The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 327

The grand parlor descended into a stunned silence for a brief second.

The Duchess blinked, before her face split into a look of utterly charmed realization.

"Well, I'll be!" she clapped her hands together, beaming. "What an absolutely marvelous coincidence! Ms. Langford is my favorite dancer, Iris is the woman who saved my sister's life, and the two of you are practically family!"

Lady Elara nodded in delighted agreement. "No wonder Ms. Langford looked so shocked to see Evelyn here. It truly is a small world."

Lyra stood completely frozen, utterly paralyzed by what had just happened.

She stared at Evelyn, her eyes wide with total, unadulterated disbelief.

Was Evelyn... saving her from a humiliating public execution?

No. That wasn't it.

She was tossing her a lifeline.

Evelyn had every opportunity in the world to stand up in front of France's most terrifyingly powerful elite and expose the exact, agonizing truth of her marriage to Christian. She could have told them precisely how Lyra had clawed her way into his bed. If she had dropped that nuclear bomb, how would the Duchess look at Lyra then? How would high society treat her?

But Evelyn didn't drop the bomb.

She hadn't said a single damaging word.

She had smoothly, effortlessly rewritten history, claiming they were just old neighbors, childhood friends, practically siblings.

A massive, nauseatingly complex wave of emotion slammed into Lyra's chest.

Was she relieved?

Furious?

Or... something infinitely darker?

She honestly couldn't tell.

Standing silently beside her, Christian stared at Evelyn, his chest tight with a twisted, agonizingly heavy knot.

She had bailed them out.

And she had done it with such breathtaking ease.

With a casual, breezy dismissal that was so deeply unaffected, it felt like a physical blow.

She had erased their marriage, their history, and all the devastating trauma she had endured, treating it as if none of it had ever existed.

A sudden, suffocating wave of bitter regret washed over him.

Oblivious to the heavy emotional crossfire, the Duchess was already shifting into high gear as the ultimate hostess.

"Well then, don't just stand there hovering in the doorway!" she ushered them forward with a brilliant smile. "Since we're all practically family, this works out flawlessly. In a few moments, I'm taking you all to meet some deeply influential old friends of mine. Absolute titans of industry. For you younger folks, expanding your network in these circles will open doors you didn't even know existed."

With that, she turned gracefully and glided toward the grand exit.

Evelyn offered a polite nod and seamlessly fell into step behind her.

Left standing by the door, Lyra stared fiercely at Evelyn's retreating back, her teeth sinking punishingly into her lower lip.

Madeline hooked her arm through Evelyn's, dropping her voice even lower. "But seriously, Evie, why did you cover for them? You should've let them choke on their own humiliation."

Evelyn glanced at her friend, a flicker of fond exasperation in her eyes.

"Lady Elara's health is delicate," she explained softly. "With both matriarchs present and the room packed with the most lethal gossips in Europe, detonating a scandal would have caused massive collateral damage to people I actually care about."

Madeline nodded slowly, forced to admit the logic was flawless.

Evelyn paused for a second before adding with a sly smile, "Besides, keeping the peace tonight is going to pay out massive dividends for you."

Madeline stopped dead. "For me?"

"Absolutely," Evelyn nodded smoothly. "The people we're about to meet are the undisputed apex predators of the global business world. Getting your face in front of these titans will fast-track your entire career."

Madeline's eyes practically lit up like floodlights.

"Are you serious?!"

Evelyn laughed softly. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Madeline looked like she was about to start vibrating out of her skin, before desperately forcing herself to calm down.

"Okay, okay, I need to lock in." She took a massive, exaggerated breath. "I need to look like a hyper-competent, utterly unbothered professional who does this every Tuesday."

Watching her friend fiercely trying to compose herself, Evelyn's smile deepened into pure warmth.

"Alright then. Lock in."