The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 470

The air in the corridor seemed to instantly freeze. Mr. Taylor glanced at Madeline, then at Evelyn, his eyes darting between them. His eyebrows rose slightly, and while his polite smile remained intact, a flicker of genuine curiosity sparked in his eyes.

"Do you ladies know Anna?"

Madeline opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single syllable, Lydia spoke up.

"How could I possibly know Ms. Charles?"

Her voice was remarkably soft and steady, laced with just the right amount of respectful astonishment. She looked at Mr. Taylor, tilting her head slightly, a faint, humble smile playing on her lips. "I'm just an ordinary international student from the business school. Someone of Ms. Charles's status... I've only ever seen her in the news."

Madeline was utterly dumbfounded. She stared intensely at Lydia's face, desperate to find a crack in her facade. But there was nothing. Her smile was flawless, her gaze completely innocent, her posture perfectly respectful. The way she held that folder made her look like the epitome of a hard-working intern. *This isn't Lydia,* Madeline's brain screamed, but she immediately crushed the thought. It *was* Lydia. Faces didn't lie.

But this tone, this posture, this calculated look in her eyes—it was entirely alien to the Lydia she knew. The old Lydia was vicious and unhinged. She wouldn't dare cross Penelope Lancaster, but she never hesitated to tear into Evelyn. Madeline vividly remembered a time back at the Lancaster estate in New York. Evelyn had been sitting quietly in the living room reading a medical journal. Lydia had sauntered past, taken one look, and sneered, "Playing the intellectual, are we? Will reading that grow you a new brain?" Evelyn had ignored her, but Lydia hadn't stopped. She stood right over her, mocking, "Christian isn't even home, so who are you putting on this act for?" Madeline had been seething with rage, but Evelyn hadn't even bothered to lift her head.

Then there was the incident at the mall. Lydia had cornered Evelyn while she was shopping alone and immediately launched into her toxic venom: "Oh, look, Mrs. Lancaster shopping all by herself? Where's Christian? Oh, that's right. He's out on a date with Lyra. Don't tell me you didn't know?" She had laughed then—a shrill, piercing shriek that made everyone in the store turn and stare. Evelyn had simply paid for her items and walked away. Lydia had stood there, screaming at her retreating back: "Stop pretending you're above it all! Call him back if you're so capable!"

But the woman standing before her right now spoke in gentle murmurs, her posture flawlessly demure, her smile carrying a hint of practiced shyness. It was like looking at a completely different human being.

Madeline's lips parted, ready to call her out. But Evelyn's hand landed gently on her arm. The grip wasn't heavy, but it was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. Evelyn looked at Mr. Taylor, the corners of her lips pulling into a faint, unreadable smile. "My friend must have mistaken her for someone else."

Mr. Taylor nodded. His gaze lingered on Madeline's face for a fraction of a second, but he didn't pry. He turned back to Evelyn, his smile deepening, his posture shifting into something noticeably more deferential. "Ms. Charles, we'll take our leave then. The Energy Department has a meeting to catch. I'll email the cross-departmental collaboration proposal to you later."

Evelyn nodded. "Alright."