Chapter 1289

"Hi!" The abrupt voice startled Austin, causing him to instinctively step back. "Stay away from my car!" the voice boomed.

Speechless, he looked around but saw no one. Finally, he spotted a small surveillance camera with a speaker mounted on the front of the shop. He guessed, correctly, that the sound originated from there.

Curious, he approached the camera, looked up, and pointed at the red sports car. "That car," he asked, "Is it yours?"

Inside the studio, Lily enlarged his face on the monitor, finding him amusing. Olivia, nearby, erupted in laughter. "This man is quite funny!"

"If it isn't mine, could it be yours? Stay away from my car, or I'll call the police!" Lily replied bluntly.

Austin opened and closed his mouth, utterly speechless. He'd never been so dumbfounded. Does this person think I'm a carjacker?

He found the voice oddly familiar. As he lowered his head to consider this, Lily and Olivia watched him on the screen, wondering what he was thinking. Olivia sipped her coffee. "This man has luscious hair," she commented.

Only then did Lily notice. He did indeed have very thick hair; in ancient times, he would have worn it in a bun. Just as her imagination began to wander, Austin raised his head. "Lily, right?" he said, his tone a mixture of question and affirmation. Olivia was astonished. "Didn't you say you know him? Why does he sound so unsure?" she asked.

"He doesn't know I work here." After studying Austin's face, Lily grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "Let me step out for a while."

Olivia, ever curious, wanted to listen in, but Lily went outside to meet him instead of inviting him into the studio, seemingly wanting to prevent Olivia from eavesdropping. Outside, Austin looked up at the camera, assuming he was being watched. That voice belongs to Lily.

He knew many women, but only remembered some—excluding close relatives and friends—and Lily was one of them. He hadn't expected her to own the red sports car. That means she met Uncle Dominic the other day. How does she know him? What's her connection to him, considering she's a perfumer?

After a long silence from the speaker, Austin began to doubt himself. No, that's impossible! He resisted admitting he might be wrong, wondering if Lily was hesitant to answer because he'd guessed correctly.

Just as he considered this, the door clicked open. Lily, wearing a thin gray coat, quietly glanced at Austin before stepping out. "Mr. Fike, you're not here to lecture me, are you?"