Page 54 of The Call She Made That He Never Answered
"Don't lie to me," I interrupted. "You went through the divorce agreement in my bedroom!"
Tears still hung on her lashes, but her face suddenly darkened.
"I was... I was..."
She opened her mouth, then seemed to remember something. "That's right! I was looking for Mr. Rockefeller's medical files to take care of him. I thought they'd be in your bedroom..."
"Enough, Vivian." After working together these years, she knew my personality. I wouldn't confront her without solid evidence.
"As of today, you're no longer my chief assistant. I'm transferring you out of core management to some edge department that doesn't handle confidential files."
Vivian's expression cycled through shock, resentment, and finally settled on desperate pleading. She suddenly rushed around the desk and dropped to her knees, grabbing my hand with both of hers.
"I really didn't mean it, Lucas." Her diamond-studded nails dug into my flesh. "Please, for the sake of what we once had... that relationship we had... don't be this cruel. I just love you too much. I couldn't stand watching you become this miserable over that woman..."
She lowered her head and kissed my hand submissively, tears dropping onto my skin. I'd never seen Vivian lose it like this. Heavy mascara ran down her cheeks in black streaks, destroying the polish she'd worked so hard to maintain.
My hand felt coated in something sticky. Honestly, before she walked through that door, I didn't have a hundred percentproof. Never expected two test sentences would make her spill everything.
"Lucas, please, let me stay by your side."
I coldly pulled my hand from her grip. "Issue an internal clarification. Company-wide announcement. Tell everyone those rumors were drunken speculation on your part."
Her pupils shrank. She forgot to cry, voice turning shrill. "But... that'll ruin my career! I'll never work in this industry again!"
"If you say one more word," I was done, "I'll fire you outright and make sure no one in the industry will hire you. Now get out of my office."
Vivian's face went completely bloodless. She staggered to her feet like someone had pulled out her spine and stumbled out.
I watched the door close, lit a cigarette. This truth pieced together from someone else's malice didn't make me feel better—just made me feel like a complete idiot.
Over the next few hours, I handled Vivian's transfer with cold efficiency and promoted a quiet but capable deputy to replace her.
By the time I finished everything, sunset had stained the city an oppressive dark red. The migraine from mental strain throbbed again. I sat in the car's back seat on the drive home, watching scenery fly past the window, feeling hollow inside. I'd stopped the rumors, kicked out the boundary-crosser, but I still didn't know where my wife was.
When I got back to the manor, Mrs. Hughes waited at the entrance. The second she saw me, she handed me a creased paper—a photocopied bank statement.
I looked at her, confused.
Mrs. Hughes's expression was knowing. She whispered, "Look at the user name and transaction records, sir."
I opened the copy. My exhausted gaze moved slowly, but when I saw the name and transaction records, my brain snapped awake.
I checked the transaction location again. User: Ella Rockefeller. Address: Rochester, Minnesota. Most purchases pointed to the same hospital.
In that moment, indescribable joy and bitterness slammed into my chest simultaneously. I almost wanted to laugh. Someone as innocent as Ella would never think to change billing addresses or cancel old cards. This crude statement felt as heavy as salvation in my hands.
I didn't hesitate. Grabbed my phone and called my new assistant.
"Cancel all meetings for the next two days."
"Book me a flight to Minnesota. Fastest one available. Now."
Chapter Fifteen
Ella
"Lucas called me."
