Lucien sat in the swivel chair behind his desk, clicking the tip of his pen as he held a document. He seemed to be reviewing the document, but only those who knew him well knew he was preoccupied.
There was a sudden knock on the door, and his assistant, Hayden Smyth, entered.
Lucien immediately paused, and he lifted his placid gaze to look at him. "What have you found?"
The other man quickly stepped forward, sensing his boss's impatience. His lips twitched as he wondered why he was suddenly so concerned about Miss Vega when he had no problem divorcing her.
Regardless, he still had to do his job.
He adjusted his tie and placed a tablet in front of Lucien. "Boss, I pulled out the CCTV record from yesterday morning when she left."
Lucien's indifferent gaze moved away from his face as he picked up the tablet and started to watch the video.
"She was picked up in that car with the plate number A44444. Although the man's face could not be seen, judging from his build and clothes, it is the same person who picked her up at the restaurant."
"Reese Fletcher?" Lucien sneered, his gaze coldly scanning the duo in the video.
They seemed rather close, and for him, who had never seen Nova with anyone in the past three years, it was something.
He couldn't help but be disgruntled. 'So, this was why she was in such a hurry to get divorced.' Did she think Reese Fletcher could compare to him anyway?
Although he was the CEO of an investment company, it was still a far cry from him.
Hayden looked at his boss and did not dare to go on. Although his boss had always been frigid, he seemed rather irritable since he called him last night to find Madam.
"Is that all? Where is she now?" Lucien suddenly questioned, making Hayden come to his senses.
He quickly shook his head and continued his report, "We're still investigating that..."
Lucien cut in with a frown. "Why is it taking so long?"
Hayden could tell his boss was about to disdain him, and so he quickly explained, "Except for the CCTV at home and the restaurant, I could not find anything else to point out her whereabouts. I even checked the traffic monitor, but it's as though she disappeared into thin air."
"Find her," Lucien ordered.
"Yes, Boss. Understood."
Hayden paused for a second as he picked up the tablet before adding, "One more thing, boss. Today is the surgery of the Callius family's Patriarch. Will you be dropping by to pay respects?"
Lucien had already returned to reviewing his document, but once he heard this, he gave a subtle frown.
The Callius family's patriarch, Elder Roland, was his late grandfather's friend, so it was courtesy to stop by there. Also, their families were long-term business partners.
He reflected for a moment before ordering, "Prepare a bouquet of flowers. I'll just drop by before the meeting with the branch leaders."
"Yes, Boss."
About an hour later, Lucien appeared in Crestfall Hospital with Hayden in tow.
They soon got to the operation section and found the Callius family members gathered, several of them chattering and arguing. It wasn't surprising.
All influential families had black sheep who would be very happy if something drastic happened to the head so that they could take over. It was the same with his family, too; if anything should happen to him now, there would be far too many rebellious frogs jumping around to count.
He sneered inwardly as he approached them, and immediately one of the elder's sons saw him, he instantly got up excitedly. "Lucien, thank you for coming."
Lucien gave a curt nod in response. "I heard the elder will be having a critical surgery tonight, so I dropped by to check on him."
As he spoke, he gestured for Hayden to hand him the flowers.
Almost immediately, everyone had stood up and were eager to talk to him.
The elder's first son grinned in delight, "That's good. That's good. You know, Father has always been very fond of you. By the way, I wanted to drop by and see you the other day..."
Lucien looked at the older man who was eager to clinch with him. This was because although he was about Lucien's father's age, Lucien was far higher than him in rank. He was the head and patriarch of the Delacroix family, so he was not to be underestimated.
Not to mention, now that the elder's health was failing, everyone with hidden motives was already trying to outdo the other to become the head of the Callius family and being acquainted with a powerful man like Lucien was crucial.
However, Lucien himself was not interested in getting involved with any of them.
Just as he was about to say his goodbye, he suddenly noticed a group of doctors appear from the side of the hallway.
He was about to look away from them at first, but he paused, and his brows furrowed as he stared at the female doctor who led the team.
'Nova?' He instantly thought.
But a moment later, he disregarded that thought. The doctor wore scrubs, surgical masks, and gloves. The mask covered the majority of her face, and only her pair of brown-colored eyes could be seen.
She looked so much like Nova, especially those eyes. But yet, the aura around her made him doubt that she was the one.
This woman seemed much aloof and detached, unlike Nova, who had a gentle temperament.
"Who is she?" He couldn't help but ask, and the elder's first son looked over.
"Oh, that's Doctor Esme," He muttered. "She's the leading surgeon for Father's surgery."
"Dr. Esme?" Lucien remarked, looking at him for a moment before turning his head back to the woman.
He had heard of Doctor Esme. She was a world-renowned surgeon who was said to have god-like skills when it came to surgeries. She was rumored to have never failed an operation, and every high-risk surgical procedure was nothing when it came to her.
She was very influential, and over the years, several hospitals in the country had tried to pull her over to their side, but she never agreed. Moreover, she was said to be very aloof and unsocial.
It must be because the Callius family's case was strange, and they were VIP patients that the director sought her.
It was already evident even before she got to them that she had a certain arrogance, considering how the other doctors were on eggshells trying to talk to her.
But, she was capable. So, she deserved to be arrogant.
In fact, Nova had also seen him from the moment she entered the hallway, and she was shocked to the core because she hadn't expected to cross paths with him again.
She had sensed that he was trying to find her but she couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like they were attached to each other during their marriage, so she expected him to forget that she ever existed.
But, she figured he must have come to visit the Callius family and not because he found out who she was.
When the director contacted her to lead a VIP patient's surgery, she had agreed because it was a risky procedure that she hadn't tried her hands on in a while. It was partly the reason why she got a divorce early.
She didn't realize until she got the patient's file, that it was the Callius family's elder. However, now that she saw Lucien, she was beginning to regret giving in and appearing at the hospital.
Thankfully, she was wearing a mask and was confident Lucien wouldn't recognize her.
So, she confidently walked past him, casually listening to the chatter of the excited assistant surgeons behind her.
But, she didn't expect the man to suddenly block her way.
"You're Doctor Esme?"
Lucien remarked as he gave her a scrutinizing look.