Nova stepped into the restaurant, quickly glancing around, and she soon found Hayden Smyth, Lucien's assistant, seated at a corner. He seemed to have sighted her immediately too and quickly waved at her.
Approaching him, Nova slid into the seat he pulled out for her, crossing her legs in silence.
"Mrs. Delacroix, I..." Hayden began, only to be interrupted by Nova's firm correction.
"Miss Vega," she corrected him immediately. She and his boss were getting divorced. He had best gotten used to calling her by her maiden name.
"Ah, yes," the man muttered, regarding her for a split second. He retrieved a briefcase and withdrew two papers, laying them before her.
"This is the divorce agreement our legal department prepared," he explained, his gaze briefly meeting hers. "According to the prenup signed, you'll be given..."
"I'll be donating what I get to the Delacroix family charity," Nova interrupted once more.
According to their marriage agreement, Lucien had insisted on giving her a villa, two cars, and some sum of money. Nova didn't want any of it, but she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Taking anything from him simply meant he could easily track her through those things. It would tie her to him so she directly found a way to avoid taking it.
Her words took Hayden by surprise, and he tried to persuade her, "But Boss..." Lucien wouldn't be too happy if he found out that she wasn't willing to take it.
Nova was indifferent. "If you can't donate it, do what you will with it."
Then, she picked the papers up and simply browsed through them. While she was doing so, Hayden was watching her carefully.
Her mannerisms were rather strange to him. Although she had always been an easygoing person, she wasn't usually so straightforward. He couldn't help but feel there was something different about her.
Nova finished reading through it and looked up at him. "Do you have a pen?"
Hayden instantly pulled out his pen and handed it to her while she signed the papers unhesitantly. The words of persuasion that Hayden was about to mutter quickly got stuck in his throat at the sight.
He felt as though she was in a hurry to get it over with, and he felt that it was a pity that she was divorcing Mr. Delacroix. But he could only watch as she quickly signed the papers and got up.
She grabbed her bag and looked at him. "Thank you for coming when I called you, Hayden. Please make sure he signs it immediately."
Then, without another word, she strode out of the restaurant, leaving Hayden staring at the two papers in front of him. He gave a small sigh before packing up and getting up to leave, too.
But as he stood at the counter to pay for his coffee, his gaze flickered to the cars outside the restaurant.
And, he saw a man step out of a black Cayenne, opening the door for Nova to enter while laughing. His eyes widened, and he quickly rushed to the door to see.
He knew who the man was, but he didn't expect him to be acquainted with Nova at all.
Instantly, he pulled out his phone and dialed Lucien's number.
***
The car stopped in front of a huge villa, and almost immediately, about twenty people rushed out clad in black outfits. They lined up in an orderly fashion at the door.
Reese quickly opened the door for Nova to get out. She alighted, and almost immediately, the men in black bowed to her.
"Welcome home, Boss," they chorused.
Nova was instantly taken aback, and her lips twitched at the sight of the heavily built men bowing to her.
Instantly, she shifted her gaze to the culprit, Reese, who sheepishly scratched his head and laughed, "Boss, it's not my fault. It was Fabian who leaked to them that you're returning home, and they came to welcome you. Also, he said it would be best if some people guard your home."
He grinned, "A beautiful young woman like you shouldn't be living alone."
Nova merely raised a brow at his 'confessing to save my life' attitude and looked back at the men.
She casually said, "You don't have to do this. If so many of you stay here, it will attract attention to me." Then, her gaze flickered across their faces before stopping on two of them. "Spencer and Jordan can stay."
As she spoke, Jordan and Spencer instantly glanced at each other and darkly hissed at each other. Clearly, they weren't the best of friends.
Nova definitely knew this, and she arched a smile as she walked into the villa. The two men quickly followed behind her while Reese ordered the rest of the men to return back to the base.
As she walked in and looked around the brightly lit villa, Nova pursed her lips. It was just as she remembered, but strangely, it reminded her of Wyatt Estate.
***
The moment Lucien entered the mansion, the housekeeper, Madame Greene, approached him. She looked rather worried.
"Master, you're back. Madam packed her bags and left."
Lucien halted amid his motion of pulling at his tie and looked at her in surprise. He knew she had met up with Hayden and signed the divorce agreement, and he even knew that a man had picked her up afterward.
But, he didn't expect that she would be gone by the time he returned from the burial.
"Sir...?" Madame Greene called out again when he didn't respond.
He came to his senses and gave a curt nod. "Okay."
Then, he rushed up toward the bedroom.
He pushed open the door and entered, but the moment he did, his gaze narrowed imperceptibly.
She was gone.
At first, it didn't seem obvious as everything was still in place, but he noticed that the black suitcases he had seen earlier that morning were no longer there.
Immediately, he strolled into the walk-in closet to double-check, and his suspicion was confirmed. She had packed everything she had.
At the realization, Lucien's usually impassive face held a frown.
He dug out his phone and dialed his assistant's number. The moment it was answered, he ordered, "Find out where she has gone to!"