The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 275

"Lancaster Group? The real estate empire?"

"Yeah, that's him! The guy's worth billions!"

"Damn, no wonder he looks so intimidating..."

The whispering started up again, but this time it was noticeably subdued, laced with a mix of awe and morbid curiosity.

Miles was highly efficient. Within minutes, several mall security guards in uniform hurried over and began dispersing the crowd.

"Excuse me, nothing to see here, please keep moving."

"Sir, ma'am, please step this way..."

The onlookers were slowly ushered away, though many kept looking back over their shoulders, their eyes darting between Christian, Piper, and Lyra.

Piper stood behind Christian, crying silently. She kept her head down, her shoulders trembling, biting her lip so hard it almost bled just to keep herself from sobbing aloud.

Jocelyn watched the crowd being cleared out, then glanced at Christian's thunderous expression, finally feeling a twinge of apprehension. Still, she forced herself to stand tall, jutting her chin out stubbornly. "What? Mad because you got caught in the act? Christian, I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

Lyra let out a soft sigh and took a step forward, gently looping her arm through Jocelyn's.

"Jocelyn, that's enough," she said, her voice perfectly soft and exasperated. "This... is Christian's cousin, Piper Brooks."

She paused, turning her gaze to Piper. Her eyes held just the right amount of polite apology. "Piper, I'm so sorry. My friend is very hot-tempered and misunderstood the situation. Please don't take it to heart."

Jocelyn froze.

"Cousin?" She blinked, the fiery indignation on her face instantly morphing into sheer embarrassment. "You're his cousin? Why didn't you just say so?"

Piper looked up, her red-rimmed eyes locking onto Lyra.

She didn't say a word.

But in her heart, she knew exactly what was going on—Lyra had known who she was the entire time.

From the moment they walked over, from the moment Jocelyn started screaming, from the moment she was called a little tramp... Lyra had stood in the back, silently watching it all unfold.

And now that the damage was done and the scene had blown up, she stepped forward to play the peacemaker.

She had painted herself as the absolute saint.

Piper bit her lip and forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "It's fine... as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up."

She finished speaking and tugged at Christian's sleeve. "Christian, let's go."

Christian cast a long glance at Lyra.

It was a complicated look—calculating, distant, and filled with something Lyra couldn't quite decipher.

Then he turned and walked away with Piper.

Jocelyn stood there, scratching her head, and muttered awkwardly, "So it was his cousin... Well, why didn't she just say so earlier? She made me look like an absolute idiot..."

"She knew exactly who I was," Piper bit her lip angrily. "When her friend came charging over, she could have explained it right then, but she didn't say a word. She just stood in the back and let her friend scream at me."

She paused, a sharp sting of grievance coloring her tone. "Only after it turned into a massive scene did she step up to play the good guy. What kind of person does that?"

Christian leaned back against the plush leather seat, his eyes closed, remaining entirely silent.

Piper looked at him and sighed. "Christian, are you really going to marry her?"

He didn't answer.

He simply opened his eyes and stared at the streetlights blurring past the window, his gaze bottomless and dark.

His phone buzzed.

It was a text from Miles: [Mr. Lancaster, we have an update. Sebastian Thorne is pursuing Ms. Sullivan.]

Christian stared at those words for a long time.

Then, he typed out a response:

[Book a flight to Northern California immediately. The Bayview Retreat.]

Send.

Outside the window, the night pressed down, thick and heavy.