The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 39

The next morning at eight-fifty, Evelyn stood on the stone steps outside the County Courthouse.

The crisp autumn breeze swirled dead leaves around her ankles. She wore a cream trench coat over a light grey knit dress, her long hair cascading loosely over her shoulders. Completely bare-faced save for a swipe of lip balm, she looked as pure and radiant as a white orchid glistening with morning dew.

Nine o'clock struck. Christian was nowhere to be seen.

Evelyn glanced at her watch but didn't move. She knew how draconian Christian was about punctuality; a ten-minute delay was his absolute limit.

By nine-fifteen, entirely new crowds had shuffled in and out of the courthouse, and there was still no sign of him.

She pulled out her phone and dialed the number she had saved for three years. It rang five times before the call was abruptly killed. She redialed, only to be met by the robotic drone of voicemail: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Evelyn slipped the phone back into her coat pocket, buried her hands in the fabric, and waited another ten minutes.

At nine twenty-five, she threw one last glance down the street. Confident his black Bentley wasn't coming, she turned and walked away.

Her face betrayed absolutely zero disappointment—placid, as if she had expected this exact outcome all along.

She flagged down a cab. "Take me to the Lancaster Group headquarters."

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The Lancaster Group Headquarters. Ten-ten in the morning.

The revolving doors spun smoothly as Evelyn stepped into the ground floor lobby.

The cavernous, thirty-foot marble lobby was bathed in the frigid glow of a massive crystal chandelier. At the front desk, three receptionists in navy blue skirt suits were frantically answering calls.

Spotting Evelyn walking in, the receptionist currently on the phone visibly froze, her eyes flashing with pure shock. She hurriedly wrapped up her call, slamming the receiver down and exchanging a panicked glance with her colleague.

"Mrs. Lancaster?" The slightly older receptionist scrambled to her feet, her tone dripping with deference and a heavy dose of sheer awkwardness. "What... what brings you in today?"

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