Chapter 228: Smokescreen
That suggestive expression only lingered on the man’s face for a second. Leon Grant quickly returned to his usual self-satisfied state.
"Nina, you see things so clearly. An extremist criminal, no matter how real or deep his love is, can’t be chosen as a partner. He has to be rejected."
He echoed Nina Halloway’s words, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile. "Nina, you should really consider me. We’ve known each other for years, and you know my family background. We know each other inside and out. Plus, I would never cheat on you like your ex-fiancé did. Loyalty is a guarantee I can give you. Other than you, I’m not interested in any other woman."
Nina Halloway watched him thoughtfully, her red lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something. But after a moment’s hesitation, she decided to wait and see.
Seeing her hesitation, Leon Grant eagerly began to sell himself. "Nina, you didn’t reject me outright this time. Does that mean you’re starting to like me a little?"
"Mr. Grant, Jaden’s life is on the line. I’m not in the mood to think about romance right now."
"So you’re still thinking about him? Even after he betrayed you and cheated on you, you still can’t forget him?"
"That’s a completely different matter."
"You’ve been looking worried ever since you walked into this private room. I don’t get it. What’s so great about a man who’s unfaithful?"
’A man like that should be cut into a thousand pieces. Death would be too good for him.’
"You don’t understand. Jaden and I grew up together. We’ve known each other for over twenty years."
Nina Halloway knew she shouldn’t hold onto any illusions about Jaden. His cheating and his lack of love for her had made her furious and despondent, but you can’t force matters of the heart.
They were destined not to be husband and wife, but she didn’t want Jaden to lose his life over this.
"I don’t want anything to happen to him. We’re over, and we won’t have anything to do with each other in the future. But if the Masked Man hurts him, that ill-fated connection between us will entangle me endlessly. His family will blame me, and I’ll be forever burdened by guilt and unease."
She looked at Leon Grant across from her, her gaze incredibly resolute.
These words were undoubtedly meant for Leon Grant, and he was aware of it.
He chuckled. "The police have been treating me as a suspect. They even have plainclothes officers tailing and watching me. They’re in a van across from the restaurant right now."
"Nina, do you think I’m the Masked Man, too?"
"What you just said... it’s like you’re treating me as the Masked Man, implicitly warning me not to hurt Jaden."
"I had an alibi when you were kidnapped. You can’t all suspect me just because I like you and am devoted to you, can you? This is so unfair!"
Listening to the man’s string of complaints, Nina Halloway’s head began to spin.
She had been a celebrity for several years, and though she’d been harassed by obsessive fans before, neither she nor those around her had ever been physically harmed. This time was different. The Masked Man had killed someone.
She still suspected Leon Grant.
She thought of the basement where she’d been held captive. Flashing through her mind was an image of the collection room in Leon Grant’s house, filled with skin-crawling animal taxidermy...
"Do you have any other residences besides the one at The Metropolis?"
All the units at The Metropolis were duplexes. Although each household had a separate basement for storage, none were larger than twenty square meters. They were located on the level below the garage, one right next to the other, making it unlikely that one could be used to hold someone captive.
Based on her memory of the kidnapping, the basement she was in felt more like one in a standalone house.
"Of course! I have several properties to my name."
"Do you have a villa?"
Leon Grant nodded.
"How many?"
"Why the sudden interest in my properties?"
"No reason. I’m just asking."
"Are you suspecting that I’ve imprisoned Jaden in the basement of one of my villas?"
Leon Grant guessed her thoughts and, instead of getting angry, he smiled. "I have three standalone houses to my name. If you’re curious, or if you think I’ve imprisoned Jaden, I can take you to see them right now. Do you dare?"
Nina Halloway’s heart skipped a beat. A little flustered, she instinctively glanced at Ethan Austin.
His expression was calm, but he gave her a look, warning her not to act rashly.
But she still wanted to go see Leon Grant’s standalone houses. She remembered that when the Masked Man tattooed her lower back, he had taken her out of the basement. The entire tattooing process had taken place in an enclosed room.
The room’s decor was simple, industrial style, with solid black curtains—very similar to the style of Leon Grant’s home in The Metropolis.
"To prove my innocence, I’m more than willing to show you all the properties I own. I can handle being suspected by the police, but I don’t want Nina to keep doubting me."
Leon Grant said with a completely open expression, "Come and see for yourself. I’m not the Masked Man. I have nothing to be afraid of."
After a moment of indecision, Nina Halloway ignored Ethan Austin’s warning and said to Leon Grant, "Fine. Take me to see them."
"Alright. But I have a condition."
"What condition?"
"Your personal bodyguard can’t come along."
Nina Halloway’s heart tightened. Before she could make a decision, Ethan Austin could no longer hold back. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away by force.
"Ethan, let go."
"It’s getting late. Boss, if you’re done eating, we should be heading back."
"I said, let go."
Ethan Austin ignored her, his brows furrowed as he grabbed her coat and draped it over her shoulders. Before he could put her hat and mask on her, she snatched them away and pushed him back.
"You have the night off. Go home first."
Ethan Austin’s temper flared. "If we’re going back, we’re going back together."
"I’m ordering you to leave now."
"Boss, now is not the time to be willful."
"I’m not being willful."
She just wanted to see Leon Grant’s villas and confirm whether one of them was the place where the Masked Man had held her. She didn’t think she would be in any danger. Leon Grant had just said that plainclothes officers were tailing him.
’With the police watching him secretly, Leon Grant wouldn’t dare cross the line, even if he had a hundred times the nerve.’
"Ethan, I know what I’m doing. Be good and go home. Wait for me there."
With that, she stopped arguing with Ethan Austin, took off the overcoat he had draped on her, and hung it back on the coat rack.
She stuffed the mask into the overcoat’s pocket, hung up the hat, and sat back down in her original seat to continue her meal with Leon Grant.
Ethan Austin stood frozen in place, not leaving.
"What are you worried about?" Leon Grant looked at him with a smile. "It’s not like I’m going to eat your boss, am I? There are several police officers watching me outside. Even if I really were the Masked Man, do you think I’m stupid enough to commit a crime knowing plainclothes officers are tailing me?"
"Just because you say plainclothes officers are tailing you, does that make it true?"
Ethan Austin didn’t believe Leon Grant. He suspected it was just a smokescreen Leon was intentionally putting up.
Nina Halloway was too worried about Jaden’s safety and could easily be tricked by Leon Grant. But his own mind was clear. In any case, he hadn’t personally seen any plainclothes officers on surveillance. He only trusted what he could see for himself.