The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 249

She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of incredibly cold, venomous eyes.

"Lyra Langford," she whispered softly, ensuring only she could hear it. "Don't you worry. By the time I come back, I'll have you begging on your knees."

With that, she slipped the sunglasses back onto her face, grabbed her suitcase, and headed straight for the boarding gate.

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Flight AF381, First Class cabin.

Lydia located her window seat. She stowed her luggage and settled into the massive, plush chair. A flight attendant immediately brought over a glass of champagne and a hot towel. She took the towel to wipe her hands but didn't even touch the glass.

The plane began its taxi, the captain's voice crackling over the PA system with pre-flight announcements in French and English.

Lydia stared out the window. The sprawling airport lights bled together into a brilliant river of gold against the dark night. The runway indicators blurred past as the engines roared, the aircraft pitching its nose up sharply and tearing into the sky.

The city shrunk violently beneath them, eventually fading into a distant smear of light.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Right at that moment, someone sat down in the seat beside her.

Lydia didn't open her eyes until she physically felt a gaze landing on her. Frowning, she turned her head.

Sitting next to her was a woman in her early thirties, dressed in an impeccably tailored navy-blue blazer. Her hair was loosely pinned back, with a few stray strands framing her face. She wore gold-rimmed glasses, and while her eyes held a polite smile, the warmth didn't quite reach them.

Lydia's lips curved into a subtle smirk.

Victoria smiled, and for the first time, a genuine trace of warmth bled into her expression. She raised her glass in return. The two exchanged a knowing look and took a sip of their wine.

The rich, full-bodied flavor bloomed across their tongues.

"Anna," Victoria set her glass down. Hearing the new name fall from her lips carried a strange, twisted sense of intimacy. "Welcome to the new world."

Lydia—no, she was Anna now—smiled as well. She looked out the window at the surging sea of clouds beneath them, staring into the limitless, clear sky ahead.

"The new world..." she repeated softly, a razor-sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "I'm looking forward to it."

The plane cruised smoothly over the ocean.

And an entirely new chessboard was already being set.