LOGIN“Wait. Isn't that President Delacroix?”The woman continued staring through the windshield.“He actually came here personally?”Nova hadn't expected to see Lucien at the site.Beside her, Reese's expression darkened further.He said nothing as he pulled into the parking area and stopped the car.A moment later, they all stepped out.The site had already been set up for construction.What had once been nothing more than a stretch of cleared land had begun to take on the appearance of a massive development in progress.Temporary offices had been erected near the edge of the site. Engineers moved between different sections with rolled-up plans in their hands, while surveyors checked measurements and marked locations across the ground.The entire area was busy.Among them, one figure was particularly easy to recognize.Lucien.He was dressed more casually than usual for a business meeting, although there was still nothing casual about him. A dark shirt was tucked neatly into his trousers,
Her fingers remained above the keyboard for a moment.Client: Is this Z?Nova's eyes narrowed slightly.Her username was kept private so they shouldn't have been able to tell who she was.The client's own username was also unfamiliar.There was nothing unusual about the message itself.What was unusual was the name he had used.Z.In the dark-web world, there were very few people who needed only a single letter to establish their reputation.Z was one of them.She had been operating under that identity for years, and although very few people knew anything about the person behind it, her name had gradually become something of a legend on the darker corners of the internet.If someone wanted a problem solved quietly, a system breached without leaving traces, or information that could not be obtained through ordinary means, Z was one of the names that would eventually surface.There was only one other hacker whose reputation could stand beside hers.X.But unlike Z, X rarely appeared on
"Boss!"Nova turned back to look.Spencer and Jordan stood at the entrance.The moment they saw her, both men visibly relaxed."We were about to call Reese again.""You weren't answering your phone."Nova blinked.She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.Only then did she see the missed calls.She had been so distracted at the hospital that she hadn't noticed them."I'm sorry." She looked at them. "I didn't hear it."Jordan frowned."We thought something happened.""I'm fine."Nova gave them a reassuring look."Don't worry."The two men exchanged a glance.Neither seemed completely convinced, but they didn't press her.Nova walked inside.The warm lights of the villa greeted her, and some of the tension that had followed her home from the hospital finally began to loosen.She slipped off her shoes and sank onto the sofa.For a moment, she simply sat there.Then Spencer spoke."Boss Fabian called."Nova looked up."He asked us to keep an eye on you."Nova frowned."Why?"Jord
"Thank you for coming when I called."Nova turned and looked at him.For a moment, she didn't answer.The hospital doors behind them had already closed, leaving the corridor quiet. There was no one else in sight, and the two of them stood beneath the pale lights outside the emergency room.Nova's gaze rested on Lucien's face.There was a slight stubble along his chin, making her brows crease faintly.Lucien was meticulous about his appearance. He rarely allowed his beard to grow out.He must have been overworking himself.The thought crossed her mind, but she only noticed it. She didn't say anything."I didn't come because you called." Her voice was soft. "I came because of Grandma."Lucien's eyes remained on her."I know."There was no surprise in his expression.Perhaps he had never thought otherwise.Nova looked away first.She slipped one hand into the pocket of her coat, her fingers brushing against her phone."What did the doctors say?"Lucien looked at her calmly. He knew she
For several seconds, nobody seemed to know what to say.Saunders was the first to recover.Her expression had gone stiff.Just moments ago, she had been lecturing Nova about her responsibilities as a daughter-in-law. She had accused her of disrespect, of not caring about Grandma, and of behaving as though she were above the family.Yet now...Nova wasn't even a daughter-in-law anymore.Even Evelyn stared at Lucien in disbelief.Finally, someone broke the silence."You two... are divorced?"Lucien's expression remained unchanged."Yes."There was no trace of awkwardness in his tone and demeanor.He said it as calmly as though they were discussing a business matter.The family exchanged stunned looks.Lucien didn't give anyone a chance to question him further.His gaze shifted toward Nova."Go in."Nova looked at him for a moment.Then she turned toward the emergency room doors without hesitation.But before she could take more than a few steps, Saunders' voice sounded behind her."Why
It was Nova.She was walking quickly toward them, her expression unusually tense.For a moment, no one said anything.Even Axel stared at her in surprise.He hadn't expected to see her here, especially since they had been unable to reach her earlier.Nova's gaze swept across the corridor once before immediately settling on the emergency room doors.Then she noticed Axel's mother and walked straight toward her."What happened to Grandma?"Her voice was calm, but there was a faint urgency beneath it.Elena stood up immediately."Nova..."Before she could say anything else, Saunders' cold voice cut through the corridor."You finally decided to show up."Nova's footsteps stopped.She turned her head slightly.Saunders folded her arms."Mother's lying inside the emergency room, and you're only arriving now."Nova seemed used to her behavior.She merely gave her a glance before turning her attention back to Elena."What happened?"Elena opened her mouth.But Saunders stepped forward again.







