Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22 

Nora kept her body rigid, pressing herself as close to the door as possible, but the space in the backseat was limited. 

Something was wrong. 

Absolutely everything felt off to Xavier. 

He had heard his parents discuss the arranged marriage with the Lancaster family. 

However, Jade had explicitly told him that Hudson suffered from a terminal illness and was on the brink of death. That was why they needed her to marry him, hoping a wedding might miraculously bring him some luck and turn his health around. 

Yet here was Nora, sitting right next to him. 

Could it be… 

Had the Lancaster billionaire decided he wanted Nora instead? 

By the time the black Maybach pulled into the driveway of the Reed family’s estate, Xavier had practically stared a hole through the rearview mirror. 

The teenager’s burning gaze was so intense that if looks could kill, Hudson would have been riddled with bullet holes. 

Hudson merely smiled, entirely unbothered. He enveloped Nora’s hand in his, his thumb lightly caressing the soft skin of her knuckles. “We’re here. Let’s head inside.” 

Xavier frowned, pushing his door open. Seeing that Hudson was still holding Nora’s hand, he immediately moved to pull them apart. But halfway through the motion, the heavy front doors of the 

estate swung open. 

“Xavi!” 

Penelope hurried out, her expression fraught. “Where have you been? I called you a dozen times and you didn’t answer…” 

“Mom…” Xavier awkwardly retracted his hand, mumbling, “I was just playing basketball with some guys.” 

Penelope barely had time to scold him. When her gaze shifted and landed on Hudson, the breath caught in her throat. 

The man stood tall in the twilight, the sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up to reveal pale, strong wrists. And he was holding Nora’s hand. 

She plastered on a welcoming smile, though her voice instinctively tightened. “Mr… Mr. Lancaster. What a surprise. Please, come in.” 

“Penelope,” Hudson said, a faint smile playing on his lips, though his eyes remained dark and unreadable. “Hudson is fine.” 

“Of course, of course,” Penelope agreed quickly, though she didn’t quite dare to use his first name. 

Moments later, the group stepped into the living room. 

Marcus was sitting on the sofa. Seeing them enter, he immediately stood up. 

The teacup in Marcus’s hand rattled, spilling a few hot drops over the rim. 

Penelope’s face paled slightly. “So soon? We thought the ceremony wouldn’t be until the end of the  month…” 

“My grandmother’s wishes,” Hudson said succinctly. “She wanted things settled early.” 

A heavy silence descended upon the living room. 

Marcus and Penelope exchanged a look, both seeing the terrified uncertainty in each other’s eyes. 

They had kept the bride swap an absolute secret; even Xavier didn’t know. 

They assumed it would just be a quiet ceremony to appease the superstitions, but they never expected Hudson to move this fast and legally bind the marriage immediately. 

What truly terrified them was… 

Hudson hadn’t noticed the switch? 

Penelope forced down the rising panic in her chest and probed carefully. “So… all the paperwork is finalized? There weren’t any complications?” 

Hudson looked up at her, his dark eyes bottomless. “Are you worried about something, Penelope?”