The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 286

New York, 8:00 PM.

The black Bentley glided smoothly out of the Lancaster Group's underground parking garage. Christian leaned his head against the seat back, eyes shut, rubbing his temples in slow, rhythmic circles.

He was completely exhausted.

He had taken an early flight back from San Francisco, sat through three grueling board meetings in the afternoon, and had spent the evening drowning in paperwork. He just wanted to go back to his penthouse and pass out, but...

His phone started buzzing.

He checked the caller ID. Penelope Lancaster.

Christian frowned, but answered the call. "Mom."

"Where are you right now?" His mother's voice was sharp, vibrating with suppressed fury.

"I just left the office. Heading back to my apartment."

"Forget the apartment! Get back to the estate immediately!" She snapped, hanging up before he could even reply.

Christian stared at the dead screen for two solid seconds.

"Take me to the family estate," he instructed Miles.

Miles glanced at him in the rearview mirror, wisely keeping his mouth shut, and swiftly changed routes.

***

The Lancaster Estate, 8:30 PM.

When Christian walked through the massive double doors, the atmosphere in the grand living room was aggressively toxic.

Penelope was sitting stiffly on the main sofa, her face stormy with rage. Piper sat nearby on an armchair, clutching a cup of hot tea. Her eyes were puffy and red—she had clearly been sobbing.

A smartphone lay face-up on the coffee table, its screen brightly illuminated.

Christian handed his overcoat to a maid and took a seat on the opposite sofa.

"What's going on, Mom?"

"What's going on?" Penelope's voice shot up several octaves. "You actually have the nerve to ask me that?"

She snatched the phone off the table and shoved it toward his face. "Look at this yourself! Explain this to me!"

Christian took the phone. The screen showed an exclusive group chat titled "High Society Afternoon Tea," populated by dozens of the city's most elite socialites. The latest message was a high-definition video—

It was raw footage of yesterday's incident at the luxury mall, clearly showing Jocelyn pointing her finger in Piper's face and screaming "little bitch."

Penelope glared at him, her chest heaving with indignation. "Do you see this? Do you see how they're humiliating me in front of everyone? When has the Lancaster family ever been dragged through the mud like this!"

Piper set her tea down, her voice trembling softly. "Aunt Penelope, please don't be angry... it was just a misunderstanding..."

"A misunderstanding?!" Penelope snapped, her eyes welling with angry tears. "Piper, you've never suffered such indignity your entire life! Your mother trusted me to look after you, and the moment you step foot back in this country, you get publicly cursed out like a cheap hooker! How am I supposed to face anyone?"

Piper lowered her head, weeping silently.

Penelope turned her wrath back to Christian, her voice rising to a shrill scream. "Christian Lancaster, you are my only son! But do you have any idea how much humiliation I have suffered recently because of your reckless behavior?!"

She started listing his crimes on her fingers. "First, the disaster with Evelyn. You turned that divorce into a city-wide circus, and God knows how those society wives are mocking me behind my back! Then comes Lyra, stirring up international scandals that blow back on my reputation! And now this? Your own cousin flies in, and your fiancée's psychotic friend physically assaults her in a public mall?!"

She choked back a sob, placing a dramatic hand over her chest. "How could you do this to me? How could you do this to your aunt?"

Christian sat on the sofa like a marble statue.

He didn't defend himself, and he didn't argue back.

He knew everything his mother was screaming was the absolute truth.

Piper, playing the role of the sympathetic peacemaker, stood up and hurried over to sit beside Penelope, clinging to her arm.

"Aunt Penelope, please stop yelling at Christian," she pleaded sweetly. "It was that horrible woman's fault, it has nothing to do with him! Besides, Christian protected me right away! Did you see his face in the video? He looked so scary, he practically terrified that psycho into silence!"