The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 189

"At that time, the director of the Royal Ballet Company introduced me to an investor, saying that if I could just accompany him to a dinner, I might be able to secure the funding." Lyra's voice grew fainter. "I went... That's the dinner from the photos. But I swear, all I did was eat! Absolutely nothing happened! That investor really did put money into the Langford family's company, and it temporarily saved us from the crisis..."

She reached out and gripped Christian's sleeve, clinging to it like her final lifeline. "Christian, I know those kinds of places were wrong, I know I shouldn't have gone... but I truly had no other choice! I had a baby in my belly, my family was going bankrupt, and I was completely alone in a foreign country with absolutely no one to rely on... I just had to force myself to go!"

Christian stared at her tear-stained face, and fragments of memory suddenly flashed through his mind—

About three years ago, during a business dinner, he had indeed heard someone mention that the Langford family's company had nearly gone under, but then miraculously bounced back. People speculated that they had found some powerful backer...

He hadn't paid attention to it back then. Thinking about it now, it all made sense.

"What about James?" Christian's voice remained cold and analytical. "What is your relationship with James Rutherford, a man who, before going bankrupt, was an agent for an underground casino in Europe?"

Lyra's face paled even further. "You... you looked into him?"

"Was it really that hard to find out?" Christian countered. "His bankruptcy and disappearance aren't exactly a secret in those circles."

"He and I... we just knew each other." Lyra lowered her head, her voice trembling. "We met through a mutual friend. He knew I was struggling abroad, so sometimes he would help me find... performance opportunities. That's all."

"That's all?" Christian picked up a photo of her and James together on a yacht. "Just ordinary friends taking a private yacht out to sea together?"

"That was a team-building event for the Royal Ballet Company!" Lyra explained frantically. "There were tons of people there! The photo was cropped to only show the two of us, it was done on purpose!"

She sank onto the carpet on her knees, gazing up at Christian, her face entirely drenched in tears. "Christian, I know that no matter what I say right now, you probably won't believe me... but I really never did anything to betray you. Those photos, those parties, I was forced into all of it... What else could I do? A woman entirely alone in a foreign country, trying to protect her baby while desperately trying to save her family... Besides playing the game, what other choice did I have?"

The office fell into a prolonged, suffocating silence.

Outside the window, the city sky was a bleak gray, looking as if it were about to pour.

Christian stared at the violently trembling woman sobbing in front of him. Her makeup was ruined, her hair was a mess, and her expensive knit sweater was soaked with tears. She looked like an entirely different person from the Lyra in the photos, the one smiling seductively and expertly juggling men at elite parties.

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