The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 235

The corner of Sebastian's mouth twitched upward ever so slightly before settling back into a stoic line. At the very least, she hadn't thrown them in the trash. Did that mean she wasn't outright rejecting him?

Yesterday, after leaving Evelyn's office, he had sat in his car in total silence for a long time. Then, his phone had rung. It was Aris—his old college buddy who now owned a massive luxury rose farm in Ecuador.

"Hey man, did the delivery make it? Did she like them?" Aris's voice had boomed with cheerful amusement.

Sebastian had paused. "She told me I was sick and recommended I see a psychiatrist."

A booming, earth-shattering laugh erupted over the speaker. Aris laughed for a solid thirty seconds before finally gasping for air. "No way! What the hell did you do?"

"I told her I was pursuing her."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Aris chuckled again. "Man, I hate to break it to you, but that is not how you court a woman. You need to send flowers every single day until she gets used to you being part of her life. Even if she couldn't care less about the roses right now, you keep sending them. At the absolute minimum, it marks your territory and lets everyone else know she's taken."

"Taken?" Sebastian frowned. "She's not mine yet."

"Which is exactly why you have to keep sending them!" Aris insisted. "It's about claiming the high ground. A woman's heart isn't a fortress you conquer in a day. You need patience."

Remembering Aris's advice, Sebastian thought back to the exasperated look on Evelyn's face—like she was dealing with a misbehaving child but was too polite to yell.

Maybe Aris was right. He had rushed it.

Watching his boss's changing expressions, Lance tentatively broke the silence. "Boss, so tomorrow... do we still send them?"

"Yes." Sebastian didn't hesitate for a second. "Tomorrow, we send 'Aurora's Blush.' Be at the airport to receive the shipment at seven, and be at the hospital by seven-thirty."

"But Dr. Sullivan..."

"She accepted them, didn't she?" Sebastian looked up, his eyes dark and resolute. "She didn't throw them away. That's progress."

Lance opened his mouth, then simply nodded. "Understood."

He backed out of the office, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. Out in the hallway, he let out a long exhale. Did his boss's logic sound bordering on delusional self-comfort?

Then again, Dr. Sullivan had kept the flowers. That was undeniably an improvement from being prescribed a psychological evaluation to his face.

Inside the office, Sebastian set his documents aside and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The sprawling, bustling financial district stretched out below him. He thought of Evelyn sitting behind her desk yesterday—the crisp white coat, the simple ponytail, her eyes as calm and unreadable as deep water.

---

At 3:00 PM, St. Jude's Medical Center.

Evelyn walked out of the operating room, dragging her exhausted body back toward her office. The two bouquets of "Queen of the Night" still sat in the corner, their velvet petals soaking up the warm afternoon sun.

She changed out of her scrubs, getting ready to visit her grandfather in the ward. Passing the nurses' station, she spotted Lauren indulging in a lavish afternoon tea spread. Seeing Evelyn, Lauren bolted upright. "Dr. Sullivan!"

Evelyn paused and offered her a gentle smile. "Enjoy your break."

Lauren watched her walk away, then glanced down at the fresh text from Lance. He had just messaged her asking if Dr. Sullivan was in for the afternoon. Lauren had truthfully replied that she was in surgery. Lance had sent a polite "Thank you," followed by a promise to deliver more flowers tomorrow.

One stubbornly sending, the other gracefully accepting.

Where exactly was this leading?

She could already picture the headline: *The Billionaire's Relentless Pursuit of the Ice Queen.*

Meanwhile, back at Thorne Enterprises, Sebastian stood by his windows, watching the sun dip lower into the horizon.

The sky was a brilliant tapestry of colors when a sudden text chime shattered the quiet. Sebastian pulled out his phone. The moment he read the screen, the blood drained from his face...