The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 439

He flipped to the third page. It was a detailed manifesto titled "Becoming Mrs. Lancaster Plan." The document was broken down into distinct phases—getting close to Christian, fabricating conflicts between Evelyn and the Lancaster family, orchestrating media smear campaigns against Evelyn, setting up "accidents" to humiliate her, and finally, positioning Lyra as both the tragic "victim" and the forgiving "savior."

Julian turned to the fourth page. This was a comprehensive blueprint for media manipulation, explicitly listing which tabloids to bribe, which platforms to target, and which hashtags to trend to destroy her reputation.

He kept flipping. The fifth page contained screenshots of a text thread between Zachary Vance and Lyra. Zachary was explicitly coaching her on how to weaponize the media, manipulate public sentiment, and paint Evelyn into a corner where she couldn't defend herself.

"I've handled the security footage. No one will ever be able to trace who was in that VIP room the other night."

"You just need to play your part perfectly. Be gentle, kind, and understanding. I'll take care of the rest."

Every single sentence was damningly clear. Every word was his.

Julian flipped to the final page. It was a photograph of a body double. The woman was photographed in profile, wearing the exact same dress Evelyn wore that night inside the Cloudscape Restaurant's private room, caught in the act of slipping drugs into Christian's drink. The angle was impeccably staged so that anyone glancing at the profile would instantly mistake her for Evelyn.

At the bottom of the photo was a small note: Setup complete, payment settled.

Julian's fingers lingered on that page for a few silent seconds. He slipped the documents back into the manila envelope and placed it on the coffee table. Leaning back against the sofa, he looked at Seth, his expression utterly unreadable.

"How long did Mr. Thorne spend digging this up?"

"Not long," Seth replied.

Julian nodded slowly. After a brief pause, he spoke, his tone measured. "I hear Mr. Thorne is pursuing Evelyn Sullivan."

Seth remained silent.

Julian watched him, his gaze sharpening. "The incident at Cloudscape, the body double, the media circus... I essentially set her up. Since Mr. Thorne found all this, why would he still come to me?"

His tone was casual, but every word was a calculated probe. He needed to know if Sebastian genuinely wanted an alliance or if this was just a power play to intimidate him under the guise of cooperation.

Meeting his sharp gaze, Seth kept his face completely neutral. "Mr. St. Claire, Mr. Thorne has made it clear that what's in the past stays in the past."

Julian tapped his fingers against his knee. "The past?"

"The past."

Julian stared at Seth in silence. After a moment, he stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sunlight poured in, casting shifting shadows across his sharp features.

"Mr. Thorne is more than capable of handling this himself." He didn't turn around. "Why involve me?"

Seth stood up, stopping just two paces behind him. "Mr. Thorne is currently occupied with other matters."

Julian turned to face him, his eyes dark, as if trying to dissect the man standing before him.

Seth neither broke eye contact nor offered any further explanation.

Retracting his gaze, Julian walked back to the sofa and sat down. He picked up a cup of cold coffee from the table and took a sip. It was bitter. He set the cup down and leaned back.

"Isn't your boss worried I might take all this straight to the Lancasters?" he asked, his voice as nonchalant as if discussing the weather.