The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 263

Christian looked at him without saying a word.

Sweat began to bead on Stephen's forehead. He kept his strained smile plastered in place, his voice growing increasingly desperate and cautious.

"Christian, I know you and Evelyn got divorced. It's her loss, really; she was never good enough for you. But the bond between our two families shouldn't just vanish because of that, right? Look at our contract. We've always delivered the highest quality supplies right on schedule. We've never made a single mistake..."

He took a step closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "If you think the terms aren't favorable enough, we can negotiate. If you need a bigger margin, we can absolutely make that happen."

Stephen's wife stood beside him, clutching her designer handbag with hands sporting bright red nails. Her expression was a toxic mix of fawning eagerness and bitter resentment. Her eyes swept up and down Christian's frame, as if trying to assess his net worth on the spot.

Finally, Christian spoke, his voice completely flat.

"Mr. Sullivan, I don't handle this matter."

He paused, his tone impeccably polite yet entirely detached. "The supply chain operations at Lancaster Group were handed over to my father two years ago. If you want to discuss a renewal, you need to speak with him."

The desperate smile on Stephen's face shattered.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

"I have another engagement." Christian pulled his gaze away. "Excuse me."

He turned his back and stepped into the elevator.

Miles immediately followed, pressing his finger firmly against the 'close door' button.

"Give my regards to Arthur Sullivan," Christian said, his back turned to the doors, his voice perfectly aloof. "I wish him a speedy recovery."

The metallic doors began to slide shut.

"Wait—Christian! Christian! Mr. Lancaster!"

Stephen lunged forward, desperately trying to pry the elevator doors apart with his bare hands, but they had already sealed shut.

He could only watch helplessly as the gleaming silver metal closed right in his face, completely cutting him off from Christian's cold, imposing profile.

The numbers on the digital display began to tick downward.

11... 10... 9...

Stephen stood frozen in the hallway, his hands still raised in mid-air like a discarded marionette.

The corridor was dead silent for several seconds.

Then, his wife finally spoke, her shrill voice dripping with barely suppressed venom.

"Look at that! Just look at him! Who does he think he is now? You call him 'Mr. Lancaster' and he doesn't even spare you a glance! He wouldn't even waste two sentences on us!"

She rounded on Stephen, her bright red lips pulling back into a sneer.

"I told you from the start. Your precious daughter, acting so high and mighty, acting like she was above it all—and for what? She couldn't even keep a man! Three years of marriage, and she gets thrown out of the Lancaster family with nothing but the clothes on her back—"

"Shut up."

Stephen didn't even turn around.

His voice was incredibly soft, yet it sliced through the suffocating tension in the hallway like a rusted blade.

—

Inside the descending elevator, Christian leaned back against the mirrored wall, his eyes closed.

His reflection stared back at him—cold, exhausted, completely devoid of emotion.

But his fingers were curled into tight fists at his sides.

Miles stood silently in the corner, barely daring to breathe.

The numbers kept dropping.

5... 4... 3...

"Did you find out?" Christian asked suddenly.

Miles instantly snapped to attention. "We're tracking it now. The emergency case Dr. Sullivan took was handled privately. Only the top executives at the hospital know about it."

Christian let out a low hum of acknowledgment.

The elevator dinged as it reached the lobby.

The doors slid open, revealing the chaotic, bustling main hall of the outpatient department.

Christian stepped out.

Just then, Miles's phone buzzed. He checked it and immediately rushed forward. "Mr. Lancaster, we found her. Dr. Sullivan is in San Francisco."