Chapter 185
Her voice was calm, as always. “I wanted to ask for your advice. Abby’s birthday is coming up, and I’m
not sure what to get her.”
Cole felt a warmth spread through him at the thought of Nora considering Abby’s birthday important enough to call him about it. “Honestly, she likes you a lot,” he said, his voice softening. “No matter what you get her, if it’s from you, she’ll love it.”
Nora hummed in thought. “That’s sweet, but I still need ideas.”
Cole smiled, leaning back in his chair. “How about making a cake? Abby would love something
homemade.”
Nora considered it for a moment before agreeing. “That sounds nice. I’ll try that.”
“Let me know if you need help,” Cole offered.
“I will,” she replied. “I’ll keep in touch.”
As soon as the call ended, Cole sat there for a moment, staring at his phone. The conversation was brief, but it meant something.
For the first time in a while, he felt like there was still a connection between them.
Cole arrived at the hotel where Arnold, Linda, and Charles were already gathered. The moment he stepped inside, Charles glanced at his watch and smirked.
“You’re late,” Charles remarked. “What kept you?”
Cole gave a small, amused smile. “Just a phone call.”
Linda’s gaze sharpened slightly, picking up on the subtle shift in Cole’s mood. “A phone call?” she echoed, tilting her head. “Must have been important.”
Cole didn’t respond right away. Instead, he simply took his seat and picked up his drink, swirling it thoughtfully before taking a sip.
“It was,” he finally said, a small smile lingering on his lips.
Linda watched Cole closely, noting his unusually light mood. It wasn’t hard to guess that something. rather, someone… had put him in such high spirits.
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Chapter 185
She had contacted him several times over the past few days, each time under the pretense of dinner
invitations.
She had kept her tone casual, giving him an easy excuse to accept without making it seem like a format
request.
But he had turned her down every time, citing vague reasons… something had come up, he was bray, he had prior commitments.
Once or twice, she might have believed it.
But this many times?
Linda tapped her fingers lightly against her wine glass, eyes narrowing slightly as she considered the possibilities.
Was it possible that he was avoiding her because of Flora?
She had tried to set him up with Flora multiple times, believing they would be a good match.
Cole was competent and successful, and Flora was charming and eager to climb the social ladder. A logical pairing.
Had she miscalculated?
Had he assumed that she was contacting him to push another meeting with Flora and was turning her down preemptively?
Linda bit her lip, an unfamiliar irritation curling in her chest.
It wasn’t like her to get worked up over such things. She had always prided herself on her control, on her ability to manipulate situations to her advantage.
But Cole’s repeated refusals stung in a way she hadn’t anticipated.
And worst of all… he didn’t even seem to notice.
Nora walked through the bustling mall, weaving between shoppers as she made her way to the toy store.
She knew Abby wasn’t the type to demand expensive gifts, but she still wanted to find something thoughtful.
After some searching, she settled on a plush pink rabbit.
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It was soft and huggable, with long floppy ears and a tiny embroidered smile. Something about it reminded her of Abby… gentle, warm, and quietly resilient.
She paid for the gif, tucking the small shopping bag under her arm as she headed toward the elevator.
Just as she stepped inside, Linda appeared, preparing to go upstairs.
Their eyes met briefly.
Linda’s gaze flicked to the rabbit plush in Nora’s hand, and something cold flashed through her expression before she quickly masked it with a knowing smirk.
She assumed, without hesitation, that the gift was for Alex.
How foolish.
Alex had long since outgrown childish stuffed toys.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: After I left Alpha father and son went crazy with regret
I still don’t see the regret from her husband and son No divorce yet I would like to see Nora and Cole hooking up together...
neverending story.....repeated same story lines....boring...
What a bad spot for the book to come to an end, I truly do hope there is more to come would be sad to not have a ending to this story........
This page has repeated same story lines that was already said.......
Iam kinda wondering if the writer may speak another language??? Cause iam noting that some of the words kind of seem like another language I could be wrong but every page has a spelling mistake it's making it hard to understand most of what is happening in the book....
Iam loving this book so far but it would have been much better if someone had prof read it 1st there is alot of spelling mistakes some of which I knew what was meant but some I have no clue at all....
Is there any more...