The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 356

The Parisian night was deep and heavy.

A sleek black Bentley glided smoothly down a tree-lined avenue on the outskirts of the city. The interior was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the faint, icy glow of the dashboard.

Lydia leaned back against the plush leather seat, staring blankly at the shadows of the sycamore trees whipping past the window. She didn't say a word.

In the driver's seat, Victoria took off her sunglasses and glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Did you see Lyra?" she asked.

Lydia tore her gaze away from the window, a mocking sneer curving her lips.

"I did."

"How did it go?"

Lydia scoffed, the sound dripping with pure venom.

"My dear sister took quite the beating tonight."

Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Lydia settled deeper into her seat, her tone thick with a complicated swirl of emotions.

"I always assumed that since she managed to survive out here and secure a spot at the Paris Opera, she must have been at least somewhat capable." She paused. "And yet? Tonight, Evelyn completely obliterated her."

Victoria fell silent for a moment.

"Charles de Rothschild's granddaughter," she mused. "That was certainly an unexpected twist."

Lydia said nothing.

Victoria studied her through the mirror, her eyes narrowing in assessment.

"But it doesn't matter," she stated calmly. "We won't cross paths with her again."

Lydia remained silent.

The look in Victoria's eyes darkened.

"You're not thinking about..." she started cautiously.

Lydia turned to look at her and smiled.

It was a faint, chilling smile that made Victoria's chest tighten.

"Are you worried I'm going to pick a fight with Evelyn?" Lydia asked.

Victoria didn't answer, but her tense expression was confirmation enough.

Lydia turned back to the window.

"The person I hate the most right now," she said, her voice feather-light, "is Lyra."

"I know," she whispered.

Victoria gave her one last look in the mirror and didn't press the issue any further.

The Bentley sped onward through the night.

A long time passed before Victoria broke the silence.

"We're heading back to the estate. He called for you while you were upstairs."

Lydia's entire body went rigid.

It was only for a split second before she forced herself to relax.

But behind her closed eyelids, her eyelashes fluttered with panic.

"Understood," she replied.

Her voice sounded perfectly composed.

But her hands were gripping the fabric of her red dress in a death vice.

—

The car merged onto an even darker, heavily forested road, plunging deeper into the unknown.