The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 281

He paused, then added, "I heard you're getting remarried soon. Congratulations."

The word "congratulations" was spoken lightly, but it landed like a heavy stone breaking the surface of a still lake.

Christian's expression darkened noticeably.

"You're quite well-informed, Mr. Thorne," he shot back.

Sebastian nodded, as if accepting a compliment. "Well, given how closely the public watches your personal life, it's hard to ignore."

He stepped a half-pace closer, looking Christian dead in the eye. "Since you're about to be a married man again, and I hear... a father of two soon, it would be best if you kept your distance from Dr. Sullivan."

His voice remained smooth, but every word felt like a steel nail being driven into the floorboards.

"A divorce is a divorce. Why keep harassing her?"

Christian's face turned completely grim.

He closed the distance, stopping mere inches from Sebastian, stepping right into his personal space.

"Mr. Thorne," his voice dropped to an icy octave. "Evelyn and I grew up together. Even if we're no longer married, we're still family. What's wrong with me checking in on her?"

"Family?" Sebastian repeated the word, his smirk deepening into open mockery. "Blood makes you family. I'm pretty sure you and Evelyn share none of that, Mr. Lancaster."

He let the silence stretch for a beat before adding, "Besides, wasn't the Lancaster family the ones who hurt her in the first place? Isn't it a little late to be playing the family card?"

Christian's hands clenched into tight fists.

"Sebastian," he snapped, his voice thick with suppressed rage, "what happened between us is none of your damn business. You're an outsider."

"An outsider?" Sebastian let out a cold laugh. "Mr. Lancaster, you're about to be someone else's husband. Someone else's father. To her, you're the only outsider here."

The receptionist standing nearby wished she could melt into the drywall.

What kind of titan-level clash was this?

Two powerful CEOs, each with an overwhelming presence, throwing daggers at each other right in her lobby. She didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the entrance.

Lance hurried inside, freezing mid-step when he saw Sebastian and Christian facing off. He recovered quickly and rushed over to Sebastian's side.

"Mr. Thorne," he murmured, keeping his voice low. "Dr. Sullivan has boarded her flight. I saw her off personally."

Sebastian nodded, his eyes never leaving Christian.

He checked his watch, then looked back up, his tone returning to its default coolness. "Mr. Lancaster, I have a meeting to get to. I won't keep you."

He turned and walked toward the exit. As he brushed past Christian, he paused and tilted his head slightly.

"By the way. Since you're divorced, stop bothering her. She has a great life now. She doesn't need her ex-husband's 'concern'."

Christian turned his head, staring at Sebastian's profile, and enunciated every syllable.

"Let me give you some advice, Sebastian. Stay away from her."

Their eyes locked once more in a vicious glare.

One second. Two seconds.

Sebastian merely smirked, offered no reply, and strode out the door.

Lance scrambled to follow him.

Christian stood perfectly still, watching his rival's retreating back disappear through the glass doors. His expression was murderous.

Miles tentatively stepped forward. "Mr. Lancaster, should we get going too?"

"Book a flight. We're going back to New York."

Miles blinked in surprise. "Right now? But you have a meeting at the regional branch this afternoon..."

"Cancel it." Christian opened his eyes, his gaze dark and stormy. "Back to New York."

Knowing better than to argue, Miles quickly looked down at his phone and started making the arrangements.

The car merged onto the highway, the scenery flashing by in a blur.

Christian stared out the window, Sebastian's words echoing relentlessly in his head.

"She flew out this morning. You're a bit late."

And that other sentence:

"She has a great life now. She doesn't need her ex-husband's 'concern'."

His fingers curled inward, knuckles turning white.

***

High above the airport, a commercial jet cruised smoothly through the sky.

By the window, Evelyn had fallen asleep, her face shielded by her mask and eye cover.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting warm, golden speckles across her skin.

She had no idea that while she slept, two powerful men had just gone to war over her in the lobby of a San Francisco retreat.

She also didn't know that an even bigger storm was brewing, waiting for her in Paris.

The plane cut through the clouds, charting its course back to New York.