The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 220

It was six in the evening when Christian Lancaster pushed open the heavy doors of the Lancaster Estate. The atmosphere in the living room was as rigid as ice.

Penelope Lancaster sat dead center on the sofa, her face ashen, her knuckles turning white around the teacup she gripped. Sitting across from her, Lawrence Lancaster had his brows deeply furrowed over a document, clearly distracted.

A maid took Christian's coat and whispered, "Sir, Mrs. Lancaster has been like this ever since she got home this afternoon."

Christian nodded and walked over. "Dad. Mom."

Penelope looked up, her eyes burning with undisguised resentment. "Oh, so you finally decided to come home?"

"Work was busy." Christian sat in the armchair opposite her. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Penelope scoffed. "It's all because of you! Because of the perfect wife you had, and the perfect wife you're about to marry!"

Christian frowned. "Mom, calm down. Let's just talk."

"Talk?" Penelope slammed her teacup down, the porcelain clattering sharply. "I was playing cards at Mrs. Chambers' house this afternoon. Do you want to know what those women were saying?"

She didn't wait for his answer. "Mrs. Whitaker said, right in front of everyone, 'Penelope, I hear your ex-daughter-in-law is doing incredible things. Dr. S has saved so many lives overseas that foreign diplomats are thanking her by name.'"

Christian's breath hitched, barely noticeable.

"Then Mrs. Lowery chimed in: 'Oh, absolutely. My daughter says her entire medical school looks up to Dr. S like a hero. If there hadn't been a divorce, the Lancaster family wouldn't ever have to worry about a thing with a daughter-in-law like her.'" Penelope's voice grew shrill. "And then Mrs. Higgins—that snide, miserable woman—she laughed and said, 'But Penelope's new daughter-in-law isn't so bad either. Lyra is internationally famous too—famous for her scandalous affairs.'"

Dead silence descended upon the living room.

"So what do we do?" Penelope snapped. "Just sit here and let people laugh at us?"

Lawrence rubbed his temples. "Christian, we can't drag out this wedding with Lyra anymore."

Christian looked up. "What are you suggesting?"

"Skip the engagement. Just get married," Lawrence said bluntly. "The sooner, the better. She's pregnant. If we wait until she's showing to have the wedding, the gossip will only get worse."

Penelope opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately just collapsed back onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

Lawrence continued, "Set a date. We'll have a dinner with both families and finalize everything. Pick a date soon and keep it simple. The grander the wedding is right now, the more people will talk."