The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 205

"Maddy, did you make the appointment?" she asked softly.

On the other end of the line, Madeline was beaming. "Of course! When I step up, nothing is impossible. Julian heard you wanted to meet and agreed immediately. Tomorrow at 2 PM, The Zenith, the top-floor viewing suite. He said it's quiet and perfect for discussing business."

Evelyn closed her eyes and massaged her temples. "Thank you."

"Don't be so polite with me!" Madeline paused. "You're my best friend, and he's my senior from law school. I'm happy to play matchmaker."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Evelyn's mouth. "Alright, I'm hanging up. We'll talk later."

After hanging up, she stood in the stairwell for a moment longer.

The sky outside was a brilliant blue, clouds drifting lazily by. Down in the hospital courtyard, families were pushing patients in wheelchairs, and children were chasing pigeons.

The world kept turning; it wouldn't stop for anyone's grief or joy.

She smoothed out her white coat, pushed open the heavy fire door, and stepped into the brightly lit corridor.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, at the Thorne Group headquarters.

In the top-floor conference room, both sides of the long table were packed with executives. Sebastian Thorne sat at the head of the table, a financial report spread out before him, his fingers rhythmically tapping the wood.

The video conference system was active, the screen split into five feeds—New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney. The heads of the Thorne Group's overseas branches were all online.

"Q3 revenue growth in the North American market was below expectations. Why?" Sebastian spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a crushing pressure.

The head of the New York branch wiped away sweat. "Mr. Thorne, it's primarily because our competitors launched a new product line, and we—"

"I want solutions, not excuses." Sebastian cut him off, his gaze sweeping the screens. "I'm giving you two weeks to come up with a counter-strategy. If you can't deliver, I'll find someone who can."

The conference room was dead silent, save for the faint hum of the air vents.

Lance Sterling slipped through the door, walked up to Sebastian, and leaned in to whisper a few words into his ear.

Sebastian's expression froze instantly.

He slammed his pen down onto the desk. The sound wasn't deafening, but in the suffocating silence of the room, it felt like an explosion.

Everyone held their breath.

Sebastian slowly raised his head, his gaze dragging over the subordinates lining the table, then across the anxious faces on the video feeds.

"Useless."

He spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

"A bunch of useless dead weight."

The CFO instinctively opened his mouth to explain, but the person next to him yanked hard on his sleeve.

Sebastian stood up, planting both hands on the table and leaning forward like a predator ready to strike. "Q3 financial reports, three out of five regions failed. The new product development is delayed by two months. And the safety incident at the Southeast Asian factory still hasn't been cleaned up."

He listed their failures one by one, the air pressure in the room dropping with every word.

"Am I paying you all just to sit around and do nothing?" Sebastian's voice spiked, his eyes sharp as blades. "The Thorne Group pays you seven-figure salaries every year just to hand me this garbage?!"

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