The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 464

Dinner was laid out on the long dining table, several pristine dishes prepared by the private chef arranged in perfect order. The soup and roasted potatoes Sebastian Thorne had made earlier weren't served; they were still keeping warm in the kitchen. Madeline Thorne sat down after washing her hands, her hair still half-wet, leaving dark, damp patches on her shoulders. Evelyn Sullivan sat across from her, taking small sips from the warm tea Sebastian had just poured for her.

"How did it go today?" Evelyn asked, setting her cup down and looking at Madeline. "Your first day over there—are you getting used to it?"

Madeline's fork paused in mid-air. She thought for a second before setting it down. "Mind-blowing," she breathed, her voice carrying the lingering shock of the day. "You should have seen it. Their legal department takes up an entire floor, with dozens of lawyers. When I walked in, they were holding a meeting for a cross-border merger. There were over a dozen people in the conference room, but only one person was doing the talking—Philippe Beaumont. You know him, right? He was flipping through documents while listening to the subordinates report, and whenever he landed on a page, he'd casually ask a question. Every single question hit the nail on the head. When the subordinates couldn't answer, he didn't even yell. He just stared at them. Just looking at them was enough to make them break out in a cold sweat."

Listening to her, the corners of Evelyn's lips curled up slightly. "Philippe is the Global Chief Legal Counsel for The Charles Group. He's been doing this for over two decades. He's the one who won that massive EU antitrust case years ago."

"I know!" Madeline's voice pitched up in excitement. "I heard about that case back when I was at the firm; it's practically textbook material. But I never expected him to be so..." She struggled to find the right word, gesturing with her hands. "So commanding in person. And it's not some fake, arrogant vibe either. He just sits there, doesn't even have to say a word, and you instantly know he's a heavyweight. I was sitting in the corner of the conference room, too terrified to even take notes because I was afraid the sound of flipping pages would disturb him."

Sitting beside Evelyn, Sebastian ate his meal quietly, occasionally glancing over to make sure she could reach all the dishes. He listened to Madeline's excited rambling without interrupting.

Evelyn took a bite of fish, chewing slowly. "Take it one step at a time. You just got there, so focus on observing and listening. Don't rush to show off. Philippe isn't fond of people who try too hard to stand out."

Madeline nodded, then remembered something else. "Oh, right! This afternoon, he had his assistant bring me a thick binder of their cross-border merger case studies from last year and told me to review them. The whole thing was massive and entirely in English. I flipped through a few pages, and the sheer amount of legal jargon gave me a headache." She offered a self-deprecating smile. "I felt like a fish out of water. I don't know anything."

Evelyn looked at her steadily. "Everyone starts out not knowing anything. When I first got back, I wasn't even used to how they wrote medical records locally. You're a lawyer, not a student. If they gave you a casebook to review, it means they're treating you as a peer, not an intern. Stop selling yourself short."

Madeline froze for a moment, then lowered her head, shoving a bite of food into her mouth. As she swallowed, her eyes grew hot. She didn't say another word, but she chewed that bite for a long time.

Beside them, Sebastian continued to eat in silence, nudging the plate of spicy roasted potatoes closer to Evelyn. She took a bite, then glanced at Madeline again. "I have a meeting at the company tomorrow. Come with me."

Madeline looked up. "What kind of meeting?"

"The quarterly review for the medical division," Evelyn replied. "We're going over a few new pharmaceutical projects. Just sit in and listen. You might not understand everything, but it will be good for you in the long run. The Charles Group isn't just about the law. The more you understand the broader business, the better you'll grasp how everything operates."

Madeline's eyes lit up, but the excitement quickly dimmed. "Is it really appropriate for me to go? Won't they—"

"It's fine," Evelyn cut her off smoothly. "I've already cleared it with Philippe. Just shadow me."