Chapter 73: New Pursuer, Purpose Unknown
Lucas reached out and grabbed my wrist firmly.
The noisy music around us seemed to fade away at that moment. I could clearly smell the rich aroma of whiskey on him, mixed with the cool cologne he usually wore.
"Isabella." He murmured softly, my name in his mouth like a grain of sand in an oyster shell—it hurt him, yet he couldn't bear to let go.
"I don't want to..." The words that followed seemed to be "divorce," but his voice was too low, and I suspected I'd heard wrong.
"Bella!" Karen grabbed me worriedly and looked at Lucas warily. "Marcus is coming over!"
I immediately snapped back to reality and struggled hard against Lucas's grip, but he wouldn't let go. Instead, he rested his head on my shoulder, rubbing against it restlessly.
He held me in a half-embrace with a forceful attitude, his hot breath brushing against my skin, making me shiver.
"Let go of me!" My whole body stiffened.
Lucas actually licked me!
Jonas came over to pull Lucas away. "Lucas, let's go. You don't want to get shot again, do you!"
"I'm not leaving!" Lucas clung to me stubbornly.
I used the same move I'd used on Mason to force Lucas to let go, then pulled Karen into the crowd.
Marcus walked toward us and glanced toward the dance floor. "Bella, did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened." I instinctively denied it. "I'm tired, Marcus. Let's go home."
Marcus hadn't had enough fun yet, but he still went home with me.
I had dreams about Lucas all night. When I woke up the next day, I felt a bit down.
In the morning, shortly after I arrived at the office, James knocked and came in. "Someone reported that our alcohol contains illegal drugs. Sheriff Edgar Sinclair is in the lobby on the first floor, demanding to inspect our wine cellar. He also asked to see you."
I looked up at James and twirled the pen in my hand. "A report? Interesting. Do we know the identity of the person who reported it?"
"We're investigating." James looked serious. "Edgar has been evasive. He's tight-lipped and won't reveal anything unless he sees you."
I leaned back in my chair. "Edgar—I remember he's the newly appointed sheriff. His father is a governor who has good relations with the Thornfield family in Dawnharbor."
Platinum Haven Hotel wasn't under the jurisdiction of Edgar's police station. His sudden visit had unclear motives.
"Does he want to see the Vice Chairman of Platinum Haven Hotel, or does he want to see Isabella?" I asked.
James looked a bit confused. "Aren't both of those identities you?"
"If he wants to see the hotel's Vice Chairman, I'm very busy and don't have time to meet with a minor sheriff. As long as he has a legal search warrant, let him search the wine cellar." I instructed. "If it's the other identity, what benefit do I get from meeting him?"
James understood. "Until we figure out his purpose, I won't let him come and disturb you."
Later, the identity of the person who made the report was discovered. It was a hotel guest, but this person had booked a room for three days without staying. The so-called report was clearly fake—someone was deliberately targeting us.
And Edgar seemed to know exactly what the report was about. He brought a bunch of police officers to the wine cellar, walked around, and left without doing anything, only asking James to pass me his business card.
I glanced at the card and casually put it in my card holder. I didn't expect Gale to suddenly bring up this person at dinner and even encourage me to meet with him.
My thoughts raced, but I couldn't figure out what aspect of Edgar was worth cooperating with, so I humbly asked Gale for advice.
I wasn't like Gale. Gale had received heir training since childhood, so his vision was definitely more far-reaching than mine.
Gale looked at my earnest expression and, after a few seconds of silence, gave me Edgar's personal information.
The file included Edgar's family background, education, hobbies, asset assessment, and romantic history. I read it carefully from beginning to end, but still didn't understand what Gale meant.
Gale ruffled my hair and said dryly, "The best way to forget a relationship is to start a new one."
I was speechless. So this was actually information about a potential date?
"I'm not planning to date anyone right now. Pharmaceuticals and making money are more interesting." I put down the file and interrupted him before Gale could try to persuade me. "You've reminded me, though, Gale—you've been single for a long time, right? Don't you like anyone? Tonight I'll put together a list of eligible women in Starstream City, and starting tomorrow, you can go on a blind date with one person each day."
"That won't be necessary." Gale interrupted. "Let's pretend I never brought this up."
The next day, Edgar came again.
He sent me a bouquet of flowers and a VIP ticket to a musical, asking James to relay a message: he wanted to meet me as an ordinary suitor, unrelated to work or our family backgrounds.
I had James turn him down and didn't accept the flowers or the musical ticket.
On the third day, Edgar came again. I still refused to see him, but James said he was very gracious and showed no sign of impatience.
On the fourth day, Edgar came to Platinum Haven Hotel after work. When I went to the underground parking garage, the elevator stopped briefly on the first floor, and I happened to see him.
He was talking to James and didn't see me.
I observed him carefully for a few seconds.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I seemed to see him turn his head.
After leaving the hotel, I headed to an upscale restaurant—I still owed Jonas a meal.
I walked up the spiral staircase lined with flowers to the top floor and entered a private room. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was a brilliantly lit street scene, and at the long table by the window sat Jonas, dressed to the nines.
"Are you going to walk the red carpet?" My steps hesitated as I entered.
Jonas raised an eyebrow. "Don't I look good? I spent the whole afternoon getting ready to impress you."
"Very handsome, like a movie star." I gave him a compliment and sat down in the chair he pulled out for me.
"Do you know the owner of this restaurant?" I asked.
This restaurant called "Blossom Élysée" had delicious food but wasn't very popular because its hours were completely irregular, depending entirely on the owner's mood. For Jonas to get a reservation, it probably wasn't just good luck.
Sure enough, Jonas nodded. "He's a friend's younger brother." He handed me an off-white membership card. "If you want to eat here in the future, you can come anytime."
"Thank you!" I quite liked this gift. As I was thinking about what to give in return, I heard Jonas say, "I heard a lot of people have been pursuing you lately."
I replied, "I wouldn't call it pursuit—they're just making their presence known."
Edgar's pursuit seemed to have set an example for others. Many people were taking the opportunity to curry favor with me. Very few were sincere; most were after my family background and wealth.
"You haven't accepted any of their invitations, but you agreed to have dinner with me. I hope those guys will be smart enough to stop bothering you starting tomorrow." Jonas said with a grin.
Jonas was getting cocky after getting what he wanted. "You don't need to thank me too much. Just remember to let me try your cooking next time."
He still hadn't given up. I smiled and nodded in agreement.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. But it wasn't a waiter who came in—it was Lucas and Amelia.