Right after Leanna returned to the studio, Zoe came up to her and dragged her into the pantry. "So, what did the cops say? Did they get any clues?"
Leanna shook her head. "No. They just asked me some basic questions."
Zoe clicked her tongue. "That Elliot guy probably had a lot of enemies. It's gonna be hard to find who's the killer."
Feeling rather thirsty, Leanna grabbed a cup and poured herself some water. "I saw Queenie, by the way."
"Why was she there?"
"Same reason I was there." Leanna took a swig of water before continuing, "But I think…"
"What? Did you notice something?" asked Zoe.
Leanna snapped out of it and shook her head. "It's nothing. We should wait for the results."
"I called Jamie. We're gonna hang out at the bar we went to last time. You wanna come? I got Daniel with me. Why don't you call Aidan, too?"
"Better not. He's still angry at me."
It had been nearly a day, but Aidan didn't even give her a call or text. She texted him good morning earlier, but he still hadn't replied to her.
Happily, Zoe said, "Cool. Let's go, then. We can let loose without him around."
Leanna heaved a sigh. "You guys have fun. I'll have to get through the pile of drafts."
Well, work is the top priority. "Sure. Don't burn the midnight oil, though. Don't stress yourself out," Zoe reminded.
Leanna smiled. "Sure."
She spent the whole afternoon in the office coming up with a few drafts. Once she was done with the last one, she stretched her arms. Whoa, it's already dark outside. What's the time? Whoa, eleven? That's late. She looked at her phone, but there were still no texts from Aidan. He's so petty, she grumbled in silence before she packed her stuff and left the office, calling Jonathan at the same time.
Once the call connected, Jonathan asked, "How may I help you, Miss McKinney?"
Leanna asked, "Is Aidan still at work?"
"Yes, he is. Things have been hectic lately. He's been calling meetings the whole day."
"I see. So, where's he staying over the last couple of days? Castor Villa or the condo in the city center?"
Jonathan had no idea why she asked that, but he knew she didn't really like Castor Villa, so he answered tentatively, "The condominium, I believe."
"I see. Good luck at work."
She hung up and locked the door before getting into her car and driving her way to the condominium.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was still holding his phone with a baffled expression. Ten minutes later, Aidan emerged from the conference hall, and Jonathan went up to him. "President Pearson, Mrs. Pearson just called."
"What did she say?" Aidan asked.
"She wanted to know if you were still working." Jonathan recounted the whole conversation, including his answer. "I told her, yes, and I said you've been working the whole day."
Oh, I haven't replied to her good morning text. He whipped his phone out and looked at Jonathan. "Is that all?"
"No." Jonathan thought back to the call. "She also asked whether you've been staying in Castor Villa or the condo."
Aidan frowned. "So, what did you answer?"
"The condo."
Aidan pressed his lips together and stopped in his tracks. He took a sharp turn and entered the elevator. On his way to the condominium, he had called Leanna a few times, but she didn't take them. "Drive faster," he ordered the driver coldly.
In the meantime, Leanna had set her phone to silent during work and had forgotten to change the setting. Her eyes were on the road, so she had no idea calls were coming in. Once she parked her car at the complex, she turned around and saw that the black car was still tailing her.
She got out of the car, ignoring the stalker. Then, she went straight to the condominium. It was late at night, and not a single soul was out. Dark silence draped itself over the neighborhood. She was about to enter the complex when she saw a familiar figure nearby. It made her freeze for a moment. She tried to have a closer look, but the lights were too dim for her to recognize who it was. Without thinking, she went after that silhouette.
Just a bit closer, and I can see who it is. However, before she could call out to the silhouette, Aidan appeared before her.
His breathing was ragged. It was as if he had been running all the way here.
She stared at him in confusion.
Despite being out of breath, Aidan looked as calm as usual and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Just… passing by." Shoot. Why am I getting distracted? She then shoved him away, but the silhouette was long gone.
"You seem to have taken a long detour, though," he commented flatly.
Alright, he's being sarcastic again. She replied in all her seriousness, "Probably because I was blind for a while."
She was about to leave, but he held her arm. Slowly, he said, "And you might still be blind. Don't run around."
Dammit, Leanna cursed in silence.
"Under such circumstances, you should seek help from me. I could have given you a ride home."
"I'd rather call the cops. They're more reliable."
"You sure you won't ask me for help?" Aidan queried.
"I won't."
"Fine. Then, you're coming home with me," he answered.
Gee, A+ for comprehension.
His hand moved downward, and their fingers interlocked.
Leanna closed her eyes. "That's enough. We're still in a fight, you know."
"I don't remember us fighting." Unfazed, Aidan took her into the complex. Since she came to me, she's better not thinking about running away.
After they entered the elevator, she tried to pull her hand out but failed. I give up. She stared at the rising floor number and asked, "I think I saw Celia. Is she here as well?"
He spared her a glance before answering coolly, "You need to get your eyes checked."
She chuckled. "I could have caught up to her if you hadn't shown up. That person looked like her."
"Have you been rushing drafts the whole afternoon?"
"Huh? Yeah, but—"
"You have overworked your eyes and were probably hallucinating. Don't worry about it, though. Your eyes will get better after some rest."
I am not worried about anything. F*ck it. He's not gonna tell me anything useful. She ignored him and tried to pull her hand out once more.
Just when she was finally breaking free, Aidan pulled her into his embrace. With a voice as soft as a whisper, he said, "There's a surveillance camera here. Don't get handsy."
I am most certainly not going to get handsy!
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