“You really think I wouldn't notice? In fact, I was deliberately trying to confuse you.” Lana smiled smugly and pointed at Xavier. “You’ve missed out on something. Even though you've already tried your best to dress up as a Turlenese, you've forgotten something.”
“And pray tell what I forgot?” Xavier was intrigued.
“You have a tattoo there.” Lana pointed at a spot below Xavier's neck. Although he tried to cover it with his shirt, she still spotted it.
“What's so weird about having a tattoo? It's not like I'm the only one here with a tattoo,” Xavier said nonchalantly. Throughout the half a month he had spent with Dillon, he had also seen a tattoo on him. Hence, he wasn’t fazed by the fact that Lana had seen it.
“You're quite a stubborn bloke, aren't you? Must you force me to say it out loud?” Lana was getting pissed at Xavier's continuous denial. She scoffed and said, “Your tattoo is something different. It's an eagle. That's the symbol of the international detective ranking system.”
Xavier's eyes flickered when he heard that. He didn't expect someone to recognize it. So what? As long as I keep denying it, there's nothing she can do. He scoffed and answered, “You're quite good at talking crap, aren't you?”
“I'm not talking crap!” Lana continued pridefully, “I’ve been to countless countries and seen all sorts of people. I've been told by a friend of mine about that tattoo of yours. He's a detective as well, but he couldn't make it into the ranking system. His lifelong wish is to make it there and have a tattoo like yours.”
In truth, Lana was a huge admirer of detectives. She was very fond of them because detectives were capable of solving all sorts of problems. She was getting upset because Xavier didn't want to admit it.
Despite how she felt, a glint appeared in her eyes. She leaned toward Xavier's ear and whispered, “Don't deny it. You do know that the more you try to explain yourself, the more it's incriminating you, right? No matter what you say, you can't deny the fact that you're a foreigner. Do you know what happened to all those foreigners that I've exposed in the past?”
That was the first time Xavier had been so near to someone of the opposite sex, and he wasn't used to it.
He took a step back and said, “I don't know what you're talking about. Since you're unwilling to let me stay here, I'll go somewhere else then.” With that, he took the ID card off of Lana's hand and turned around to leave.
When Lana saw that Xavier was about to leave the hotel, she shouted, “Hey! Don't leave. Let me finish!” She hurried out of the front desk and said, “I’ll tell you something. In this country, being a foreigner is against the law. If you're exposed, no one's going to help you.”
Lana's words got Xavier thinking about his options. If she doesn't report me to the authorities, no one's going to find out I'm not from Turlen. After all, I doubt there's anyone else in Turlen like her, who has been to so many places and knows so much.
With that thought in mind, Xavier said, “Don't worry about me.” He wanted to leave right after he said that. However, Lana stopped him again and uttered, “Stay here. Don't worry. I won’t report you.”
Xavier looked at her skeptically. If you're not going to report me, why did you say so much just now then?
“I promise you that I won't report you. Really. So, just stay here,” Lana urged. Deny all you want, but I'm certain you're not from Turlen.
Xavier raised his brows and questioned, “What's your motive?” He couldn't help but think she had her motives for wanting him to stay so badly.
Lana snorted angrily in response. Motive? Why would I have one? Obviously, I just want to learn some skills from him as a detective. Since she had never had a chance to learn any of that, she was rather fascinated.
Wait, doesn't that mean I do have a motive for getting him to stay? Guilt flashed across Lana's face instantly. Under Xavier's skeptical eyes, Lana answered guiltily, “I just want to learn your skills as a detective.”
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