Divorced: The Hidden King Rises

Ch.10 - The Belated Search

The cold air of the underground garage hit her like a physical blow. Elise stumbled into her red Ferrari.

She slammed the door, her hands gripping the steering wheel so hard. 

Huff... huff...

Her breath came in ragged gasps. With trembling hands, she tapped on her contacts list.

Ryan. Ryan. Ryan.

Aside from that one name, she realized with a jolt of terror that she didn't have a single person who could act as a bridge to him.

Friends? Did he even have any?

In three years of marriage, she had never once stepped into his social circle.

She couldn't even remember if Ryan had ever mentioned a specific name. Whenever he tried to share the mundane details of his day, she would always interrupt him with an impatient sigh before launching into a monologue about Nexora's financial reports.

In the balance sheet she called a "home," Ryan's friends, hobbies, and social life were all categorized as "non-essential assets." They had been ruthlessly written off.

"Dammit!"

Elise let out a frantic scream. She began to dial the consultation lines for every major hospital in Hayden City.

"Hello, St. Mary's? Can you check if a patient named Ryan Sinclair is there? No?"

"How about Hayden Central? Nothing there either?"

She called one after another. Her face grew paler with every "No."

She had no idea that at this very moment, Ryan was lying in the city's most private VIP ward. All his information had been personally locked down by a titan with the reach of Nicholas Wells.

"The fire station... right. Go to where he works!"

Elise slammed the phone down and floored the gas. A streak of red light roared out of the garage.

Hayden City Fire Station No. 1.

The screech of tires at the gate drew the attention of dozens of firefighters training on the drill yard. When Elise pushed open the door and stepped out, the noisy yard went eerily silent.

She was beautiful. Strikingly so.

Even with her hair disheveled, her eyes bloodshot, and her expensive suit wrinkled from the day's chaos, this "ruined" look only gave her a breathtaking, haunting allure.

A few young firefighters instinctively lowered their hoses, staring blankly at this woman who looked like she had just stepped off a Vogue cover, only to fall into a nightmare.

"I'm looking for Ryan Sinclair."

Elise marched straight toward the Captain's office. Her voice was trembling, carrying an urgency that bordered on pleading.

The Captain looked up, scanning her with an unreadable gaze. As Ryan's superior, he naturally recognized the famous "Celebrity CEO" of Hayden City.

"Mrs. Sinclair?" The Captain lit a cigarette, his tone ambiguous. "Ryan called ten days ago to request leave. Said he had some private matters to handle. As for where he is... we aren't sure."

"You aren't sure? He's one of your men!"

"I'm sorry, but firefighters have privacy too. If he doesn't want to be found, there's nothing we can do."

The Captain blew out a smoke ring, a trace of subtle coldness in his eyes.

Elise walked out of the building, her spirit crushed.

The sun was high. She stood in the middle of the station, surrounded by massive trucks and rough-hewn men. She felt like an outsider who had wandered onto the wrong movie set.

Ryan, where the hell are you?

Just as a wave of dizziness hit her, making her sway on her feet, a low, mocking voice came from her side.

"Well, look who it is. Our high-and-mighty CEO."

Elise spun around.

Blake Harper was leaning against a pillar, his vest soaked in sweat. His arms were crossed over his chest, a malicious smirk playing on his lips.

"Blake?" Elise recognized him. He was one of Ryan's few university classmates.

"Oh, so you actually remember someone like me existed in Ryan's life."

Blake walked over, each step carrying a heavy weight of pressure. "Ten days, Mrs. Sinclair. Ten whole days, and you're just now looking for him? What's wrong? Did your little toy Justin finally bore you?"

"What are you talking about!" Elise screamed, her voice shrill. "Justin and I are just professional associates!"

"How many times do you have to sleep together before it counts as a 'professional relationship'?" Blake spat on the ground, his eyes icy. "Where were you when Ryan was risking his life in the fire for a pittance of a salary? You were at a gala, smiling like a damn flower."

Elise didn't even care about the insults anymore. She took a step forward, grabbing Blake's sleeve with a desperate grip.

"You're his best friend. You must know where he is, right? Please, tell me. His phone is off. I can't find him..."

Blake shook her hand off with disgust, as if he had touched something filthy.

"Oh, now you're worried?"

"Elise, do you know how many times I cursed you to Ryan's face over the years? I told him to get as far away from a cold-blooded animal like you as possible. But him? He defended you like a damn fool. Said you were under pressure. Said starting a business wasn't easy. Countless good women were lining up to marry a man like him, and all he had eyes for was a piece of trash like you!"

Elise froze. She muttered to herself, that innate arrogance bubbling up again despite the situation.

"I'm not good enough for him? He's just a firefighter. I'm a CEO! Do you know how many better men in Hayden City would kill for a chance with me?"

"Ha!"

Blake let out a laugh—the kind of laugh born from witnessing ultimate stupidity.

"Then why are you looking for him? Since there are so many 'better men,' go find them! Go play with them! You bitch!"

The word "bitch" finally ignited the long-simmering violence inside Elise.

She had been in power too long. At Nexora, who dared speak to her like this?

"Why do you think I'm looking for him?"

Elise's face darkened, her voice turning sharp and venomous.

"I need to find him so I can give him the earful he deserves! Do you have any idea that my company is currently raising investment? Do you know Mr. Wells is inspecting us in a few days?"

"As my husband, he actually had the nerve to disappear at such a critical moment! If my rivals find out about our 'marital troubles,' it becomes a scandal! Do you have any idea how much that would tank our stock price?"

The more she spoke, the more "right" she felt. Her "Queen" persona returned in full force.

"He is Elise Sinclair's man! He should be playing his part as an accessory! Cooking for me, taking care of my life—that's a life thousands of men would envy! What right does he have to reject it?"

"Divorce? Hah. Without me, he's just a common, low-level firefighter! No woman of my status will ever look at him again!"

"When I catch him, I'm going to make him apologize to my face!"

Elise unloaded on Blake, using her fury to bury the growing, suffocating panic deep inside her soul.

Blake just watched her.

The anger in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by ultimate pity and coldness.

"Since you look down on him so much... since he's just a scandal and an accessory to you..."

Blake flashed a brilliant, eerie smile. "Then why don't you just go to court and file for divorce? Go find an 'elite' to marry."

"I told you! It's a critical time for the company! I can't divorce him now!" Elise roared. "If I could, I would have dumped him a long time ago!"

"Oh—so that's how it is."

Blake nodded, his smile widening.

He leaned in close, whispering into Elise's ear in a light, airy voice that made her feel as though she had fallen into a frozen lake.

"Then congratulations, Elise. You got exactly what you wanted."

Elise's heart thudded. Her breath hitched.

"What... what do you mean?"

Blake stood straight, emphasizing every single word.

"Ten days ago. The Hayden Department Store fire. Ryan went in to save someone... and didn't come out."

"He's dead. He's nothing but a charred corpse now."

Vrrr—

A loud ringing filled Elise's head. Her ability to think vanished completely.

"You're lying... that's impossible... He's Ryan!"

"Why is it impossible?"

Blake stepped back with a cold sneer. "Now you can go to your investment gala as a 'Hero's Widow.' Trust me, that title will be great for your stock price. A CEO whose husband died a hero—what a perfect PR angle, right?"

"Elise. You're free."