***
Meanwhile, Ryan got off the phone with Wayne and followed some policies to the police car. He frowned tightly and seemed sorrowful.
Wayne had been sitting on the police station bench for more than two hours. He kept looking out of the window at the people coming in and out of the police station, his face calm. After seeing the detention notice Ryan gave him, Wayne couldn’t hold back any longer. He raised his head and asked in disbelief, “Detention? Really?”
Ryan nodded and sat down next to Wayne. He paused for a moment before saying, tiredly, “She is a primary suspect in the crime. Many people saw the crime scene, according to statements taken from witnesses. That is enough for the police to arrest her. I just met Anna and told her about it. She seemed fine, and she even asked me to tell you not to worry.”
Wayne shook his head and tightened his fists. He took a few moments to calm down, and then took out his phone to call Karl.
Seeing his movement, Ryan immediately stopped him and said, “I also think it would be better to keep Anna here these days.”
“What?” Wayne wasn’t sure what Ryan was saying. He asked suspiciously, his brow furrowed tightly.
“Bill killed himself, so it meant that he didn’t care about anything anymore. So, I believe Ada forced him to do it. Her goal was to put Anna in jail.” Ryan paused, recalling something that had just occurred, frowned, and said, “So, Ada will undoubtedly have her helpers keep an eye on the progress of that in the coming days, and she’ll worry accidents will happen. If that’s the case, they’ll be relieved after the case is closed. I need time to investigate the situation, so it’s best to keep Anna at the police station for the time being.”
Wayne nodded and put his phone into his pocket. “I can only keep her here for three days,” he thought for a moment before saying slowly. And before Ryan could respond, Wayne had stood up. He walked away, straightening the hem of his slightly wrinkled shirt. After leaving the police station, Wayne called Henry and asked him to send Anna’s belongings over.
When he saw Julia running toward him, Ryan had just walked out of the police station. Panting heavily, Julia stood in front of him with her arms crossed and tried to stop him from leaving. When Julia noticed Ryan’s sad expression, she asked in a low voice, “Didn’t Anna kill the man?”
Ryan frowned, put his hands in his pockets, and glanced at her as if she was an idiot. Julia quickly realized she had said something stupid, so she explained, “I mean, even though we believe Anna, we can’t convince the court. To prove her innocence, we’ll have to provide evidence.”
Ryan nodded, then grinned cunningly and said, “I have the evidence here.”
“What?” Julia couldn’t believe his words and moved closer to him.
Ryan didn’t explain anything. He put his hands in his pockets, shrugged and said, “I only need your help with one thing. Do you want to have dinner now?”
“Huh?” Julia asked, not understanding what he meant. Before she could respond, Ryan had stopped a cab and told her to get in. He mentioned the name of a French restaurant, and the car abruptly changed direction.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ryan looked out of the window with a sorrowful expression. Meanwhile, Julia didn’t know what was going on or what to do. She leaned closer to him and said, “Can’t we just sit here and talk? I’m not particularly hungry.”
Still staring out of the window, Ryan didn’t seem interested in talking to her. After a while, the car stopped in front of a posh French restaurant. Julia followed Ryan and walked into the restaurant, feeling confused.
After entering the restaurant, Ryan sat at the table in the center of the restaurant and ordered a few of his favorite dishes without looking at the menu.
Julia was not in the mood for food: she asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Ryan sipped his lemonade and took a look around. As he set his glass aside, he said slowly, “I’m starving. Let’s talk about it after we finish our meals, shall we?”
Julia frowned, wondering what he would do. Her stomach growled as she looked at the delicious dishes after they were served, which embarrassed her. She sniffed and said, “What a familiar smell,” with a frown.
“You mean the steak?” Ryan asked, raising his brows.
“No. I smelled the familiar perfume,” Julia immediately replied. I’ve smelled this strange perfume somewhere before. But where? Thinking of that, Julia looked at Ryan, perplexed.
“Humph,” Ryan raised an eyebrow. He pushed a flash drive in front of her after finishing the last bite of pasta on his plate. Then he uttered in a serious tone, “This is the only proof I found that can prove Anna is not a murderer. I didn’t dare to make more than one backup because I was afraid someone would steal it. So, I’d like you to keep a backup.”
“You just suspected me of being a bad guy’s accomplice! Why do you want to give me such vital evidence now?” Julia asked, then opened her mouth wide in surprise.
Ryan looked at her strange actions with indifference, aware that the people at the next table were watching them. He then said frankly, “I was just testing you! Now I’m certain you’re not an accomplice to the criminal.” You’re too stupid to be a criminal, anyways. He thought to himself.
“Ah, why?” Julia happily laughed and asked after hearing this.
Ryan thought for a while and said, “I suppose it’s because of your temperament. I don’t think you’re a bad person at all. It is late, so I’ll give you the backup tomorrow. I’d like to ask you to take good care of it.”
“No worries,” Julia replied. She agreed to do this for Ryan because he had just complimented her.
Ryan cracked a smile. He put the flash drive in his pocket, stood up, and said, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. Take your time.” He then turned and walked toward the restroom.
Julia smiled and nodded. She had just cut a piece of beef and was about to eat it when she caught a whiff of the familiar perfume again. After turning around, she saw a tall woman quickly walking toward the restroom.
After he left the cubical, Ryan washed his hands at the sink. At that moment, a person dressed extravagantly approached him.
After smelling the perfume, Ryan saw a woman in the mirror. The woman had long hair and was in heavy makeup. She was dressed in a long, low-cut gown that made her body look even sexier.
Then Ryan noticed that the woman was also staring at him, and they locked their gazes in the mirror. The woman then winked at him, giving him goosebumps. Not wanting to stay there any longer, Ryan quickly began to wash his hands and tried to leave. When he turned around, the woman beside him was also about to leave.
To his surprise, the next second, she stepped on something, stumbled, and collapsed on top of Ryan. Before Ryan could react, the woman had already placed her hands around his neck, and Ryan could feel her hot breath as they were close to each other.
“Oops!” The lady exclaimed.
At the same time, Julia finished eating her dish, including the broccoli and cherry tomatoes on the side of her plate. She waited a little longer before she realized something had gone wrong.
A moment of hesitation later, she moved ahead to the restroom. And she was surprised to find the men’s restroom door locked and to hear a woman panting.
Speechless, she frowned and clenched her fist tightly. After a brief thought, she raised her hand and slammed the door anyway, shouting, “Hey, it’s Julia! Are you in there? Is that you? If you have a date, just tell me in advance! Why are you in such a rush? I’ll count down to three now. I will let security open the door if you do not come out!”
“Three, two…”
The door handle turned before she could say “one,” and a man emerged immediately after. He was tall and thin, wearing a sports suit and a baseball cap that covered his face.
Julia froze when she realized that man wasn’t Ryan. She said as she widened her eyes in surprise, “Sorry! I thought you were someone else.”
The man did not appear offended and just smiled wickedly at Julia. Julia could tell he was attractive, although his face was obscured.
“It’s fine. I’m done with what I needed to do anyway.” He then strode out, holding the massive gym bag in his hand. Julia smelled that perfume again as he was leaving. Something occurred to her that sent shivers down her spine at that moment. Shaking her head, Julia frowned and dashed into the restroom.
The instant she entered the restroom, she noticed blood on the door of the cubicle farthest away from her, which was conspicuous within the large, clean restroom. Julia didn’t have time to think before rushing over and pushing open the door.
Then a man that was covered in blood on the floor of the cubicle came into her view. He was lying on the toilet lid unconsciously, kneeling.
Julia quickly recognized Ryan based on the clothes he was wearing. In fear, Julia bowed and poked his back with her finger. She assumed he’d passed out. To her surprise, he slowly straightened up while holding the toilet lid with one hand.
As Ryan bled from his head and blood splattered on his shirt, Julia was taken aback. Meanwhile, Ryan didn’t seem to mind that. He wiped the blood from his face and walked out of the cubicle, holding the door open.
“What the hell is going on? Let me take you to the hospital.” Julia followed Ryan and said anxiously.
After the two of them left the restroom, the restaurant manager approached and said with anxiety, “It will take 20 minutes for the ambulance to get here. I’ll get someone to take you to the hospital.”
In no time, they walked out of the restaurant and into the underground garage.
***
By the time Ryan finished treating his wounds in the hospital, Julia was already curious and desperate to discover what had happened. So, as soon as others left, she asked him, “What happened to you at the restaurant? Did that attractive man hit you?”
“Wasn’t that a woman?” Ryan asked, looking at her.
“What? A woman? The person who walked out was clearly a man! Why did he hit you?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.