The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 552

London, the suburbs. An unassuming cafe.

In a corner booth, the curtains were half-drawn, allowing a sliver of sunlight to slice across the table. Alissa sat there, an untouched cup of cold coffee resting in front of her. She kept her head down, her finger tracing the rim of the cup in slow, endless circles. Julian sat across from her, his legs crossed, casually sipping from his own mug.

Neither of them spoke. The cafe was dead silent, save for the occasional hum of the espresso machine behind the counter.

After a long while, Alissa finally looked up. "What exactly do you want from me?"

Julian set his mug down. "You already know."

"No, I don't," Alissa's tone hardened. "If you don't lay it out, how am I supposed to know what you're after?"

Julian studied her for a few seconds. "Who founded the organization. And whatever evidence you have on them."

Alissa's finger paused its tracing. "Why should I give it to you?"

"Because you're out of options," Julian leaned back against the leather seat. "If you hadn't run fast enough today, they'd already have you. Those men said they were going to kill you before nightfall. How much longer do you really think you can hold out?"

Alissa's face drained of color. Her fingers slowly curled inward, her knuckles turning white as a suffocating wave of fear washed over her.

"How are you going to protect me?" her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're just a lawyer with no real power. You can't even guarantee your own safety."

Julian reached into his pocket and slid a business card across the table. It wasn't his personal card, but one bearing the crest of an international organization. Alissa's eyes darted to it, her expression shifting slightly.

"I have connections with them," Julian said smoothly. "As long as the intel you give me is valuable, we can file for the Witness Protection Program."

Alissa stared at the card for a long time. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because you have to." Julian took the card back. "You don't have any other choice."

Alissa sat in silence. She picked up the cold coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste, but she didn't set it back down.