The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 534

At 4:00 AM in Paris, inside Sebastian's villa.

The sky was still pitch black. Sebastian lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been lying there for four hours without sleeping a wink. His mind was flooded with images of tomorrow—no, today. He would get down on one knee, open the box, and say, "Marry me." Would she say no? It was going to be broadcast globally, but what if he died of embarrassment?

He rolled over, then rolled back. His heart hammered in his chest like a drum. He sat up and grabbed the sheets of paper from his nightstand. It was the proposal speech he had spent a month writing, revising a dozen times, and memorizing hundreds of times. But right now, staring at the words on the page, his mind went completely blank.

"Respectable Ms. Evelyn Sullivan..." No, too formal. "My dearest Evie..." No, too casual.

He put the paper down, lay back, and immediately sat up again. After repeating this several times, dawn finally broke. He checked his phone—5:30 AM. He got up and stepped into the bathroom. The hot water washed over his body, thick steam filling the air. He closed his eyes, muttering his lines continuously. He stayed in the shower for almost an hour before stepping out. Drying off, he slipped into a bathrobe and stood before the mirror. The man in the reflection had dark circles under his eyes, his lips were slightly dry, and his fingers were still trembling.

He took a deep breath. "Sebastian, you've got this."

Downstairs, Lance Sterling had already arrived. Awakened by Sebastian's call at six in the morning, he had sped all the way over, having stayed at a hotel near the proposal venue to monitor the progress. Walking through the door, he found Sebastian pacing the living room in his bathrobe, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Boss, what time did you get up?"

"Five."

Lance paused. "Did you not sleep at all last night?"

Sebastian didn't answer. He took a sip of his coffee and set it down. "When is the stylist arriving?"

"Eight o'clock."

Sebastian glanced at the wall clock—it was only 6:30 AM. He had another hour and a half. He resumed pacing. Watching him, Lance couldn't help but speak up.

"Boss, stop pacing. Sit down and rest for a minute."

"I'm not tired."

Lance sighed. "What do you want for breakfast? I'll go get it ready."

"I'm not eating."