Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: Is It Jasper Linden?
"..." Renee Sinclair didn’t say a word, just turned and walked away with a sour look on her face.
The police pulled the recent surveillance footage from the building’s ground floor and discovered a highly suspicious figure.
In the last half-month, the figure had appeared four times. Each time, he was completely covered, revealing only a faint glimpse of his eyes.
"This person is probably not a resident of this complex. Every time he shows up, he only stops at the building entrance and never goes upstairs." The lead officer pointed at the computer screen with a serious expression. "Judging by his build, he appears to be a tall man. Mr. Preston, please take a close look and see if you can figure out who he is."
Felix Preston pushed up his glasses with the knuckle of his index finger, frowning as he leaned in toward the computer screen, staring intently at the blurry figure.
The man was bundled up, dressed in black from head to toe, his face completely obscured. Identifying such a person was incredibly difficult. Plus, Felix Preston had met so many people over the years; he didn’t think he could possibly guess who this was from among them all.
"I can’t tell," Felix Preston said, shaking his head honestly. "I’ve met too many people with a similar build. I have no idea who he could be based on just this silhouette."
"What about Mrs. Preston?" The officer turned to Sonia Quincy. "Mrs. Preston, why don’t you come take a look as well?"
"Okay." Sonia walked over and joined Felix Preston in watching the surveillance footage on the computer.
Standing beside Sonia Quincy, the officer suddenly asked, "Mrs. Preston, have you offended anyone recently?"
’Offended anyone?’ ’There are far too many to count.’
The original villainess had raised hell all over Aethelburg, offending countless people over the years.
"Umm..." As embarrassing as it was, Sonia Quincy had to admit it. "I... I’ve offended quite a lot of people..."
The officer’s eyes widened in surprise. "Among all those people, are there any who hold a particularly big grudge against you?"
Sonia Quincy nodded. "Yes."
The officer: "For example?"
Sonia Quincy: "...There’s a lot of ’for examples’."
"...Huh?" The officer was a little confused.
"What Miss Sonia Quincy means is that she has deep-seated conflicts with a lot of people." Renee Sinclair had been standing in the back for a while, and she finally found an opportunity to take a jab at Sonia. She toyed with her long, wavy hair, a mocking smile plain on her face. "Mr. Lockwood, you probably don’t know this, but this Miss Sonia Quincy here has a very peculiar personality. There are plenty of people in Aethelburg who have major feuds with her."
"Renee Sinclair." Her words clearly displeased Felix Preston. He put an arm around Sonia Quincy’s shoulder and shot Renee a glare.
"..." The smug look on Renee Sinclair’s face froze instantly, and she was thoroughly annoyed.
Felix Preston ignored her and turned to the officer before him, asking in confusion, "Mr. Lockwood, why the sudden question? Does this person have some connection to my wife?"
The officer’s face was grim as he nodded. "In the last half-month, this person has appeared outside the studio building four times. Three of those times, he arrived by following Mrs. Preston. The moment Mrs. Preston enters the building, he stops at the entrance and never follows her inside."
"That’s why I think it’s more likely he has a grudge against Mrs. Preston."
"A grudge against me?" Sonia Quincy was both shocked and bewildered. "But... the people I’ve offended are usually women. I don’t really have feuds with men."
"Besides, if he has a grudge against me, why didn’t he run me over? Why go after an innocent Felix Preston instead?"
"That’s precisely what I find confusing," the officer said. "If this man held a grudge against you, then you should have been the one he ran over. But from the hospital’s surveillance footage, it looks like his intended target for revenge was Mr. Preston from the very beginning."
"He has a grudge against you, but he takes revenge on Mr. Preston. I can only think of one possibility."
Sonia Quincy looked at him nervously. "What is it?"
The officer said, "It’s a lover’s grudge."
"A lover’s grudge?" The term left Sonia Quincy even more bewildered. She racked her brain and could only think of one person—
"Jasper Linden?"
"Who is Jasper Linden?" The officer was instantly on alert.
"..." Sonia Quincy glanced at the expressionless Felix Preston and stammered, "My... my first love. I, uh... dumped him once."
The officer: "Do you have a photo of him?"
Sonia Quincy shook her head. "I don’t."
The officer then ordered his subordinate, "Abbott, look up this Jasper Linden."
Abbott: "Yes, sir!"
Running background checks was a time-consuming task. After waiting for a while and seeing that it was getting late, Sonia Quincy took the initiative to go out and buy dinner for everyone at the studio.
Lynn Preston was now Sonia Quincy’s little shadow, so when Sonia prepared to go out, Lynn naturally stuck close to her.
SLAM!
The studio door closed behind them. Renee Sinclair, who had been sitting in a chair, waited a moment before suddenly standing up. "Felix, I’m stepping out to make a call."
Felix Preston was engrossed in his work on the computer, rushing to finish an order. Hearing her, he didn’t even glance up, just gave a cold "Mmm."
Renee Sinclair took her phone and left.
The complex where the studio was located was rather old, with several restaurants near the entrance that had been in business for more than a decade. Sonia Quincy and Lynn Preston picked a random one to get some takeout for dinner.
Ever since she got pregnant, Sonia Quincy had been dealing with intense cravings; she was powerless whenever she saw all sorts of snacks. While they were waiting for their dinner order, she told Lynn Preston she’d be right back and slipped out to buy something for herself to eat.
"Here you go, miss. Your pork loin flatbread." The vendor handed a heavy plastic bag to Sonia Quincy.
"Thanks." Sonia Quincy took the steaming hot flatbread and eagerly took a huge bite. The pastry was crispy, and the meat and vegetable filling was savory and spicy. Sonia was practically swooning from the deliciousness.
She was eating for two now that she was pregnant, so she decided to go buy something else to eat.
"Sonia Quincy."
Sonia Quincy had just ordered a steamer of soup dumplings when Renee Sinclair suddenly appeared behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around, the pork loin flatbread still in her mouth, and asked irritably, "What do you want?"
Renee Sinclair: "Let’s talk."
Sonia Quincy agreed readily, but with one condition: "We can talk after I get my soup dumplings."
Renee Sinclair: "..."
Fortunately, the soup dumplings were ready quickly, so Renee Sinclair didn’t have to wait long.
"What’s there to talk about?" Sonia Quincy asked, following her to a less crowded corner while still eating her flatbread.
Renee Sinclair flicked her long, loose hair, and the faint fragrance from it unexpectedly wafted into Sonia Quincy’s face. Sonia frowned, her expression one of exasperation.
"Sonia Quincy, don’t you think you’re a burden?" Renee Sinclair said with a smirk.
Sonia Quincy: "Why would you say that?"
"Hmph," Renee Sinclair scoffed. "As if you don’t know why."
