The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 269

Watching his cousin practically vibrate with excitement, Christian allowed a rare, genuine smile to touch his lips. "Of course. You've always been brilliant."

"Obviously!" Piper lifted her chin triumphantly, then leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a theatrical whisper. "And Christian, you'll never guess. The committee managed to book a total legend as a guest presenter this year—"

She paused for dramatic effect. "Iris."

Christian raised an eyebrow. "The mysterious designer you're always obsessed with?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Piper nodded furiously. "She literally never shows her face. Nobody in the industry knows what she looks like or where she's from. But every single piece she designs auctions for astronomical figures! My mentor, Valerie Vance, said Iris's work possesses this completely unique aura—it's delicate but fiercely strong, blending Eastern elegance with absolute international dominance. Once you see her work, you never forget it."

Christian didn't particularly care about jewelry design, but seeing the sheer hero-worship radiating from his cousin, he offered an encouraging nod. "She sounds incredible."

"Incredible doesn't even cover it!" Piper looked like she was ready to jump off the sofa. "Valerie told me that getting even a single word of advice from Iris could skyrocket a designer's entire career. If she actually liked my work enough to recruit me into her studio, that would be..."

She threw her hands up in an exaggerated gesture. "Absolute peak success!"

Christian chuckled softly at her antics. "Then make sure you put on your best performance. Impress her."

"I will!" Piper pumped her fists, though her shoulders slumped a second later. "But Iris is notoriously elusive. Even if I go, the odds of actually seeing her face are basically zero. Word is she only walks out for the grand prize announcement and vanishes immediately. She's never given a single interview."

She sighed dramatically and dropped her head onto Christian's shoulder. "Christian, if I could just meet her once, my life would be complete."

Christian reached over and ruffled her hair. "You never know. Maybe you will."

Piper tilted her head up to look at him. "Really?"

"Really," Christian promised.

His gaze drifted past his cousin, staring out into the dark New York night.

—

The Westside Sanatorium.

By the time the luxury sedan pulled through the iron gates, the sky was pitch black. The amber glow of the streetlamps cast long, hazy shadows across the manicured lawns, giving the entire facility an eerie, desolate atmosphere.

Sitting in the back seat, Sebastian stared blankly at the perfectly trimmed hedges outside the window.

Lance glanced back from the passenger seat. "Mr. Thorne, we're here."

The car rolled to a stop in front of a modest three-story building. The grounds were undeniably beautiful—quiet, secluded, and lush with greenery. But for a man placed under indefinite house arrest, even the most luxurious garden was still a cage.

Sebastian pushed the door open and stepped out into the crisp night air.

Lance scrambled out to follow him, but Sebastian raised a single hand, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Wait down here."

Lance froze mid-step and nodded quickly. "Understood."

Sebastian walked into the building alone and took the elevator up to the third floor. The hallway was completely silent, the stillness broken only by the faint, irritating buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead.

He stopped in front of room 301. He didn't knock. He simply turned the handle and pushed the door open.

The lights were on inside. Marcus Thorne was sitting on an armchair by the window, a book resting in his lap. The moment he saw who had walked in, his hands jerked violently, nearly dropping the novel to the floor.

The silence in the room became suffocating.

Marcus stood frozen in place, looking like a poorly made statue.

It took him a very long time to finally stammer out an excuse. "I—I wanted to check on her, but your guards wouldn't let me leave..."

"My guards?" Sebastian stood up, towering over the older man. "If you had truly wanted to be there, do you honestly believe anyone could have stopped you?"

He paused, the temperature in his voice plummeting. "You just didn't care enough to try."

Marcus's face flushed a deep, humiliated red. His lips trembled violently, but he couldn't form a single coherent defense.

Sebastian didn't waste another look on him.

He turned and walked toward the exit. Just as his hand grazed the doorknob, he stopped.

"Tessa's baby," he said softly, keeping his back to his father.

Marcus's head snapped up.

Sebastian continued, never bothering to turn around. "The DNA results came back. The child belongs to your brother-in-law, Geoffrey Brooks. My aunt spent years struggling to conceive, but it seems her husband is perfectly capable when he looks elsewhere."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, a razor-sharp edge of mockery bleeding into his tone. "Father. Tell me, how does it feel to spend four months playing the proud parent to another man's bastard?"

Marcus's face went completely, horrifically white, as ashen as a corpse.

Sebastian didn't say another word. He pushed the door open and walked out into the hall.