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Chapter 433
When Leanna got back to Crossley Residence that night, Lloyd was in his study.
She knocked on the door. "Come in," Lloyd called out.
When he saw Leanna walk in, he asked, "What's the matter? Are you not satisfied with the apology
today?"
"Miss Crossley wasn't present, so I can't comment on whether or not I was satisfied," she replied.
He narrowed his eyes. It was evident that he knew what had happened earlier today.
"However, you needn't worry, Mr. Crossley. I'm not here about that," she added.
"What are you here for then?"
"I plan on moving out of Crossley Residence."
Lloyd didn't see this coming. He frowned in thought.
Leanna continued in a steady voice, "I've spent some time on this now, and I've thought things through.
Crossley Residence is still an unfamiliar place to me. Since I can't recall anything from my childhood,
there's no reason for me to stay here any longer."
After a pause, he answered, "If you're determined to leave, I won't stop you, but it will be Crossley
Group's anniversary ceremony in a few days, so just stay a little longer. You can leave once that's
over."
Her brows twitched a little as she pressed her lips together.
Lloyd is planning to do something during the anniversary ceremony.
Her silence prompted him to remark, "What's the matter? You've been here for so long now. Don't you
think you can stay for just a few more days? Don't tell me you think that I'll do something to you."
She smiled faintly. "You're reading too much into this, Mr. Crossley. I didn't think you'd invite me to
Crossley Group's anniversary ceremony."
"You say you're Sandra's daughter, so it stands to reason that you should attend Crossley Group's
anniversary ceremony," he replied coolly.
"In that case, I won't object to it either."
Once Leanna returned to her bedroom, she started massaging her sore facial muscles. It was
exhausting to fake a smile all day long.
She stretched her neck a little before heading into the bathroom for a shower.
When she came back out, she saw her phone screen light up.
She plopped herself down on the bed and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Are you done packing your things?" Aidan asked.
"No…" She licked her lips. "Why don't we wait a couple more days?"
"Didn't we discuss this already?"
Leanna flipped over. "Lloyd's not letting me leave. He wants me to wait until Crossley Group's
anniversary ceremony is over first."
"Did you agree to that?" His tone became a lot colder.
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"I didn't have a chance to say no."
"Pack your things. I'll come and pick you up tomorrow."
When Leonno got bock to Crossley Residence thot night, Lloyd wos in his study.
She knocked on the door. "Come in," Lloyd colled out.
When he sow Leonno wolk in, he osked, "Whot's the motter? Are you not sotisfied with the opology
todoy?"
"Miss Crossley wosn't present, so I con't comment on whether or not I wos sotisfied," she replied.
He norrowed his eyes. It wos evident thot he knew whot hod hoppened eorlier todoy.
"However, you needn't worry, Mr. Crossley. I'm not here obout thot," she odded.
"Whot ore you here for then?"
"I plon on moving out of Crossley Residence."
Lloyd didn't see this coming. He frowned in thought.
Leonno continued in o steody voice, "I've spent some time on this now, ond I've thought things through.
Crossley Residence is still on unfomilior ploce to me. Since I con't recoll onything from my childhood,
there's no reoson for me to stoy here ony longer."
After o pouse, he onswered, "If you're determined to leove, I won't stop you, but it will be Crossley
Group's onniversory ceremony in o few doys, so just stoy o little longer. You con leove once thot's
over."
Her brows twitched o little os she pressed her lips together.
Lloyd is plonning to do something during the onniversory ceremony.
Her silence prompted him to remork, "Whot's the motter? You've been here for so long now. Don't you
think you con stoy for just o few more doys? Don't tell me you think thot I'll do something to you."
She smiled fointly. "You're reoding too much into this, Mr. Crossley. I didn't think you'd invite me to
Crossley Group's onniversory ceremony."
"You soy you're Sondro's doughter, so it stonds to reoson thot you should ottend Crossley Group's
onniversory ceremony," he replied coolly.
"In thot cose, I won't object to it either."
Once Leonno returned to her bedroom, she storted mossoging her sore fociol muscles. It wos
exhousting to foke o smile oll doy long.
She stretched her neck o little before heoding into the bothroom for o shower.
When she come bock out, she sow her phone screen light up.
She plopped herself down on the bed ond onswered the coll. "Hello?"
"Are you done pocking your things?" Aidon osked.
"No…" She licked her lips. "Why don't we woit o couple more doys?"
"Didn't we discuss this olreody?"
Leonno flipped over. "Lloyd's not letting me leove. He wonts me to woit until Crossley Group's
onniversory ceremony is over first."
"Did you ogree to thot?" His tone become o lot colder.
"I didn't hove o chonce to soy no."
"Pock your things. I'll come ond pick you up tomorrow."
He sounded adamant, but she said, "You don't need to. It's just a few more days."
"Leanna," he called out grimly. "What reason do you think he keeps you there for?"
"I know he's up to no good," she replied softly. "That's why I need to stay here."
They didn't know what Lloyd was planning yet, but she could keep an eye out for what he was up to if
she stayed in the house.
Furthermore, since Lloyd had already told her to stay, he wouldn't let her leave so easily. If Aidan took
her away anyway, both sides would be bound to drop all pretense of friendship between them. Lloyd
was a wolf in sheep's clothing; there was no telling what he would do if he was backed into a corner.
"I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. Weren't you the one who said that with you around,
Lloyd won't have the guts to do anything to me?" Leanna tried to assure him.
"Did you believe that?"
She went silent at his question—she had no answer for that.
"That was true in the past, but don't you know what the situation's like now?" Aidan pressed.
"Oh, alright. I got it." She knew his fears weren't unfounded, so she didn't continue debating this with
him. "I'll just bring along all of my most important things tomorrow. I can leave the clothes and stuff here
since they're not important. Are you satisfied now?"
"That's more like it."
Just then, she yawned as she was feeling a little drowsy. "I'll go to bed now. Good night." With that, she
ended the call.
A thunderstorm began later that night.
Leanna's nightmare woke her up. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her window had blown
open and the rain was coming in.
She got up to close the window and spotted Lloyd's car pulling out of the garage.
Where's he going in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm?
She frowned. The car lights flashed into her window, and she quickly dodged behind the curtain.
Once the light was gone, she turned back around and saw the car exiting the gates.
She sat back down on her bed and checked the time—it was 3.30AM.
After mulling it over, she pulled on a jacket and grabbed her phone.
Leanna figured that Georgina wouldn't have known about Lloyd leaving the house in the middle of the
night, so she wouldn't be keeping her guard up against Leanna.
However, Leanna didn't even have to try the door to know that Lloyd had locked his study.
Thus, she walked over to his room and gently eased the door open.
After making sure that there weren't any security cameras inside the room, she switched on the
flashlight on her phone and started rummaging through the room.
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Lloyd was an extremely cautious man. She couldn't find anything at his desk inside his bedroom, save
for a few books.
Despite searching as thoroughly as she could, she found nothing.
Just as she was about to leave, her eyes fell on a painting that hung on the wall in front of her.
All at once, a few scattered images from her memory flashed across her mind, but she couldn't get
ahold of any details.
Leanna walked over to the painting and placed her hand on the frame before closing her eyes.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, pocketed her phone, and took the painting down with both
hands.
There was a secret compartment behind the painting, but it required a password.
She studied the painting once more. A series of numbers whizzed through her mind. After thinking for a
few more seconds, she decided to key in the numbers.
It was the right password.
She took out a box from the secret compartment.
Inside the box was a watch that was half-destroyed by a fire.
She quickly took out her phone and took a photo of it.
She was just about to look through the other contents in the box when car lights shone in through the
window again—Lloyd was back.
Leanna swiftly returned the box to its original place and hung the painting back up before running back
to her room and locking the door.
As soon as she did so, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor.
She breathed out slowly. When she sat back on the bed, she realized her back was soaking wet by
then.
Nothing happened after Lloyd returned to his room. He didn't leave again.
He only left for twenty minutes tops. Did something unexpected happen that made him change his
plans? Or was his destination someplace not too far away from here?
She lay in bed and started looking at the picture she had taken with her phone.
Thankfully, the night mode function on her phone camera did a pretty good job with the picture as it
was still fairly clear.
Half of the watch was in good condition, but the other half was burned to a crisp.
Leanna recalled that her father had bought two watches, according to the sales record that was found
at the warehouse back then.
One was with her, and the other…
It was most likely the one that was in Lloyd's possession.
She set her phone down and closed her eyes, but her mind kept swirling with flashes of memories.
The storm lasted all night, and she stayed awake the whole time.
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