LUO YAN watched as the 'woman' walked into the study. 'She' was walking much more comfortably compared to when he met 'her' during dinner. Probably because 'she' was no longer wearing heels. Although 'she' tried to look as if 'she' was born to wear heels, Luo Yan still noticed how 'she' slightly staggered every time 'she' tried to walk.
Of course, it wasn't to the point that 'she' would look funny while walking. The way 'she' carried 'herself' made up for that. If Luo Yan wasn't secretly observing everyone the moment he entered this manor yesterday, he probably wouldn't even notice it. If not for the things that he observed, he probably wouldn't even think that the charming Miss Deveraux was actually his adorable cinnamon roll.
It's not just 'her' awkward way of walking. Every time Edward, 'her' supposed fiancé would try to initiate skinship, 'she' would flinch ever so slightly and then 'she' would return to normal, acting all amorous and flirty. But the thing that really sold him was when he accidentally saw 'her' expression or rather, 'her' lack of one. And that only happened because of chance.
The first one was when the other was lurking outside William Harcourt's room and the second one was when they found the burnt corpse. 'Sofia' was caught off-guard in both instances. If not for that, maybe Luo Yan wouldn't have been able to see it. Then, he probably wouldn't suspect her as one of the four.
Truthfully, at first, he wondered if the other was his brother's crush (let's just call her that to avoid the game system's suspicion). But if it was her, then what he would see was indifference instead of just a full-blown lack of expression.
If it was anyone, they would probably think that he's being hasty with his conclusions. And perhaps he was. Even he thought so. Under normal circumstance, he would gather enough evidence before he made this kind of inference. But the thing was, he couldn't really apply the word 'normal' in this 'Sofia' situation.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhy? Because his heart told him so. One could say that this was simply the advantage of being in love. To be able to recognize his cinnamon roll this fast, the little him inside his heart was standing quite proudly with his chin up high.
Although he did wonder if his cinnamon roll was the same. Could he still recognize him despite looking completely different? But then again, the other wasn't exactly that observant when it came to human interactions. It's probably taking all his willpower just to maintain this role he was given. His cinnamon roll wasn't like him after all.
So, he wouldn't be mad if the other couldn't recognize him. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't 'retaliate'. A little teasing should suffice.
Luo Yan walked out from behind the desk and then pulled the chair of one of the seats at the opposite side. He then gestured to 'Sofia', who was already standing before him, to sit down.
'Sofia' smiled at him, full of charm. As if 'she' had already forgotten of the horror that had happened earlier. "Thank you, detective."
Luo Yan only smiled back. But as he removed his hands from the chair, he 'inadvertently' touched the other's shoulder. He immediately felt 'her' body stiffening. He acted as if he didn't notice that and sat back down again on his seat, making it look like an accident.
"Shall we start this interview, Miss Deveraux?" he asked.
"Please, just call me Sofia. After the things we experienced together, the two of us could be considered as friends. Don't you think?" 'she' said with an almost inviting smile.
Luo Yan bit the inside of his cheek just so he wouldn't laugh. Really, after knowing who the other was, it's a bit hard watching 'her' act like this. Especially if he compared it to how his cinnamon roll usually acted. The other must have been trying 'her' hardest not to go OOC.
A huge prop to 'her' though. Going out of 'her' comfort zone just to make sure they wouldn't fail, even if it meant acting like some flirty, gold-digging lady.
Still, it would never not be funny.
"Sofia, then," he said. "Truthfully, I find addressing you so formally too distant. Especially when you have such a beautiful name."
When he added the last part, he didn't forget to look straight at 'Sofia's' eyes, his gaze full of hidden meanings. Since his character was a gentleman, he couldn't directly flirt as he wanted to. So, he could only do some veiled flirtations.
'Sofia' was silent for a moment, 'she' almost looked like 'she' was wondering how 'she' should respond. But that didn't last long. Just after two-three seconds, 'she' had 'her' usual smile back on 'her' face.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I think your name suits you as well. James. Very… manly."
Luo Yan had to tell himself repeatedly not to laugh and maintain the expression on his face. If only he could use his Status Window, he had already recorded all the things that the other was saying.
He smiled in thanks before proceeding to the interview.
"Sofia, can you tell me what you were doing near the room of Mr. Harcourt when I found you earlier?"
'Sofia' showed an embarrassed expression. "That- ahm, if I answer you, can you please promise me first not to tell it to anyone? Especially not to my dear Eddie."
"Of course."
"I- I was propositioned by Mr. Harcourt! Oh, it was so humiliating! He told me to visit him in his room once everyone was asleep. So, I went there. Not to agree, of course. But to give him a piece of my mind. How could he say that to his future daughter-in-law? I'm not some harlot! I stood in front of his room for a good 10 minutes before I decided to leave. It turned out that I didn't have the willpower to have a confrontation with him. Who would have thought that- that- oh it was just so awful what happened to him."
Then 'Sofia' proceeded on wiping the imaginary tears on 'her' eyes with the handkerchief 'she' was holding.
This time, Luo Yan could barely hold back his laughter.