The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 182

After Evelyn shut the door, a suffocating silence fell over the hallway.

Christian stood rooted to the spot, the edges of the white lily petals in his hand already beginning to curl. He looked down at the bouquet, then up at the closed door of the on-call room. It felt as though a massive boulder was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Evelyn's words still echoed in his ears—

"When Lydia drugged me, her technique was remarkably practiced."

When did that happen? Why was he completely unaware of it?

Christian's brow furrowed deeper as an unprecedented wave of unease spread through his heart. He thought of Lydia's face, always wearing a fawning smile, and recalled her subtle hostility toward Evelyn whenever she was at the Lancaster estate...

Could all those incidents not have been accidents?

He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed his assistant, Preston.

"Boss," Preston's voice came through the line.

"Look into something immediately." Christian kept his voice low, but he couldn't hide the urgency in his tone. "Lydia Langford—the second daughter of the Langford family. Did she ever drug Evelyn? When did it happen? What exactly went down?"

Preston clearly hesitated on the other end. "Ms. Lydia? Drugged someone? Boss, this is..."

"Look into it." Christian cut him off, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone of command. "Use every connection we have. I want to know all the details. Including where she is and what her current situation is."

"Yes, I'll get on it right away." Catching the dangerous edge in his boss's voice, Preston didn't dare ask any more questions. "I'll report back as soon as I have news."

Christian hung up and took a deep breath, trying to calm his chaotic thoughts. But his phone soon rang again, and the name flashing on the screen made his frown deepen—it was his mother again.

He stared at the name for a few seconds before finally answering.

"Mom."

"Christian! Where are you right now?!" Penelope's voice was just as shrill, but this time it carried a heavy dose of interrogation. "You were right next to Evelyn just now. Did you run off to the hospital to see her? Did you?!"

Christian rubbed his temples. "I'm at the hospital, visiting Arthur Sullivan."

"Visiting what?!" Penelope's volume skyrocketed. "What does whether that old Sullivan man lives or dies have to do with us?! Christian, have you lost your mind? Hasn't Evelyn ruined our Lancaster family enough already?!"

"Mom, things aren't what you think—"

"If they aren't what I think, then what are they?!" Penelope completely steamrolled over his explanation. "Have you seen the reports online? That bitch Lydia Maxwell has been targeting our family relentlessly! Now the whole city is laughing at us! They're saying you're blind and that our family isn't good enough for Dr. Rose!"

She grew increasingly agitated. "And the wives of those old board members were making snide remarks in the group chat this morning, saying things like, 'Mr. Lancaster needs to improve his taste in people'! I've never been so insulted in my entire life!"

Christian's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"What's even more infuriating is that Evelyn actually dared to insult me just now!" Penelope's voice trembled with fury. "Who does she think she is? A woman our family threw out on the street, and now she thinks she can point fingers at me just because she has a little fame? Let me tell you, Christian, you have to avenge me!"

It was impossible for the people in the hospital not to have seen the overwhelming media reports online. Now everyone was watching him make a fool of himself—the esteemed CEO of the Lancaster Group hadn't even known he had married a national-treasure medical genius, treating her like a mere pawn for a marriage of convenience.

How utterly ironic.

Christian let out a bitter laugh and gently placed the bouquet of lilies on the counter at the nurse's station.

"Please throw these away," he told the on-call nurse, his voice devoid of emotion.

The young nurse nodded quickly. "Right away, Mr. Lancaster."

He turned and walked toward the elevators, his steps steady, his posture as upright as ever, but those eyes that had always radiated an absolute, commanding composure were now completely hollow.

The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out everything in the hallway.

---

At the same time, in the penthouse suite of a private club in New York.

Sebastian Thorne woke up with a splitting headache.

The heavy curtains were drawn shut, leaving the room shrouded in darkness. He propped himself up, his temples throbbing. The memories of last night rushed into his mind like broken glass—Evelyn's chillingly cruel words, his own out-of-control fury, the endless shots of hard liquor...