I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 357

Just as Nora was about to press him for details, Xander cut in smoothly. "I have some urgent business to take care of on my end. Let's catch up when we both have time."

Nora gave a slight nod, and Xander ended the call. Staring at her darkened phone screen, a strange, unexplainable wave of intense curiosity gnawed at her.

What on earth was he talking about? He had dangled this massive surprise right in front of her, completely baiting her interest, yet he refused to utter another word. She had absolutely no way of guessing what he had planned.

Nora let out a soft laugh, shaking her head as she tossed the thought to the back of her mind. After finishing her lunch, she returned directly to her desk to dive back into the overwhelming pile of data for the upcoming seminar. She worked relentlessly through the entire afternoon, successfully blocking the cryptic phone call from her memory.

By the time evening rolled around, Nora finally checked the time and let out a long stretch. She had practically worked straight through the day without a single minute of rest.

Rubbing the tight muscles in her lower back, she stood up, gathered her necessary files, and drove straight to Bonnie's school.

The area right outside the school gates was swarming with parents waiting for their kids. Not long after Nora parked, she spotted Bonnie's class being led out. She instantly picked out Bonnie in the crowd, her bright pink backpack bouncing as she sprinted toward her.

It was obvious Xander had already told the little girl that Nora would be picking her up today. Bonnie's adorable, round face was glowing with absolute absolute joy.

"Nora!"

Nora was nearly knocked off balance as Bonnie launched into her arms, but she caught her with a bright laugh. "What happened? Why are you in such a good mood today, Bonnie?"

Bonnie beamed up at her, practically vibrating with excitement. "In art class today, I drew a picture of you, dad, and me! It's our family of three! My teacher even pinned my drawing right in the middle of the display wall!"

Nora's heart melted. She gently patted Bonnie's head. "Is that so? You are just too amazing, Bonnie!"

Nora chuckled, helping the little girl set her pink backpack onto a nearby stand before turning to instruct the maids to prepare a light, healthy dinner for Bonnie.

She was just about to walk over to join her when the sharp, crisp voice of the news anchor on the TV grabbed her attention. "The Westside Development Project has hit a sudden, catastrophic wall. Summit Crest Holdings has completely halted all preliminary construction operations indefinitely, leaving the Fletcher Group facing staggering losses in the millions of dollars."

Nora froze in her tracks, turning her head to stare blankly at the screen, a flash of pure shock lighting up her eyes. Her mind instantly snapped back to the 'huge surprise' Xander had casually mentioned that afternoon. Was he the one behind this massive corporate sabotage?

Was this really the big surprise he had been teasing?

Nora pressed her lips together and let out a soft, breathy laugh. The suffocating weight that had been pressing down on her chest all day instantly evaporated, and an uncontrollable, brilliantly bright smile reached her eyes.