The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 469

A low murmur of discussion swept through the conference room. Some nodded in approval; others hastily scribbled notes. A lawyer raised his hand. "Ms. Charles, do we need to update the territorial scope for the patent licensing? We're still waiting on regulatory approval from a few European countries."

Evelyn considered this for a moment. "No rush. Let's wait for the next batch of data and submit it all together. Sync your timeline with the R&D department so nothing slips through the cracks."

The lawyer nodded, immediately jotting down her instructions.

Another lawyer spoke up. "Ms. Charles, our American partners want to renegotiate a few clauses in the contract. They are demanding exclusive licensing rights, but our internal recommendation is—"

"Denied," Evelyn cut him off. Her tone wasn't loud, but it possessed an absolute finality. "Exclusivity is off the table. Offer them a three-year right of first negotiation at most. Draft a counter-proposal with Philippe, and I'll review it at our next meeting."

The lawyer nodded sharply, offering no further argument.

Sitting quietly on the sidelines, Madeline watched in utter awe as Evelyn shifted effortlessly between languages and disciplines. One second she was tearing through highly technical clinical data with the R&D team, and the next she was ruthlessly dissecting legal clauses with the corporate attorneys—without missing a single beat. When she spoke, everyone listened. No one interrupted; no one questioned her authority. It wasn't just because they were intimidated by her title; it was because they knew she was undeniably right.

Madeline's mind drifted back to the lobby, recalling the way the staff had greeted her as "Ms. Charles." At the time, she thought it was merely a title of nobility. Now, she understood the truth. It was a title forged in power. It meant that in this room, her word was absolute law.

The meeting stretched on for nearly two hours. At one point, a heated debate broke out between two experts over a trial protocol. They argued relentlessly for several minutes, neither willing to yield. Evelyn listened to both sides in silence before stepping in with a few measured words. It wasn't a hard ruling, but a strategic suggestion—and the moment she finished, both experts nodded in agreement. Madeline hadn't understood a single word of the medical jargon, but she perfectly understood the dynamic at play. Evelyn hadn't pulled rank to crush them; she had seamlessly guided them toward a mutual solution.

When the meeting concluded, some attendees approached Evelyn for brief follow-ups, others offered polite nods to Madeline, while the rest hurried out with their documents. The grand conference room slowly emptied until only Evelyn and Madeline remained.

Evelyn switched off the projector and slipped her files into her bag. She rubbed her lower back with a faint sigh—sitting for two hours straight had left her muscles aching again.

Madeline stared at her. "When you're running a meeting, you are a completely different person than you are at home."

Evelyn looked back at her. "How so?"