The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 353

"I saw him standing in the corner, staring at Evelyn. And that look..."

She paused, her tone dripping with amusement.

"How should I put it? Like a pathetic, abandoned dog."

Lyra's fists clenched tight.

Lydia went on, "Did you see it? Evelyn was the star tonight. Charles de Rothschild, one of the top three billionaires on the Forbes list, publicly claimed her as his granddaughter. The way all those European elites looked at her... my god."

She stared at Lyra, her eyes brimming with mockery.

"You danced your heart out for years, clawing your way up just to latch onto the Lancaster family. But Evelyn? With just one of her titles, she easily crushes you for the rest of your life."

Lyra's face turned ashen.

Lydia wasn't finished. Her eyes took on a distant, nostalgic look, as if recalling a fond memory.

"I used to think Christian was the absolute peak. Handsome, wealthy, the CEO of Lancaster Group, the most dazzling man in the city. Back then, I thought that if I could marry him, my life would be set."

She paused, then suddenly burst into laughter.

The sound was entirely cynical.

"But looking at it now... what is Christian compared to someone like Charles? What is the Lancaster family compared to Europe's top-tier nobility?"

She stood up, walked right up to Lyra, and leaned close to her ear.

Her voice was whisper-soft.

"The man you fought so desperately to steal is nothing but small fry. You're still millions of miles away from the real top."

Lyra began to shake violently.

She shoved Lydia away, her voice piercing the quiet room.

"How do you know all this?! That was an exclusive, private gala! How did you get in?!"

Lydia stumbled back a step from the shove, but she didn't look angry in the slightest.

She merely smoothed out her dress, looking up at her sister.

A cryptic, dangerous smile danced in her eyes.

"Well," she said smoothly, "you really don't need to know that."

Lyra froze.

Seeing her reaction only deepened the smirk on Lydia's face.

"All you need to know," she enunciated every word clearly, "is that I will be watching you."

"Watching you walk down this path, step by step."

"Watching you... get exactly what you deserve."

Lyra's hands were trembling.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her lips ghostly pale, looking like a cornered animal backed against a wall.

"You..."

She wanted to scream something, but the words died in her throat.

Lydia took in the pathetic sight and smiled in deep satisfaction.

She turned, picked up her clutch, and walked toward the door, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor.

At the doorway, she stopped and cast one final glance over her shoulder.

That single look contained mockery, pity, and something altogether unnamable.

"Goodnight, Lyra."

She opened the door and walked out.

The door clicked shut.

Lyra was left entirely alone in the suite.

She stood there, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.

Slowly, she sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in her hands.

The tears finally broke free.

—

Out in the hallway, Lydia strolled toward the elevators, her heels echoing in the quiet corridor.

Her red dress swayed under the warm lights, looking like dancing flames.

Lydia's words echoed relentlessly in her head—

"You're still millions of miles away from the real top."

"I will be watching you."

"Watching you get exactly what you deserve."

She closed her eyes tight.

More tears spilled down her cheeks.

—

At the Rothschild estate, on the outskirts of Paris.

Sebastian stood at the edge of the training area, looking at the towering man standing opposite him.

Albert LeClerc.

Former top-tier special forces operative from the French Foreign Legion.

He had stripped off his shirt, revealing a heavily muscled, chiseled torso. His body was a map of brutal scars, each one a testament to life-and-death struggles on the battlefield.

He looked at Sebastian, a predatory gleam in his icy eyes.

"Mr. Thorne," he rasped, his voice deep and gravelly. "Are you ready?"

Sebastian took a deep breath.

He glanced toward the sidelines, locking eyes with Evelyn.

She was watching him too.

Her gaze was heavy with complex, unspoken emotions.

Sebastian pulled his attention back to Albert.

"I'm ready," he declared.

Albert grinned.

It was the smile of a wolf locking onto its prey.