HIS REGRET (Ex-Husband wants Me Back) novel Chapter 914

Vincent kept staring at the tablet screen, which now showed nothing but the old wooden door, tightly shut. His fingers unconsciously clenched at his side. "If that really is Mrs. Lydia, we don't have much time, sir."

Cale remained silent.

His eyes never left the building hidden behind the dense trees. For several seconds, no one dared to break the silence. Every member of the Obsidian Circle waited for the decision that only one man could make.

"Should we move in now?" Vincent asked again.

"No."

The answer made Vincent turn to him at once. "But—"

"Precisely because there's a good chance that's Lydia."

Vincent frowned. He followed Cale's gaze toward the old building.

"Silas knows I'll come," Cale said.

"Are you sure, sir?"

Cale gave a slight nod. "Hector may not be on his side, but Silas is smart enough to account for that possibility. He never prepares just one plan."

Cale's gaze sharpened even further. "If I storm in now..." He paused for a moment. "...then I'm playing the game he set up."

His words caused everyone standing nearby to exchange glances. No one objected. Only a handful of them knew much about Silas Evermont. But most shared the same belief: he wasn't the type of opponent who relied solely on numbers or firepower. He was far more dangerous because he always planned for the worst-case scenario before his opponent even made a decision.

Cale held out his hand. "The tablet."

Vincent immediately handed it over.

A few seconds later, Cale zoomed in on the digital map surrounding the building. His attention was no longer focused on the old house itself, but on the forest encircling it.

"Launch the second drone."

One of the operatives immediately opened another case from the back of one of the vehicles.

"Take it up to one hundred fifty meters," Cale ordered.

"Yes, sir."

The second drone immediately took off, climbing higher than the first until its camera could survey the entire area from above. The display on the tablet in Vincent's hands shifted to a much wider aerial view, revealing the vast pine forest, the winding dirt road, the rocky slopes, and the narrow ditch surrounding the old building.

At first glance, everything appeared perfectly ordinary. There was nothing suspicious or anything that suggested multiple layers of security.

Vincent studied the screen for several moments before finally frowning. "I don't see anything."

"That's because you're still focused on the building," Cale replied calmly as he took the tablet from him.

With a few taps, he zoomed in on the northern section of the area. "Look at the ground."

Vincent focused on the screen again. At first, he couldn't spot anything unusual, but after the image was enlarged several more times, his brow gradually furrowed. Amid the shrubs that appeared to be growing naturally, several straight lines became visible, far too precise to be part of the forest. They were almost impossible to notice without careful observation.

"Cables?" Vincent murmured.

"Maybe."

The man was dressed in a neatly tailored gray suit, black gloves, and thin-framed glasses. He didn't look anything like the guards or armed men Silas usually stationed to protect a location this important. Yet it was precisely because of his appearance that Cale's attention gradually became completely fixed on him.

More specifically, on the aluminum case he was carrying.

"That's a medical case," Cale said quietly.

Vincent zoomed in on the tablet screen again. After studying the image for several seconds, he slowly nodded. "It looks like... a doctor."

The man wasted no time. As soon as he reached the rear entrance, Jasper opened the door for him from inside. Before the camera could reveal what lay beyond the doorway, the man in the gray suit disappeared inside. The door closed again within seconds, leaving behind a silence that felt even more suffocating than before.

Vincent slowly turned toward Cale. His expression had grown even more serious. "If they've gone as far as calling a doctor..."

His words trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to voice the worst possibility that had been filling his mind. What if Lydia had been injured? What if her condition was far worse than they had imagined?

But Cale's expression didn't change in the slightest. His eyes remained fixed on the tablet screen, as though trying to capture every last detail still visible around the old building.

"Whatever the reason," he said calmly, "the doctor's presence proves one thing."

Vincent looked at him. "Mr. Cale?"

"Lydia is still inside."

Silence settled over the area once again. A gentle mountain breeze stirred the tops of the pine trees surrounding the property, yet it did nothing to soften the steel-cold look in Cale's eyes. Slowly, he lifted his head, shifting his gaze from the screen to the building standing firmly behind the trees.

"From this moment," Cale said without taking his eyes off the building, "no one leaves that place without my permission."