The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 128

East Side, The Anchorage luxury high-rise.

The elevator doors glided open silently, and Christian stepped out. He was still wearing the same wrinkled dress shirt, having hastily thrown on a dark blazer he grabbed from his car. His hair was slightly disheveled, a faint shadow of stubble dusted his jawline, and his bloodshot eyes were heavy with a lingering, volatile mix of exhaustion and irritation. Yet, his aura was terrifyingly cold and tightly wound, like a bow pulled to its absolute limit.

He walked straight to apartment 1608, raised his hand, and without a second of hesitation, pounded on the heavy, solid wood door.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The harsh knocking echoed down the quiet corridor, demanding and impatient.

About ten seconds later, the shuffling of slippers could be heard from inside, followed by a woman's groggy, muffled complaining. "Who is it? It's the middle of the day..." The voice grew louder as she approached.

The lock clicked open.

The door was pulled inward, revealing Madeline standing in the gap. She looked as though she had just been dragged out of bed, sporting oversized cartoon pajamas, her hair shoved into a messy bun, and faint red creases from her pillow still stamped across her cheek. She held the door handle with one hand while rubbing an eye with the other. The moment she realized who was standing in the hallway, her hand froze. Every ounce of sleepiness evaporated, instantly replaced by a cocktail of shock, fierce guardedness, and blatant disgust.

"Christian?" Madeline's voice spiked, dripping with sarcasm and making absolutely no attempt to hide her desire to kick him out. "What the hell are you doing here? You're not welcome."

Christian completely ignored her venomous attitude. His gaze shot past her, trying to scan the interior of the apartment as he spoke in a raw, tense rasp. "Where is Evelyn? I need to see her."

Madeline let out a harsh scoff, as if he'd just told the funniest joke in the world. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, fully blocking the entrance. "Looking for Evelyn? You've got to be kidding me. Aren't you two divorced? What kind of twisted act is this? An ex should act dead and stay safely blocked in the contacts list. Why are you suddenly haunting my doorstep?"

Her words fired off like rapid machine-gun rounds, perfectly encapsulating exactly how much she despised her former friend-in-law.

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