CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: SHE DOESN’T KNOW YOU!

East District Police Station.

The interrogating officer looked at Adrian Lockwood with a perplexed expression, "So, you mean to say, you don’t know him, but you beat him up?"

Adrian Lockwood’s face was clouded, silent.

It was an impulse.

The fire ignited by Serena Sinclair exploded in that instant he saw the man reach out to grab her.

He charged at him in a fit of rage.

It wasn’t until the police arrived that he suddenly calmed down.

Adrian Lockwood knew he had lost control.

He wasn’t like this before.

Subordinates privately discussed how he was aloof and indifferent.

Friends always said he was forever composed and calm, like a flawlessly programmed robot.

Even Serena said she loved his steadiness and reliability.

To lose control in public, acting on impulse, wasn’t like him.

Striking someone in a crowded place was even less like him.

Where did it all go wrong?

Adrian Lockwood couldn’t figure it out.

The interrogation room door opened, and another officer, even more taken aback, said, "Serena Sinclair says she doesn’t know you. Do you have any other family members?"

Startled, Adrian Lockwood’s eyes were filled with wrath.

Such a serious issue, and Serena was ignoring it?

Did she really not understand the repercussions on The Lockwood Group if news got out that he had assaulted someone in public and ended up at the station?

It was all for her!

If that bastard hadn’t laid hands on her, would he have rushed in to hit him?

How could she be so unfeeling?

With a sullen face, Adrian Lockwood reported another phone number.

More than ten minutes later, Zoe Lockwood arrived in a whirlwind.

"Bro!"

Zoe Lockwood screamed involuntarily, as if only realizing at that moment that the person on the other end of the phone was truly an officer, and the officer hadn’t lied to her, "What on earth happened?"

The man who got hit was Aaron Alden, a professor from the engineering department of Aethelgard University.

Whether from the footage caught by surveillance cameras or from Aaron Alden’s testimony, the facts were clear.

Aaron Alden was on a date with Una Hutton when Una’s friend arrived, and he warmly invited Una’s friend to join them.

Then, Adrian Lockwood rushed out, unilaterally assaulting him without a word.

A swollen and bruised face.

The black-framed glasses perched on his nose had one leg broken.

Aaron Alden appeared frail and pitiful.

The medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional damages were amicably settled.

Both parties left the police station close to midnight.

Having learned the assailant was President Lockwood of The Lockwood Group.

And receiving a generous compensation from Zoe Lockwood.

Aaron Alden’s indignation dissolved into gentle rain and breeze, "A misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding... President Lockwood, rest assured, even if I were lent 100 gall, I wouldn’t dare lay hands on your wife! Today was all just a misunderstanding!"

"I’m Una Hutton’s boyfriend, and I suppose after today, we know each other now..."

The brief interest sparked by seeing Serena’s face extinguished entirely upon learning her identity.

Aaron Alden thumped his chest and said, "President Lockwood, are you having a spat with Mrs. Lockwood? Couples fight on one side of the bed and make up on the other, just communicate well. If Mrs. Lockwood ever comes to Aethelgard to visit Una, I’ll notify you immediately, okay?"

Seeing Aaron Alden’s sycophantic face, Adrian Lockwood shot him a chilly glance, then turned and left.

The red sports car roared out of the police station, with Aaron Alden still nodding and smiling in the rearview mirror.

Reflecting on like-minded people, Una Hutton being Serena’s best friend, having a boyfriend like this kind of lowered his standards by countless notches.

Adrian Lockwood’s face was clouded, he turned to Zoe Lockwood and asked, "Got a cigarette?"

"Women’s, want one?"

Zoe Lockwood raised her head slightly.

Adrian Lockwood rummaged through the glove box, lit a cigarette, and opened the car window.

The night breeze was cool, and the cigarette between his fingers flickered gently.

Adrian Lockwood’s expression was somber.

His mind was filled with the resolute image of Serena Sinclair pulling Una Hutton out of the bar without looking back.

And the police officer’s words, she says she doesn’t know you!

"Bro, where are you going?"

The sports car returned to the bar, Adrian Lockwood pulled out his own car from the parking lot and sped off with a roar.

Zoe Lockwood’s urgent call was drowned in the wind.

Adrian Lockwood drove to the hotel where Serena had stayed.

It was late at night; the receptionist and manager were exhausted from explaining.

After Serena checked out, many guests had stayed in that room, and it had been cleaned several times.

Not even Adrian Lockwood could find any trace of Serena, nor could the police.

But Adrian Lockwood didn’t believe it.

In desperation, the manager braced himself, upgraded the guests in the room to a night view suite on the top floor, and escorted them upstairs with a bowed head, then ushered Adrian Lockwood over.

The modest ten-square-meter room was smaller than the bathroom in The Lockwood Villa.

The bed was a mess.

Unfinished instant noodles sat on the table.

Without entering, he could tell finding any clues about Serena’s whereabouts was impossible. Adrian Lockwood stood at the doorway with a gloomy gaze.

Exiting the hotel, Adrian Lockwood called Ian Young, "Have you found any information on that scoundrel?... Then find out where she is right now?"

While Adrian Lockwood stood in front of his Benz, chain-smoking one cigarette after another.

On the rooftop of a small attic, Serena Sinclair and Una Hutton lay on rattan chairs gazing at the stars.

"That bastard acted for you, aren’t you worried at all?"

"What could happen?... Did I ask him to act? Besides, I’m his ex-wife, not his mother, anyone else can go if they want!"

"If you had this backbone earlier, things would have been so much better!"

"... And I haven’t even talked about you, first date, why did you choose a place like a bar? You’ve got some guts!!!"

"How was I supposed to know? He said to sit and listen to some music and have a drink, I thought it was one of those quiet, chill bars..."

Getting angrier as she spoke, Una Hutton sat up in a huff, "When I submitted my paperwork yesterday, the department chair went on and on about introductions, almost like an arranged marriage... It’s the chair holding my title up for review, even if the other party were a person or a dog, I’d have to go, okay?... Saying he’s young and promising, handsome and dignified, I scoff!"

Recalling Aaron Alden’s veiled probing.

And the leering gaze he had when seeing Serena.

Una Hutton suddenly felt her beautiful illusions shatter, "I wanted to find a cold and handsome wolf in sheep’s clothing, not a real beast! Ugh..."

Her lament was cut off by Serena pressing a hand over her mouth.

Una Hutton nodded knowingly.

Serena Sinclair let go and lay back on the rattan chair.

Then Una Hutton asked, "Do you believe in true love?"

Serena Sinclair: ...

"Oh forget it, I’ll rephrase..."

As if realizing her question was naive, Una Hutton changed her approach, "After experiencing a failed marriage, do you still believe in sincere love and a happy marriage in this world?"

Serena Sinclair quietly stared at the inky night sky above.

The cloud cover was thin, like a veil gently drifting by.

Through the veil, stars twinkled, emitting tiny sparks of light.

Instinctively she wanted to say she no longer believed.

She had endured enough heartache from love.

But a fleeting image of a beloved figure passed through her mind, timeless and beautiful.

Serena Sinclair turned to look at Una Hutton, "Do you remember Professor Sterling?"