Fene’s POV


    I waited at the police station in quite a dreadful condition. People might have found me strange with my smeared makeup. It was a far cry from the morous, sparkling outfit I was wearing.


    The police officer gave me a cup of warm tea, and it turned out to be effective in calming my nerves since earlier. At least I had something to upy my time while waiting for Laird. I could only sip the warm tea slowly while keeping an eye on my phone charging on the table.


    “Miss Baxter, yourwyer is here.”


    The officer approached me quietly. I immediately turned and saw Laird standing behind the officer. He hadn’t even changed his clothes. It was as if he had juste out of a club, though I didn’t know where he had been all this time.


    His gaze was no longer as fierce as thest time I saw him on stage. Now his forehead was furrowed with a look that resembled pity. It seemed contacting Laird for help was indeed a bad idea. Now his gaze, full of pity, made me even more embarrassed.


    “Thank you, Officer,” Laird said to him.


    “Wait here for a moment while I prepare the documents you need,” the officer said, then walked away, leaving the two of us alone at his desk.


    I lowered my head and hesitated to meet his eyes. Shame overwhelmed me to the point where I couldn’t lift my face in front of him. Leaird sighed deeply.


    “Are you okay?” he asked.


    I just nodded without a word.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    “Use this to cover your thighs. Your legs must be freezing,” Laird said, handing me his ck bomber jacket.


    Finally, I raised my head to look at his face. Had he just been worried about me?


    “Thank you, Laird. You must be really upset, but you’re the only one who answered my call,” I said softly, taking the jacket from him. Then I covered my freezing thighs with Laird’s warm jacket.


    “Where’s Jessy? Isn’t he with you?” he asked.


    I shook my head. “No, he’s not. I’ve been trying to message and call him since earlier, but he hasn’t responded.”


    Laird nodded in understanding. His lips pursed, and he seemed to be pondering something. Then he pulled up an empty chair belonging to the police officer and sat in front of me.


    “Tell me clearly what happened. So, who was actually driving the car?” Laird asked.


    I finally exined everything that had happened since n ushered me to the parking lot until we reached the police station. He listened attentively and asked several times to rify details from my story. After hearing it all, Laird rubbed his forehead.


    “So, you mean, you’re now in a situation where you’re lying to the police? n asked you to lie.” Laird asked me.


    “Could that be considered lying to the police?” I asked, biting my lower lip.


    “Can’t you distinguish? You’re not a child anymore,” Laird groaned irritably.


    “If you’re caught conspiring to lie, you could be charged with obstructing a police investigation, and the penalties for that would be very serious,” Laird muttered angrily.


    “But n said-”


    “Why do you trust n so much? Do you have a special rtionship with him? Because if that’s the case, I’ll get off of your nonsense. I’ll leave you two forever.” Laird raised both hands and grew more impatient, facing me.


    “No! Not at all.”


    I quickly grabbed Laird’s arm. It seemed like he was really about to leave me, and I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t want Laird to leave me again.


    “I mean, I’m scared. I really don’t know what to do, and it seems like n is more experienced with this driving matter, so I listened to him.” I pleaded with him.


    “Plus, he’s my boss, and I thought he genuinely wanted to protect me from having a criminal record as a model,” I rushed to exin.


    “Please, Laird. Help us. This time I’ll follow your lead, and I’ll face all the consequences if you think it’s the best course of action.” My fingers squeezed Laird’s arm.


    Laird opened his mouth but said nothing. He looked at my hand, and his forehead creased as if he were considering something important. Then he looked me in the eyes and leaned forward.


    “So, do you think he’s sincere in protecting you for your career? Not because of any special feelings or anything like that.” Laird asked.


    I blinked for a moment.


    “No. He confessed to me that he’s gay,” I replied hesitantly, recalling n’s words during our dance practice on the first day. Laird sighed deeply after hearing this.


    “Alright. I’ll try talking to n first. Hopefully, he’s sobered up by now,” Laird said as he got up from his chair.


    “Wait here,” Laird said.


    “Yes. Don’t take too long,” I said before he actually left me alone again.


    He just nodded briefly in response. As I watched his vague figure disappear behind the steel door, I reflected on tonight’s events and the various consequences I would have to face.


    Then my mind returned to Laird’s earlier question about my rtionship with n. I didn’t expect that Laird would actually think that n and I were in a special rtionship. So, was Laird really jealous of n?


    Even though I didn’t have a definite answer to that question, I felt happy. Hey, it turns out Laird cares about my rtionship with n! This made me feel somewhat proud amidst our uncertain situation.


    It wasn’t until then that I realized that if Laird was indeed jealous of n, it meant that my rtionship with Laird was even more irreparable. Fortunately, n is gay. Although Jessy still suspects that n is actually lying, the possibility of n liking me never crossed my mind at all.


    That’s why I felt rxed doing an erotic dance with him from the start. I knew Jessy always warned me about some men who im to be gay but are actually bisexual, or even straight, just to get opportunities from women to do indecent things.


    But I don’t think n would stoop that low. He’s someone who dislikes injustice and has repeatedly helped me, especially during the incident with Kiarast week.


    For now, I can only wait with a restless heart.