Chapter 6 A Murder Case

Serena moved forward slightly, standing at the roadside, raising her hand to hail a taxi. She knew that at this hour, dressed in such a revealing outfit, flagging down a car would be a challenge. But luck was on her side. The car that had been speeding toward her began to slow down as it approached, coming to a stop right beside her. It was the perfect stop—neither too far nor too close. Not bad! What made Serena even more fortunate was that it was a taxi. No need for pleasantries or small talk; she simply opened the door and got in. Once inside the taxi, Serena noticed a bottle of water on the back seat, seemingly left behind by a previous passenger. Her eyes flickered with a quick idea. Maybe ... just maybe ... It wasn't until the taxi drove off that Evan snapped out of his daze. Did she just leave like that? Had she really just ignored and dismissed me like that? Serena! Now, things were getting interesting! By the time Damien's car arrived at the scene, Serena was already gone, and Evan's car had left as well. "Mr. Ashford, should we keep pursuing her?" Tad asked nervously, not seeing any sign of Serena. He was anxious, but he also knew that with her already gone, chasing her now wouldn't be easy. After all, they had no idea what vehicle she had used to make her escape. "Back to the hotel," Damien ordered, his voice low and ominous, sending a cold shiver through the air. This woman was more resourceful than I anticipated. But escape from me? Interesting. Let's see how far she can get. The entire hotel was under surveillance. From the moment she left his room on the 22nd floor to the lobby, the cameras must have caught her. As long as he saw her in the footage, there was no way she could hide from him. When Damien headed straight for the surveillance room after returning to the hotel, Tad immediately understood his intentions. He wanted to check the security footage. Of course! This was the most efficient, direct way to track her down. With Damien's resources, once they had a visual of her, finding her would only take minutes—regardless of who she was or where she was hiding! "What's going on here?" But the moment they entered the surveillance room, they were greeted by chaos. Tad was immediately dumbfounded by the sight in front of him. "Mr. Ashford! Mr. Terry!" The head of security was startled by their sudden appearance, especially by the sight of Damien. Taking a deep breath, he quickly explained, "Our system was just hacked. All of the hotel's surveillance footage from last night until now has been deleted." Tad gasped sharply, his legs almost giving way beneath him. The moment Damien arrived to check the footage, it had been wiped clean! This wasn't a coincidence. He was certain it had everything to do with the woman who had just escaped. The timing was too perfect, and the only goal could have been to prevent Damien from seeing the footage. But how could she have pulled that off while being in such a rush to flee? Tad swallowed nervously, stealing a glance at Damien. The look on his boss's face was terrifying; his expression was so dark it seemed like a storm was brewing, ready to strike at any moment. The tension in the room was palpable, his dangerous aura suffocating everyone around him. Tad didn't dare make a sound. The other staff members, sensing the danger, wished they could disappear on the spot. After a moment of heavy silence, Damien pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The call was picked up quickly. "Damien? You're calling me at this hour? You must really miss me," came the playful, teasing voice on the other end. "I need you to check all the cars that passed through Central Parkway near Universal Grand Hotel in the last thirty minutes," Damien's voice was sharp and cold, every word cutting like ice through the phone. His order was direct and to the point with no unnecessary explanations. That was how Damien always handled things. Tad knew instantly who he had called. When it came to getting information fast and with pinpoint accuracy, there was only one person—Leo Grayson. "What's going on? There was an incident on Central Parkway a little over an hour ago—a murder. Don't tell me you're involved, Damien ... " Leo's voice, usually casual, now carried a hint of seriousness. "Just do what I asked," Damien replied, not in the mood to explain further, especially since this situation was beyond explanation. Leo didn't push for more information. He knew better than to question Damien and went straight to work. Five minutes later. "Damien, I found what you were looking for. In that thirty-minute window, only two vehicles passed through the area. One was a taxi, and the other was a Bentley. The Bentley belongs to Liam Laine. I noticed the Bentley was stopped for a while between two intersections near the hotel. I'm not sure why. As for the taxi, everything seemed normal," Leo reported, as efficient as ever. "Wait ... a murder case on Central Parkway, you say?" Damien's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening as he processed the information.