Chapter 6 - The Futile Rescue
Hearing Valeria's desperate screams, a small group of courageous guests and a few members of the mansion’s catering staff rushed toward the center of the hall. They gathered around the tangled mess of iron and crystal pinning Daniel to the floor.
"On three!" a man in a torn tuxedo shouted, gripping a thick brass arm of the fallen chandelier. "One, two, three!"
The group strained, their faces turning red with exertion as they attempted to lift the massive structure. But it was entirely futile. The chandelier was a solid behemoth of antique metal and dense glass, weighing several tons. It didn't budge even a fraction of an inch.
"It's too heavy!" one of the waiters yelled, stepping back and clutching his strained back. "We need heavy machinery, or we're going to make it worse!"
The head of the mansion's private security team, a burly man named Thomas, pushed through the crowd. He took one look at the trapped man and the expanding pool of blood.
"Call emergency services right now! Tell them we need heavy rescue and hydraulic lifts!" he ordered his subordinate. "And find maintenance. Get crowbars, saws, whatever you can find to cut this metal!"
The situation felt like a horrific, unavoidable nightmare. People were rushing in every direction, shouting orders that were drowned out by the general panic. Valeria knelt beside Daniel, stroking his hair, whispering words of encouragement as he struggled to keep his eyes open. It seemed as though they were dealing with a tragic, unforeseen accident, a terrible twist of fate. Everyone believed the ancient cables had simply given way to time.
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That was, until a chilling, utterly composed voice echoed from the top of the sweeping, dust-covered grand staircase, slicing through the chaos.
"How incredibly disappointing."
