The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 168

"No," Evelyn's voice echoed clearly in the dead-quiet room, her gaze never wavering from Sebastian for even a fraction of a second.

On the other end, Madeline seemed to hesitate before speeding up her delivery. "It's Julian St. Claire. He took me out to dinner tonight and specifically asked me to pass on two things. First, he said that due to some complications on his end, his actions or the flow of some information might have inadvertently involved you, or even brought you some unwanted attention. He wanted to apologize and hopes you won't hold it against him."

Julian? An apology? A flash of icy realization crossed Evelyn's eyes. That name instantly connected to the encrypted text she had received from X shortly after arriving in Kenya: 'Rose, heads up. A new faction (unrelated to the Lancasters or Lyra) is digging into your background. Highly professional. Motive unknown. Tracing them now. Will update.'

Could this "new faction" be Julian? Was his sudden "apology" triggered because Night Owl had intercepted his investigation and fired a warning shot?

"Second," Madeline's voice continued, laced with confusion. "He gave me a gift to pass on—a congratulations for your recent achievements. It's a rare, hardcover replica on the intersection of Eastern and Western botanical history, complete with scans of antique illustrations. He also said that if you have time when you get back, he'd love to meet you to discuss a 'partnership proposal.' He didn't say what it was, just that it's a preliminary idea that aligns with your future plans."

A gift? A partnership proposal? Evelyn's brow twitched faintly. She hadn't checked Night Owl's latest email yet; had he already tracked Julian down? Regardless, now was clearly not the time to look into it.

"I understand," Evelyn said evenly into the phone. "Keep the gift for now. As for the rest, we'll talk when I get back." She moved to end the call.

"Okay, but are you sure..." Madeline still sounded worried.

"I have something to handle here. Talk later." Evelyn hung up swiftly and decisively, placing the satellite phone back on the desk. Throughout the entire exchange, her eyes had left Sebastian for barely a second.

"Julian St. Claire? The ever-so-cautious lawyer? How... thoughtful of him. An 'apology,' a 'gift,' a 'partnership proposal'... one calculated move after another. As expected of a corporate lawyer, his groundwork is flawless."

Evelyn, who had been deep in thought about Julian's potential espionage, was momentarily caught off guard by Sebastian's utterly bizarre tone. She looked up at him. The man stood in the shadows, his face blank, yet his dark eyes looked like they were swimming with crushed ice. And his words reeked of something she couldn't quite comprehend... jealousy?

She couldn't process the origin of his mood swing and was frankly annoyed by his passive-aggressiveness. She frowned, deciding to cut the nonsense and get straight to the point.

"Mr. Thorne, you showed up at my door in the middle of the night claiming you had an urgent matter. What exactly is it?"