Chapter 9 The Beauty on the Roadside

• Leo didn't get an answer to his question from Damien.
• Resigned, Leo hung up the phone and continued with the investigation.
• At 7 AM, Evan, the second son of the Laines, was brought into the police station for "a chat."
• "Last night, there was a murder on Central Parkway. We discovered that you drove through the area around that time. We need to ask you a few questions, and we appreciate your cooperation," the officer began, very official and to the point.
• "No problem," Evan replied with a smile, his expression calm and casual. He didn't seem the least bit phased as if he really were just there for a friendly visit. Without waiting for the officer to speak again, Evan sat down comfortably.
• "We also found that after 4 AM, your car took longer than usual to pass between two intersections near the Universal Grand Hotel. Did you stop your car during that time?"
• "Yes," Evan answered without hesitation, as direct as could be.
• His cooperation surprised the officer, who had expected more resistance from someone like Evan, a rich young playboy. "And why did you stop?" the officer asked, clearly intrigued by Evan's openness.
• "I saw a beautiful woman ... " Evan raised an eyebrow, his reply straightforward. His voice trailed off at the end, his words hanging in the air as a playful smirk curled on his lips.
• As expected, this situation was turning out to be more interesting than he had imagined.
• In the next room, Damien's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold on the screen.
• Leo's eyes lit up as well. So there was a woman! And not just any woman—one tied to Damien.
• "And then?" the officer pressed, clearly following Leo's direction with his line of questioning.
• "I stopped to chat with her," Evan replied, his smirk widening as he leaned back in his chair. There was an unmistakable knowing glint in his eyes.
• This was connected to Serena after all.
• "You knew her?" the officer continued.
• "Nope." Evan looked up, his gaze meeting the officer's, completely unfazed.
• "You didn't know her, yet you stopped?" The officer looked skeptical.
• "Officer, if you were driving at 4 AM, and saw a stunning, seductive, drop-dead gorgeous woman standing on the roadside, would you keep driving?" Evan's smile deepened, his words dripping with mischief and a hint of something more.
• The officer had no response to that.
• "A stunning, seductive, drop-dead gorgeous woman? Damien, looks like you've got good taste. So, this woman was with you at the hotel last night? Did something happen between you two?" Leo's eyes gleamed with curiosity, his excitement almost palpable.
• Damien's cold gaze shot toward Leo, a chilling glare that carried a deadly threat.
• Leo quickly shut his mouth, realizing he had crossed a line.
• Damien looked terrifying right now.
• "And then?" In the interrogation room, the officer gathered himself and continued.
• "And then ... she ignored me and got into someone else's car," Evan said, telling the truth. At that moment, Serena really hadn't paid him any attention.
• "Officer, since when is failing to chat up a woman a crime that gets you dragged into a police station?" Evan's carefree grin remained, but there was a sharper edge to his words now as if he found the whole situation increasingly amusing.
• Things were getting more and more interesting.
• "Damien, how much of what he's saying do you think is true?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Evan's a fox. I bet there's a lot he's not telling us."
• Damien didn't answer the question. Instead, he shifted gears, giving a new command.
• "Look into Serena Wren, everything you can find, down to the smallest detail."
• "Serena? Why her?" Leo, usually quick on the uptake, was now completely in the dark. "Damien, what on earth is going on?"
• Of course, Damien didn't answer that question either.
• "I want you to handle something else as well," Damien added, his gaze darkening as he leaned toward Leo and quietly gave him instructions.
• "Damien, isn't that a bit harsh? You'll scare Ms. Wren half to death! I've heard she's timid and not exactly the sharpest," Leo's eyes widened as he absorbed what Damien had just said. "Are you sure you want to go that far?"
• Leo could already tell that the engagement party between the Laines and Wrens today was going to be anything but peaceful.
• But in reality, Damien hadn't done anything too extreme. He was just bringing a few inconvenient truths into the light.
• If Serena was truly unaware of what was happening, this would only help her.
• Better to find out now than after she was married.
• A faint smile tugged at Damien's lips, a dangerously charming curve that sent chills down Leo's spine.
• Timid? If the woman from last night was truly Serena, then she was anything but timid!
• Damien wanted to find out if it was really her.
• At the Celestial Grand Hotell, the Laines and Wrens' engagement party was being held in the second-floor ballroom.
• Evan had found a perfectly reasonable excuse to "run into" Serena. When he saw her, dressed impeccably with no hint of anything unusual, his eyebrows shot up, and a sly grin spread across his face. He looked at her like a fox eyeing its prey. "Serena," he greeted with a teasing smile.