Divorced: The Hidden King Rises

Ch.7 - The Lost Heir

Elise finally tapped on the chat window.

The chat history between them was stuck on a message from three days ago:

"Baby, there's an emergency call. I'll be back late tonight. Make sure to eat properly (^_^). I'll bring you those pastries from the old street you love so much on my way back."

Looking at that goofy emoticon, a faint, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of Elise's lips. A fleeting warmth rose in her chest.

But a split second later, her face went cold.

"Divorce."

The word was a thorn, stabbing ruthlessly into that small pocket of warmth.

Elise jerked her fingertips away.

The glow of the screen reflected the simmering rage in her eyes.

How dare he? How did that firefighter, who never even dared to raise his voice, learn to weaponize silence?

"You want me to be the first one to bow? Ryan, you think too highly of yourself."

She snorted and slammed the phone face-down on the desk. Grabbing her Hermès bag, she marched out of the office.

The moment she pushed open the front door, she wasn't greeted by the usual warm, amber glow.

Only dead silence.

There was no aroma of home-cooked food. No gentle "You're back?" to welcome her.

Elise walked toward the foyer out of habit, her feet feeling around for the pink cotton slippers that were always laid out perfectly for her.

They weren't there.

Her brow furrowed. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt strangely hollow.

"Ryan?"

She called out instinctively. Only a hollow echo answered her.

She walked to the kitchen and opened the empty refrigerator. Aside from a few bottles of premium water, there was nothing.

Previously, this space had been packed with ingredients Ryan had prepped himself. Even the greens were always washed and ready to cook.

Elise pursed her lips. Stubbornly, she pulled out her phone and ordered a delivery from a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Half an hour later, an expensive truffle steak and exquisite side dishes were laid out on the dining table.

She cut a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.

It tasted like expensive cardboard.

It was made by the best chefs in the city. Why did it taste... so bad?

Images of the simple dishes Ryan used to make flickered in her mind.

A bowl of warm egg drop soup. A piece of pan-seared fish cooked just right. Even a simple bowl of minced meat noodles seemed to carry something words couldn't capture.

What was that something called?

Elise set down her cutlery and muttered to herself, "Before... why didn't I think his home cooking was anything special?"

She tossed the knife and fork aside. The exquisite steak remained virtually untouched.

She grabbed her phone again and pulled up Ryan's number.

The dial button sat there. The green icon seemed to be mocking her weakness.

"Ryan, you bastard!"

Her finger trembled over the screen. Her teeth ground together.

"You're actually using this to make me miss you? You know how busy I am. You know I can't live without you..."

"Mentioning divorce is one thing, but you actually vanished! Are you even a man? Bastard!"

By the end of her rant, her arrogance had finally cracked.

Elise's eyes stung. A wave of unprecedented grievance washed over her.

In this house where she was used to controlling everything, she felt, for the first time, like an abandoned child.

Just a second before she could hit the dial button, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong— Ding-dong—

Elise flinched like a child caught doing something wrong. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Is it Ryan?

Is he back?

She sprinted to the door, not even caring about her disheveled hair. Looking at the monitor, her expression dimmed.

It wasn't Ryan. It was Justin.

Elise looked down at herself.

She was wearing a thin silk slip—something she'd slipped into to unwind.

The hem was short, revealing her long, slender legs. Her shoulders glowed like porcelain under the lights.

If it were anyone else, she would have grabbed a coat. But looking at Justin on the screen, she felt it wasn't necessary.

Justin is a good guy.

The door opened.

Justin stood in the hallway. The moment he saw Elise, his breath hitched.

His eyes, filled with a predatory hunger, lingered on her legs. The greed in his gaze was almost impossible to mask.

But he quickly composed himself, putting on a warm, disarming smile. "Elise, I'm so sorry to bother you this late. I just needed to go over some details of next week's proposal with you in person."

Elise stepped aside. "Come in."

In the living room, they sat opposite each other.

Justin spread out the documents, but he didn't read a single word.

He noticed the nearly untouched Michelin dinner and the lingering redness in Elise's eyes.

He sneered inwardly.

That loser Ryan actually stayed away. God just handed me a knife.

"How is... Ryan doing lately?"

Justin brought it up casually, his tone dripping with concern.

Elise rubbed her temples and leaned back against the sofa, looking exhausted.

"He hasn't replied to my messages. He's still playing that boring disappearing game."

"That kind of man is just too immature." Justin followed her lead, his eyes warm like a caring older brother. "Elise, I'm not one to talk, but he knows how much pressure you're under. To cause trouble for you at a time like this..."

Elise bit her lower lip. "I was just thinking... maybe I should just call him and make things clear..."

"No!"

Justin interrupted sharply. Realizing he had overreacted, he immediately softened his voice.

"Listen to me, Elise."

He leaned in closer, his voice carrying a hypnotic edge.

 "He's clearly trying to bait you. He's testing your bottom line. It's only been three days. If you call him now and admit defeat, he'll only get worse in the future. He'll use this trick to walk all over you."

"You have to hold out. Only when he realizes you're doing perfectly fine without him will he crawl back and beg for forgiveness."

Justin acted as if he were entirely on her side. Deep down, he hoped Ryan would just die in a ditch somewhere.

Elise nodded thoughtfully, the coldness in her eyes deepening. "Let's see how long he can last. He really thinks he's indispensable."

Justin watched Elise's chest heave slightly with anger. He swallowed hard.

He couldn't hold back anymore.

He shifted closer, pretending to look through the files. His hand reached out, intending to rest on Elise's bare shoulder.

"Actually, you don't need to waste your energy on a man like that. You still have me..."

Just as his fingertips were about to touch her warm skin, Elise suddenly snapped back to reality.

She stood up instinctively. Her movement was so swift that Justin's hand was left frozen in mid-air.

"I'm tired, Justin."

She kept her back to him. "Refine the proposal for the investment meeting. We need Mr. Wells's investment. It's the company's lifeblood."

Justin's hand grasped at empty air. A flash of savagery crossed his eyes.

"If you don't want to drive back tonight, you can sleep in the guest room." Elise walked into the master bedroom without looking back.

BAM.

The bedroom door slammed shut.

Justin stood in the empty living room, his hypocritical mask finally crumbling.

"Bitch. Still playing hard to get?"

He screamed in his head. Just wait until I've devoured your company. Let's see you act high and mighty then. By then, you'll be mine!

………

Inside a private beach villa.

Moonlight shimmered over the turbulent sea. Nicholas Wells walked alone into a hidden chamber in the deepest part of the estate.

He took a pitch-black satellite phone from a specialized safe. It had no markings.

He took a few deep breaths and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The line rang a few times.

"Hello."

An old but immensely authoritative voice answered.

"Master." Nicholas kept his voice low, filled with ultimate reverence.

"Mm... Nicholas." The voice on the other end softened slightly. "Is there a problem you can't solve?"

"No, Master. I'm calling with good news."

Nicholas's hand shook with excitement. "I found him... I found Little Young Master Ryan."

CRACK!

The sound of shattering glass came from the other end.

Then, a deathly silence.

A full thirty seconds passed before the authoritative voice spoke again, but this time, it was trembling violently.

"Who did you say?"

"It's Ryan. He survived the accident back then. He's been living in Hayden City. I've confirmed it myself. His eyes... they look exactly like Madam's."

"Heaven be praised! Heaven be praised!" The old man let out a low, uncontrolled roar.

Nicholas asked cautiously, "Should I tell him who he is?"

The other end fell silent.

After a long time, the old man let out a long sigh.

"Don't tell him yet."

The old man's tone grew cold and sharp. "The family hasn't been purged yet. The vultures are still circling. Bringing him back now would only put him in danger."

"Nicholas, guard him well. Don't reveal his identity. Let him temper himself in his own way first."

"I will wait for him to rise in Hayden City. I'll wait for him to grow until he can return with overwhelming strength."

"And I will wait... until I've personally cleared out the filth in the Grant family to pave every single step of my grandson's future."

After hanging up, the light in Nicholas's eyes was brighter than ever.

The Master's reaction said it all.

Ryan Grant.

As the first person to stand by the Young Master's side, as long as he hitched his wagon to this rising star, he would soar!

He didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately dialed his daughter Olivia's private number.

"Olivia, listen."

Nicholas's voice was dead serious. "Drop everything you're doing. Go to the top-floor VIP ward at St. Mary's Hospital. Go see the man there."

"Remember, show him your perfect self. Even if he asks you to pluck the stars from the sky, you get a ladder and do it."

"Who is he? No, you don't need to know who he is. You just need to know..."

"Do whatever it takes to make him fall for you."

"I won't send anyone with you. It would look weird."

Hanging up, Nicholas felt a bit melancholy.

Why wasn't he a beautiful young woman?

Otherwise, he would have gone himself!