The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 196

It was past eleven at night by the time Blake drove Christian to the Lancaster family estate.

The black sedan slowly came to a halt outside the grand gates. Through the wrought-iron bars, the lights in the main house were still on. The warm glow spilled from the windows, casting mottled shadows across the quiet courtyard.

"You sure you don't need me to come in with you?" Blake asked.

Christian shook his head, pushing the car door open. "Head back and prep the press releases. The sooner, the better."

"Don't worry," Blake said. "The first wave of articles will drop first thing tomorrow morning. But Christian... are you absolutely sure about this? Once you take this step, there's no turning back."

Standing outside the car, the night breeze brushed past Christian, sobering him up slightly. He looked up at the familiar architecture—the place he had grown up in, which now felt more like a frozen fortress.

"I crossed the point of no return a long time ago," he murmured, then shut the door.

Blake's car drove off. Christian stood frozen for a moment, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

The iron gates slowly swung open. He crossed the courtyard and walked up the steps to the main house. The old butler was already waiting in the foyer, an unconcealed look of worry plastered across his face.

"Sir," the butler said softly. "Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster are waiting for you in the study. They... don't look very happy."

Christian nodded. "I know. Get me a hot detox tea."

"I already have it prepared." The butler turned and brought over a silver tray holding a steaming cup. "Sir, you should drink some first. The alcohol smells a bit strong on you."

Christian took the cup and tipped his head back, draining it in one go. The warm liquid cascaded down his throat, dispelling a fraction of the chill sitting heavily in his stomach.

He placed the empty cup back on the tray and adjusted his suit jacket. "How long have they been in the study?"

"Almost two hours," the butler whispered. "Mrs. Lancaster has been on the phone non-stop, and Mr. Lancaster... has just been reading the news."

Christian didn't respond. He walked straight past her to the desk and sat in the chair opposite his father.

"Mom," he started, his voice a bit raspy. "The damage is done. Screaming at me isn't going to fix anything."

"Fix anything?!" Penelope's volume spiked again. "Do you have any idea how humiliated I was today? Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Wang... all those women who usually bend over backwards to kiss up to me were looking at me like I was the punchline to a joke! And Mrs. Higgins, her daughter just married into the Zhou family, and she actually had the audacity to ask me, 'I heard your future daughter-in-law had quite the wild time abroad?'"

Her chest heaved violently as her fury escalated. "I wanted the ground to swallow me whole! Christian, I am telling you right now, I will never accept a woman like Lyra Langford! We don't even know if that boy is actually my grandson! And even if he is, with a mother like her, I refuse to take him!"

Lawrence finally set the document down, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Enough," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried the absolute authority of the family patriarch. "If you're done screaming, sit down. Christian, you said you had a solution. Let's hear it."

Penelope opened her mouth to argue, but a lethal glare from Lawrence silenced her. Furious, she slumped back onto the sofa.