Inside the Oval Office, which symbolized the highest power in the United States, Lucas sat in the president's chair, his hands clasped as he gazed at a photograph hanging on the wall.
Shot in the wilderness in somber black and white, it had a starry sky as its backdrop. The long exposure had captured countless stars merging into star trails, like a boundless cage firmly enclosing the seemingly free wilderness.
His assistant knocked on the door. "Sir, Governor Hughie is still insisting on speaking with you. I turned him down as you instructed."
The delicate-voiced female assistant looked hesitant. After weighing her words for quite a while, she said, "Hughie was very firm, and he said Mr. Soldier Boy isn't a reasonable man. If Ashley isn't released soon, things could get very ugly."
Lucas seemed not to hear her. His eyes remained fixed on the star-trail photograph without blinking.
"Sir? Are you listening?" the assistant asked cautiously.
Lucas came back to himself, his eyes sharp. He gestured toward the star-trail photograph and said, "What do you see?"
The assistant froze. "Uh... the paint is peeling off the wall. I'll get someone to fix it right away."
"What the fuck?" Lucas shook his head in distaste. "I meant look at the star trails over the wilderness!"
"Sorry, sir." The assistant hurriedly apologized and made a show of studying it for a long while.
"Sir, did you take this? It's exceptionally accomplished. I feel as though I can see the proud solitude deep within your soul. A piece this striking would certainly cause a sensation at auction."
The flattery pleased Lucas immensely, and he nodded in satisfaction. "You have a good eye, but you've only seen part of it."
The assistant immediately put on an interested expression, though inwardly she rolled her