Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21 

Hudson remained silent, simply shifting his posture slightly as his gaze landed in the direction of the duty desk. 

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a crisp uniform hurried out from the back office. The three stars on his collar indicated he was the Deputy Chief of the precinct. 

He approached Hudson, bowing so low it bordered on groveling, his tone incredibly deferential. “Mr. Lancaster, what brings you here personally? A simple phone call would have sufficed for such a minor matter.” 

Hudson gave a faint nod. “Just checking on a kid from the family.” 

The Deputy Chief immediately turned to Xavier, his eyes lighting up. “Ah, so this is the young Mr. Lancaster! A misunderstanding, it was all a terrible misunderstanding!” 

Xavier’s mouth twitched. 

Young Mr. Lancaster? 

His last name was Reed, thank you very much. 

Wait… 

Lancaster? 

Xavier’s mind suddenly reeled. 

He finally remembered where he had seen that striking face before. 

It was a face that frequently graced the covers of financial magazines and occasionally dominated the headlines of gossip tabloids. Although those articles were mostly filled with baseless rumors, Xavier remembered the face perfectly. 

It was simply too mesmerizing to forget. 

With looks that could easily conquer Hollywood, the man was instead born into the Lancaster family, wielding overwhelming power and influence. 

He was the fearsome head of the Lancaster family. 

Hudson Lancaster. 

His future brother-in-law! 

But… 

Xavier’s eyes widened drastically as a sudden realization hit him. He snapped his head to look at Nora. 

That wasn’t right. 

Wasn’t his older sister, Jade, the one supposed to marry Hudson? 

Why was his other sister picking him up at the police station with the man? 

Over at the duty desk, Nora was looking down as she filled out the paperwork, her profile looking almost translucent under the harsh fluorescent lights. 

With the Deputy Chief personally overseeing the process, the efficiency was staggering. In less than ten minutes, all the formalities were complete. 

“We can go now,” Nora said, walking back to the bench and folding the receipt into her purse. 

Xavier immediately jogged out of the holding area. He dusted off his school uniform and leaned close to Nora, lowering his voice. “Hey, isn’t that the Lancaster guy? Why are you…” 

The engine purred to life, and the car merged into the San Francisco night. 

The interior was dead quiet. Xavier clung to the back of his seat, turning around to scrutinize the two people in the back. 

“What exactly is going on between you two?” 

Nora’s heart tightened, but she tried her best to maintain a calm facade. “Kids shouldn’t ask so many questions.” 

“I’m not a kid!” Xavier raised his voice, shoving up the sleeve of his uniform to reveal a bruised forearm. “I’m fifteen! I can hold my own in a fight, I can-” 

Before he could finish, Hudson lazily lifted his gaze and looked at him. 

The look was indifferent, devoid of any real emotion, yet it was enough to make the rest of Xavier’s 

sentence die in his throat. 

“You can what?” Hudson’s lips curved slightly, his voice a low, slow drawl. “Land yourself in a holding cell?” 

Xavier flushed with indignation, sticking his neck out stubbornly. “That’s none of your business. I’m asking you a question. Weren’t you supposed to be with Jade…” 

“Xavi,” Nora interrupted, her heart practically in her throat. 

Xavier had no idea about the secret bride swap. Terrified that he would accidentally spill the truth in front of Hudson, she put on a stern expression. “Sit down and behave.” 

Xavier scoffed and fell back into his seat, but he couldn’t resist sneaking glances through the  rearview mirror. 

Hudson leaned back comfortably, his arm draped casually along the top of Nora’s seat. It was a deeply possessive, almost embracing posture, his fingertips resting just inches from her shoulder.