The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 183

"A heart made of stone..."

He softly repeated the words he had spoken last night, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

In his thirty years, he had never lost his composure like that. No matter how grueling a business negotiation was or how life-threatening a mission became, he had always maintained absolute calm. Yet that woman had completely shattered his defenses with just a few words.

What was even more laughable was the fact that he had actually said those words out loud—

"My first time isn't something that can just be brushed off."

Looking back, he sounded like a petulant child.

Sebastian massaged his temples and got up to head into the bathroom. Splashing freezing water on his face helped clear his clouded, hungover mind. He stared at his slightly pale reflection in the mirror, his gaze gradually settling into a dark, quiet intensity.

He had lost control last night, but what he had said was the absolute truth.

It really had been... his first time.

It wasn't that he lacked opportunities or hadn't faced temptation. It was simply that, in his eyes, something like that had to happen with someone he truly cared about, at exactly the right time. So he had waited until now, until he met her.

And the result?

She casually wrote it off as "taking what we both needed" and "solving a problem."

Sebastian dried his face and changed into fresh clothes. By the time he walked out of the bedroom, he had completely reverted to his usual composed, authoritative self, though a trace of unshakeable resolve now burned deep in his eyes.

Lance Sterling was already waiting in the living room. Seeing him emerge, he immediately stepped forward. "Boss, breakfast is ready."

"I'm not eating." Sebastian grabbed his coat. "We're going to The Summit Sanctuary."

Lance paused. "Right now? Don't you want to rest a bit more..."

"Now." Sebastian's tone left no room for argument.

The car sped toward The Summit Sanctuary. Along the way, Sebastian rested his eyes, but Lance could feel that the oppressive atmosphere radiating from his boss was still there. It had just morphed from last night's volcanic eruption into a dangerous undercurrent lurking beneath a dark sea.

Upon arriving at the sanctuary, Sebastian headed straight for Room 301. He knocked on the door, his movements a bit heavier than usual.

No response.

He knocked again. Still nothing.

Frowning, Sebastian went straight to the front desk to find Kamal.

"Mr. Thorne?" Kamal offered his standard, polite smile upon seeing him. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Where is Evelyn?" Sebastian cut straight to the chase.

Kamal's smile didn't waver. "Ms. Sullivan had an emergency yesterday afternoon and has already left."

"Left?" Sebastian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where did she go?"

"I wouldn't know the details." Kamal's tone was airtight. "Ms. Sullivan only mentioned a family emergency that required her to return home immediately. She didn't say anything else, and we didn't pry."

Sebastian stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a low, cold laugh. "Kamal, how long have we known each other?"

Kamal's chest tightened. "Three years, Mr. Thorne."

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