The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 271

The woman finally broke down, large tears spilling down her cheeks. The man next to her abruptly stood up, his knees buckling as he lunged forward, overwhelmed with a desperate need to thank her.

"Doctor! Thank you! Thank you!"

Evelyn reacted quickly, catching him by the arm. "Don't do that, please stand up."

The man was strong and stubbornly trying to express his profound gratitude. Unable to hold him up on her own, Evelyn sidestepped to block his momentum. "If you do this, we can't talk. Please, sit back down and let's go over the details slowly."

Standing outside the door, Lance watched the scene, feeling a lump form in his own throat.

He discreetly glanced at Sebastian.

Sebastian stood perfectly still by the door. The hallway lights cast shifting shadows across his profile. His gaze was locked onto the room, entirely focused on the woman who was gently supporting her patient. He looked so captivated he had almost forgotten to breathe.

Lance had never seen his boss look like this.

It wasn't his usual boardroom sharpness or his icy negotiation demeanor. It was something... indescribable. It was as if he were looking at something infinitely precious, a gaze filled with a cautious, entirely unconscious tenderness.

Inside the office, the man was finally guided back into his chair, still wiping his tears.

"Doctor, we came all the way from the Ozarks. We don't have much, and we spent all our savings on medical bills these past few years..." he babbled incoherently. "If you can save her, you're a savior to our entire family..."

Evelyn shook her head, her voice remaining perfectly steady and warm. "There’s no need to say that. Healing people is my job."

She stood up, walked to the door, pulled it fully open, and called out, "Blake."

From down the hall, a young medical assistant jogged over. "Dr. Sullivan?"

"Take these patients to admissions," Evelyn said, handing him the paperwork. "Inpatient ward, seventh floor, VIP cardiology suite. I've already cleared it with them."

"Right away, Dr. Sullivan." The assistant took the papers and gestured to the couple. "Please, follow me."

The couple stood up. When the woman reached the door, she turned back and gave Evelyn one last, deeply emotional look. She didn't say anything else; she simply gave a profound bow of respect.

Evelyn nodded, watching them leave.

She didn't turn around until the sound of their footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor.

That was when she noticed Sebastian standing by the door.

She paused in surprise.

"Mr. Thorne?" she asked, a hint of astonishment in her voice. "When did you get here?"

Sebastian stood there, seemingly pulling himself out of a trance. He opened his mouth to speak but realized he had been staring so intently that he had completely forgotten what he meant to say.

Lance desperately held back a laugh and quickly stepped in to save his boss. "Dr. Sullivan, Mr. Thorne just finished visiting his mother and stopped by to check on you."

Sebastian finally found his voice. "...Right. Just stopping by."

Sebastian snapped back to reality. "No. I'll let you get back to work."

He said the words but made no immediate move to leave.

He stood there for another two seconds before finally turning around.

After taking a few steps, he stopped abruptly. Without looking back, he simply turned his head slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Sullivan."

Evelyn watched his broad shoulders and softly replied, "Mhm."

Sebastian strode away.

Lance hurried after him, waiting until they were well out of earshot before whispering, "Mr. Thorne, why didn't you say more?"

Sebastian didn't answer.

He was just replaying that image in his mind—Evelyn standing in the doorway of her office, backlit by the soft, glowing halo of the corridor lights, looking at him with perfect tranquility.

In that moment, he had completely forgotten what he wanted to say.

All he remembered were her eyes.

They were so bright.