In the dim light of the study room, Nova Vega approached the man behind the desk and set the mug of medicine gently in front of him.
He didn't look up from what he was typing but acknowledged her presence. "Thank you."
Nova stared at the man's face as he seemed engrossed in what he was doing. Her eyes were lucid and calm as she regarded him quietly.
But after a moment, she spoke up: "Lucien, let's get a divorce."
It was quiet in the room, and only the loud clicking of the laptop's keypads could initially be heard. But when he heard Nova's words, Lucien Delacroix paused in his typing, and the room was plunged into silence once again.
He casually looked up at her from where he sat, and because he was seated against the dim light, she couldn't see his face clearly.
"Why?" he asked in a calm, placid voice that made Nova look at him deeply. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.
But she answered anyway, "Have you forgotten? We agreed to part ways once the three years are up."
The man stared at her, his grey eyes blending in the half darkness, and Nova only stared back casually in response.
After what seemed like two and a half minutes had passed, Lucien gave a small nod.
"Okay. I'll ask Hayden to draw up the divorce agreement for you to sign."
Nova seemed pleased to hear this, and she gently nodded in return, even arching a small, gentle smile. "Alright. Thank you."
Although her voice was just as it always was, soft and brisk to the ears, Lucien couldn't help but frown. It was evident she was delighted by the news.
As though she couldn't wait to divorce him.
"You're happy," he pointed out. "You can't wait to get away from me?"
He sounded visibly annoyed.
Nova gave a small smile at this and pushed the mug closer to him so he could drink. She reasoned, "Three years ago, our agreement was that I'd marry you to keep grandma happy for the three years she had left. I believe we've spent the past three years in a good way."
Her smile was rather alluring, and Lucien couldn't find anything wrong with her words. That was indeed his idea and the contract they had.
"Drink your medicine and come to bed soon," she prompted and then turned around to leave.
But just then, the man grabbed her wrist, and before she knew it, she was pulled over to his side. He directly pressed her to his desk, the laptop casting a warm glow against her black satin nightwear.
Nova paused and looked up at his face. She didn't resist but just leaned there and regarded his face. He didn't have much expression on his face, but his eyes darkened slightly.
After three years of being married, Nova knew what that look meant.
Not surprisingly, he reached his finger to her lips and slowly caressed the soft bottom. His gaze darkened even more, making him look even more seductive than he usually did.
His voice was mellow and magnetic to the ears. "If anyone saw you so eager to leave, I bet they'd say I didn't satisfy you well as your husband."
As he spoke, he leaned closer to kiss her on the lips. But she smiled and reached a finger out, pressing it against his lips to stop him.
"Mr. Delacroix, have you forgotten? We're getting divorced."
He let out a subdued laugh at this. "You're still mine for now."
He was taller and more towering than her, so his figure visibly pressed her to the desk. Their bodies were pressed together, and he could feel the little heat that emanated from her body.
Lucien couldn't help being mesmerized.
Nova was a very beautiful woman. And for someone like him, who had seen tons of beautiful women over the years, that was certainly something.
Not to mention the soft charming smile that was always on her lips. He really liked that about her, how tender and easygoing she was. And sexy too, if that counted.
She reached out just then, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up to kiss the edge of his lips. She tilted her head at him and laughed softly, "Lucien, don't get addicted to me."
"Too bad." He responded and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss, stopping her from speaking any longer.
His large palms fondled her body as they kissed, his touch well familiar yet magnetic to her body everywhere they reached. It was evident that he knew every inch of her body, like she knew his.
But other than that, she knew he knew nothing else of her.
She knew him well, though. The ace and head of one of the biggest families in Verdantia country, the Delacroix family.
They were a formidable power in the country, and this man stood at the helm, both strong and ruthless in his manners.
Thousands respected and feared him, and even more than that, were the millions of women itching to be his wife; the wealthy and middle class alike. The position of Mrs. Delacroix was eye-catching enough, and to top it all, he was a total eye candy. Every woman wanted him.
However, Nova wasn't willing to keep him.
They were bound to go their separate ways, and it was the incidents of three years ago that made them cross paths in this manner anyway.
But it was all about to come to an end.
***
The next morning, when Nova woke up, Lucien was not in bed beside her. She rolled out of the bed and picked up her nightwear, putting it on before walking down the stairs.
The TV was on and was currently showing a reality show. She couldn't recognize any of the guests in it, so she picked up the remote control and turned away from that program, eventually stopping at a news channel.
Since it was currently nine in the morning, the newscaster was still reading the morning news. To her surprise, it was about the death of the Old Madam of the Delacroix family.
Even though it had been two weeks since Lucien's grandma died, the articles about her had not subsided in the least. Today, they were talking about her funeral, which would hold in the evening.
She turned off the TV and walked upstairs back to their bedroom. As his wife, she also had to attend the funeral. Also, she wanted to pay her respects to his grandma.
In the past three years that she had been Lucien's wife, she was the only one who treated her sincerely. She inexplicably felt unhappy that the older woman died, but she knew Lucien must have felt worse, considering how good his relationship with his grandma was.
But he had always been a taciturn type of man. Although he was always more patient with her and fulfilled his roles as a husband, when it came to the deep emotions in his heart, even she wasn't allowed to see.
When she reached their bedroom, Lucien was already in there. He had a towel around his neck, about to go into the bathroom to shower. When he heard her coming in, he turned around to look at her.
His gaze scanned her briskly before he stated, "If you don't want to, you don't have to come to the funeral." He knew how unhinged those family members of his were, and now that the Old Madam was gone, they'd try to play tricks. He didn't want her being targeted.
Nova smiled at his thoughtfulness. But she shook her head. "I want to say goodbye to grandma too."
He didn't insist and only nodded. "Okay. Wash up then. You can ride with me."
"No need," Nova rejected. "I'll come myself. I don't want to delay you."
Lucien stared at her point blank at this, knowing she was drawing the line. Was she so eager to part ways?
He didn't say anything else and just entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Soon, he got dressed and left.
Once he was gone, Nova walked into their walk-in closet and packed up all her clothes in suitcases. She was in the middle of this when her phone, which was lying on the bedside table, rang. She picked it up and put the phone beside her ears.
"Hello."
A male voice soon sounded from the other line, very respectful and with a serious edge. "Boss, I managed to secure the land on Crestfall Avenue you wanted. But that old geezer, Norman, is trying to one-up us."
An icy chill settled into Nova's gaze upon hearing this. It was completely unlike her usual gentle temperament. "Okay, just secure the land. Don't rush in blindly and complicate matters. I'll deal with Norman myself."
The man, on the other end of the line, quickly responded, "Yes, Boss. Understood." He paused for a millisecond before asking, "What's the next step?"
Nova pulled a black maxi dress out of the closet as he spoke. Then, she responded casually, "Come and pick me up."
"Wyatt Estate?" He asked. Wyatt Estate was the mansion where Nova and Lucien lived.
The man was visibly surprised. "Boss, are you..."
"Yeah," Nova responded without a beat. "It's time to leave."
The man was silent. It was only after a couple of seconds that he responded, "Okay. Understood."