The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 105

"The Sullivans..." the man in the gray suit chose his words carefully. "For us, crushing them would be as easy as snapping our fingers, right? Even if the Lancasters were backing them, Evelyn and Christian are divorced now, and the old man Lancaster is gone. If we applied just a little pressure, the Lancasters wouldn't bother protecting a useless former in-law. The Sullivan business is already drowning in problems; bankruptcy is just a matter of time. Why go through this massive detour using a woman like Lyra just to..."

He trailed off, but his point was clear.

The young man listened quietly, his expression unreadable. Once his subordinate finished, he spoke in an icy tone.

"Who told you I was going after the Sullivans?"

The man in the gray suit blinked in confusion. "Not the Sullivans? Then who..."

"A hollow family that only survived by clinging to the Lancasters through marriage," the young man's voice dripped with raw disdain. "What value do they have to make me waste my time?"

The subordinate was even more baffled. "Then... why are we doing all this?"

The young man didn't answer immediately. He picked up his glass again, slowly swirling the wine and watching the dark red liquid coat the crystal.

"You're asking," he took a slow sip, his eyes fixed on the glass, "too many questions."

His voice was quiet, but it instantly silenced the other man, sending a layer of cold sweat down his spine. He immediately realized he had overstepped.

"Understood. I spoke out of turn." The subordinate lowered his head.

The young man didn't seem to care. He downed the rest of his wine and set the glass back on the table.

Remembering something else, the subordinate spoke up quietly. "By the way, I just saw on the security feeds that Evelyn Sullivan is also dining here tonight. She's in The Jade Pavilion on the second floor with her lawyer friend, Madeline Thorne. Just the two of them."

The young man's fingers paused on the rim of the empty glass.

"Noted." He released the glass, his tone unchanged. "Proceed with the original plan. Keep a close eye on Lyra. As for Evelyn..."

The door clicked shut.

The man in the gray suit sat alone in the room, staring at the empty crystal glass. He pondered his boss's parting words and that brief, uncharacteristic pause when Evelyn's name was mentioned.

He shook his head, burying his suspicions.

In a game of chess, the mastermind plans ten steps ahead, while the pawn simply needs to focus on the next move.

He stood up and left the hidden room.

Outside in the corridors of The Zenith, the luxurious tranquility carried on undisturbed. Up in The Jade Pavilion, Evelyn was chatting quietly with Madeline, blissfully oblivious to the impending storm brewing in the suite below, and entirely unaware of the secret meeting that had just concluded in the shadows.

A grand design—with her at the center of the storm, but aimed at a far greater target—was slowly unfurling, lingering like the bitter aftertaste of a fine red wine.