The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 396

Chapter 396 Using Leander

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The flash of crystal chandeliers caught Serena Fane off guard. She whipped toward Quinn, her voice pitched low but edged with panic.

“Quinn, rumor says you and Uncle Everett clashed, that you even tore the necklace he has guarded for years from his neck. You won’t show up before Uncle Everett again, forcing Leander to stand in the crossfire, right?”

No matter what, she couldn’t allow Everett to glimpse the necklace glinting at Quinn’s throat. One look would shatter every carefully stacked piece of her plan.

Quinn arched one elegant eyebrow, genuinely surprised that Serena had gotten wind of the incident.

She recalled the tense quarrel with Everett and felt a twinge of guilt. The last thing she wanted now was to put Leander in a difficult position.

“Rowan, I’ll head inside first,” Quinn murmured, choosing retreat over confrontation.

Leander dipped his chin. “All right. I’ll find you in a bit.”

With that, Quinn left with Laura, the two women melting into the golden glow of the banquet hall.

Leander strode up to Everett and offered a respectful nod. “Mr. Everett.”

Everett cast a frosty glance at Serena. “What is she doing here?”

“Since Julius has withdrawn his previous statement, she has every right to be here,” Leander answered evenly.

Everett let out a dismissive snort. “You brought her because you need her to save that patient lying in the hospital. Once someone notices your Achilles‘ Heel, you’re easy to control. One day that leash may tighten, and you’ll choke on regret.”

Leander’s gaze remained calm. “I only wish to have a clear conscience.”

Everett’s brows slammed together. His stare settled on Serena. “Do not embarrass me tonight. Utter one improper word or pull one stunt that humiliates the Fane family, and I will banish you again without hesitation.”

Serena rushed to respond. “I’m only here to accompany Leander. I’ll behave–promise.”

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Chapter 396 Using Leander

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Only then did Everett sweep toward the banquet hall, the crowd parting instinctively before him.

Serena and Leander trailed after. Serena’s glare bored into Everett’s back, her molars grinding in helpless fury.

The main branch was always haughty, treating the collateral relatives like parasites summoned at will and discarded just as quickly–especially that old man, obsessed with finding his long- lost sister.

How pitiful. He still believes she’s alive.

The truth was, Violet had died three years earlier, and he would never learn that Leander and Quinn were, in fact, her nephew and niece.

Only when the main bloodline ran dry would a collateral like Serena ever hope to step inside

those sacred halls.

Therefore, the true parentage of Leander and Quinn had to remain buried forever.

The Whitethorn Group’s annual gala buzzed with guests–not only employees but also suppliers and strategic partners eager to be seen.

Quinn spotted more than a few titans of commerce, their tailored suits gleaming beneath the stage lights.

In such an arena, Laura thrived, gliding from cluster to cluster like a fish in clear water, widening her network with every effortless smile.

Quinn remained close to Laura, shadowing her through the swirl of introductions, toasts, and polite laughter, bobbing from one polished circle to the next.

On the dot of the appointed hour, a hush rolled across the ballroom as though someone had pressed a mute button on the glittering crowd.

Julius came into view, clad in an ink–black suit offset by a blood–dark tie, his his presence impossible to ignore.

pace

deliberate,

The overhead spots slid toward him, glazing his sculpted face with silver, revealing a man so refined he seemed carved from midnight and moonlight at once.

This, everyone knew, was the supreme master of the Whitethorn family, the single figure around whom the evening’s axis quietly turned.

Someone next to Quinn started whispering. “Is the bracelet on Mr. Whitethorn’s wrist some

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Chapter 396 Using Leander

kind of antique? It doesn’t look like one.”

“Looks like an ordinary bracelet bought at some mall.”

“As if Mr. Whitethorn would ever wear something you could pick up at a mall.”

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