Chapter 12
On the top floor of The Harris Group headquarters, Louis stared at the sparse file in his hand, his expression darkening. “An entire day, and this is all you managed to find?” He nearly laughed from frustration, wanting to crack open his assistant’s head to understand what Quinn Miller had been thinking. After dragging his feet for a day, what he finally delivered was information anyone could find with a simple internet search!
Assistant Quinn lowered his head almost to the floor, sheepishly responding, “Mr. Harris, we’ve been extremely thorough. His information is well-protected, and apart from what’s publicly available, we couldn’t find anything else.”
Now it was Louis who froze in disbelief. “Nothing else at all?” Quinn nodded, confirming his question. Louis frowned, finally recognizing the complexity of the situation. Even he couldn’t guarantee that when competitors investigated him, they wouldn’t find anything beyond his public information. But this Hurley Moore had managed it.
Usually, there were only two possibilities: One, his identity was so special that his information couldn’t be retrieved. Two, he was wealthy and powerful enough to silence anyone who might provide information about him. Louis leaned toward the second possibility. He glanced at the photo attached to the report. The bitterness was nearly overwhelming him.
Seven Years of Obsession. Now I Don’t Even Remember Your Name.
It was a surveillance screenshot that Quinn had struggled to obtain from the airport. Hurley was pinching Cersei’s face. From her posture, she seemed to be resisting, but her expression showed mock annoyance rather than genuine objection. She didn’t reject his closeness—it looked more like playful teasing. That had once been Louis’s exclusive privilege. A privilege he had fought long and hard to…
He silently tossed the folder back onto the desk, the emotions swirling inside him. It took a long while before he finally calmed down.
It was just a temporary change of companion. He would wait for the day she came back to him.
From the moment she decided to return to New York, Cersei knew she would cross paths with Louis again. But she hadn’t expected this day to come so soon and in such a manner. Looking at the dented rear bumper of her car, she couldn’t quite identify the emotion rising within her.
After she left for overseas, it wasn’t that she had no contact with him at all. After all, when she left, she had only provided divorce papers. Later, she had blocked all of Louis’s contact methods, thinking this would sever their ties for good. She had never considered that he might refuse the divorce. He had changed his number and reestablished contact using the divorce agreement. He refused to sign it, insisting that she come back. He said he wouldn’t sign unless they talked face-to-face.
Eventually, she had hired Willow Reed to handle everything from filing the lawsuit to finalizing the case. Willow hadn’t let her down. Though the process took an extremely long time, neither of them had considered backing down. This way, Cersei had completed her divorce without ever appearing in person. From that point on, she had completely cut ties with him. She thought that after so much time, perhaps he had given up. Just as he had described his feelings for Violet: merely a passing fancy. Now she realized she had overestimated him.
Otherwise, Cersei couldn’t believe that a driver hired by The Harris Group with a presumably handsome salary would make such a beginner’s mistake—scraping the car in front while parallel parking. Yet he smiled warmly, refusing to admit it. “This accident was our fault. We’re willing to cover all damages. I just wonder if Ms. Winters would be willing to exchange contact information to discuss the compensation details.”