The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 129

Christian's face instantly darkened, resembling a storm cloud ready to break. Madeline's vicious words were like needles plunging directly into his most chaotic, sensitive nerves. He glared at her, his gaze as sharp as a razor. "Ms. Thorne, my patience is wearing incredibly thin. Tell me where Evelyn is, or tell me how to contact her."

"Or what? You'll eat me alive?" Madeline met his terrifying stare without flinching. "Let me make this perfectly clear. Evelyn doesn't want to see you. At all. You'd be doing everyone a massive favor if you just got the hint and permanently disappeared from her life. Consider it the final act of mercy for your absolute trainwreck of a marriage!"

"Trainwreck of a marriage?" Christian repeated the words slowly, a bitter, freezing smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. It was impossible to tell if he was mocking himself or her. He took a slow, menacing step forward, his towering frame casting a suffocating shadow over her. "Counselor, since you are so adamant that we have nothing to do with each other anymore, you had better pray to God she is completely innocent in all this. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Madeline jutted her chin out, though her heart gave a nervous little stutter. What did he mean by that? What could Evelyn have possibly done?

"Otherwise," Christian's voice dropped to a lethal, hushed warning, "I really wouldn't mind making your law firm 'famous' in this city. You're a smart lawyer. You know exactly how easy it is for Lancaster Group to make your clients completely lose faith in you."

It was a naked, unvarnished threat. Madeline's face lost a fraction of its color. She knew he wasn't bluffing; he had the power to crush her firm by the end of the business day. The Lancaster Group was an unstoppable juggernaut. But did he really think she would just roll over for him? Not a chance!

"Is wielding your power to bully people the only thing you know how to do?" Madeline scoffed, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Go ahead! Do it! If I blink, you win! It'll be a great headline to let the entire city see how the almighty CEO of Lancaster Group uses dirty tactics to ruin a woman's career!"

Seeing her absolutely refuse to back down, the intense frustration clawing at Christian's chest only deepened. He knew intimidation wouldn't work on Madeline. She played the part of a hothead, but underneath it, she was incredibly sharp, resilient, and fiercely protective of Evelyn. Going after her firm wouldn't get him answers—it would only detonate an already volatile situation.

Not to mention... he had enough fires to put out. The board was already furious about the morning's scandal and the inevitable hit the stock price would take. If he started a public war with a well-respected law firm—especially one owned by his ex-wife's best friend—it would be a PR catastrophe. It would only drag his reputation and the company's image further through the mud.

He couldn't do it, and honestly, there was no point.

A heavy wave of defeat and profound suspicion crashed over him. He stood there, staring at the defensive, sneering woman in front of him, and suddenly felt incredibly tired. What the hell was he doing? He was crashing around like a wounded animal, trying to force answers out of a woman who despised him to track down another woman who likely felt the exact same way.

The silence between them stretched into a tense void, filled only by the quiet, methodical ticking of the wall clock in the living room.

Seconds later, Christian made a decision. Refusing to look at Madeline, he reached inside his blazer and pulled out a thin manila envelope—the exact one Cyrus had handed him earlier that morning.

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