The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 333

His voice was steady, his logic flawless, and his demeanor perfectly professional.

He didn't show a single crack.

Yet his mind was consumed by the final days of his mother's life.

She had been nothing but skin and bones, but she never stopped murmuring, "Your father wasn't that kind of man... He wouldn't have abandoned us..."

Julian's eyes settled on Lawrence Lancaster across the table.

Lawrence was discussing something in low tones with his legal director, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

This man was his uncle.

His father's own brother.

And the man rumored to have murdered him.

Julian remembered his mother mentioning that Lawrence had come looking for her after his father died.

But she had already gone into hiding by then, so they never met.

She never knew if this uncle had wanted to help her, or to silence her for good.

Julian lowered his gaze.

He didn't know either.

But he knew for a fact that his father's death was tied to them.

He had investigated and discovered that on the night of the crash, Lawrence had been seen near the scene, and the two had engaged in a vicious argument.

Twenty-five years.

He had waited almost twenty-five years for the truth.

——

The negotiation dragged on for three grueling hours.

At six in the evening, both parties finally reached an agreement.

Mr. Lee stood up and shook Lawrence's hand.

"Mr. Lancaster, it's been a pleasure doing business."

Lawrence nodded. "Likewise, Mr. Lee."

He turned to Julian, his gaze lingering on his face once again.

"Mr. St. Claire," he said smoothly. "You have a bright future."

Julian gave a shallow nod. "You're too kind, Mr. Lancaster."

Lawrence looked at him, falling silent for a second.

Then, he extended his hand.

Julian took it.

The moment their hands clasped, Julian felt Lawrence's gaze sweeping over his features like a sharp blade, scrutinizing every detail.

He kept his face entirely expressionless, but inside, a monstrous wave of hatred threatened to consume him.

It was a hatred suppressed for twenty-five years.

At that moment, it boiled in his chest like molten lava.

He desperately wanted to interrogate the man standing in front of him:

*How did my father die?*

*Did you kill your own brother just to secure your place as the heir?*

But he said absolutely nothing.

He simply released Lawrence's hand, took a step back, and maintained a flawless, professional smile.

"Safe travels, Mr. Lancaster."

Lawrence gave him a complicated look.

Then he nodded and led his team out of the room.

——

The conference room doors clicked shut.

Silence fell over the space.

The chair Lawrence had been sitting in remained exactly where he had left it.

He pulled his gaze away and pushed through the doors.

——

In the back seat of his car, Lawrence leaned against the headrest, his eyes closed.

His assistant spoke up softly from the front seat. "Mr. Lancaster, are we heading straight back to the estate?"

Lawrence didn't answer right away.

It took a long time before he finally spoke.

"Run a background check on someone."

His assistant blinked in surprise. "Who?"

"Julian St. Claire." Lawrence opened his eyes, his gaze dark and unfathomable. "The lawyer from today. Find out everything about his background, his parents, his past."

The assistant nodded. "Understood."

Lawrence stared at the city lights blurring past the window, his mind completely overwhelmed by that face.

The shape of his eyes, the structure of his jaw, the subtle mannerisms when he spoke.

He was the spitting image of his younger brother, Ethan.

Ethan had been only twenty-five when he died.

In the prime of his life.

If he were still alive, if he had a son... he would be exactly that age.

Lawrence closed his eyes.

He knew all the vicious rumors from back then.

People whispered that he had murdered his own flesh and blood for the family fortune.

He had tried to explain, but no one believed him.

Not even his father, who interrogated him mercilessly, accusing him of orchestrating the crash. Yet, his father had no other choice, for Lawrence was the only son he had left...