincent rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine. But don't expect me to keep watch next time."
"i will increase your pay," Jason said dryly, before turning back to me.
"I shall keep watch whenever you want me sir." He added.
Jason expression softened as he continued. "They're saying the building's foundation was compromised. But you were right, but they are hiding something and I hate being kept in the dark." His tone shifted, his eyes probing, as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle.
I felt a chill run through me. "Yeah," I admitted, "It is a big mall owned by a politician, from what I heard."
From what I remembered, there were leakage in the walls, also the building had been falling apart for a long time.
It's strange I did not remember all these and still entered the mall.
He studied me for a moment, indifference written all over his face as he stared at me in thought.
I looked away, reaching for another pastry to distract myself.
The warm sweetness of it filled my mouth, but it did little to calm the storm of thoughts racing through my head.
Vincent, apparently unfazed by Jason's earlier swat, cleared his throat. "I heard this place is considering a full review of their safety standards after what happened. Lots of buildings might need to be checked."
Jason nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "They'll have to. This won't be the last shake they face."
I glanced at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
He hesitated, then leaned in closer, his voice low. "Just a feeling. Call it… instinct." His eyes met mine, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of worry behind the usual confidence.
I narrowed my eyes. "You're not telling me everything."
"There is nothing to say—"
Then a knock came, interrupting whatever he wanted to add.
The door slowly opened, my eyebrows dipped when Jessica and Gabriel stepped in.