Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 615

The entire grand parlor plunged into an eerie, suffocating silence.

Hudson stared at Lawrence, his dark eyes glowing with a venomous chill. "Lawrence, trying to sow discord within the family is another direct violation of the Code. Want me to throw you out along with him? At least you two can keep each other company, and you won't have to spend all your free time worrying about how much longer I'm going to live..."

He paused, his voice dropping into a lethal, icy register. "Because once you're stripped of the Lancaster name, my life will be none of your business."

"Have you completely lost your mind?!"

Lawrence's face finally contorted in genuine rage. "You think you hold absolute power over the Lancaster empire? The board of elders is still alive! If you dare try to expel your own flesh and blood, I will rally every single elder and strip you of your title as head of the family!"

"Try it."

Hudson smiled smoothly. "I'd love to see which one of those old fools has a death wish and wants to openly defy the Code..."

Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence.

It felt as if a heavy, suffocating blackout curtain had just been violently yanked over his eyes. Everything went completely black.

He... he couldn't see!

What the hell was going on?

At the exact same moment, Lawrence and Arthur noticed the sudden shift in Hudson's posture. The two older men exchanged a quick, loaded glance, utterly failing to hide the victorious gleam in their eyes. The trigger had worked!

"Hudson..."

Nora immediately sensed something was wrong. She reached out and grabbed his hand. His skin was freezing cold.

Even blinded, Hudson could hear the naked panic and terror bleeding into Nora's voice.

He hadn't expected the poison to flare up now.

With zero warning.

But he wasn't stupid. He knew immediately that Lawrence and Arthur were behind it.

"Archer, Hudson isn't feeling well. Help him to the lounge to rest."

"Yes, ma'am..."

Hudson tightly squeezed Nora's hand, a silent command telling her he was fine.

But Nora gently patted the back of his hand in response. "Don't worry. I've got this."

"Alright."

Hudson let go of her, allowing Archer to guide him out of the room toward the private lounge.

The moment Hudson was out of the room, Miles—who hadn't dared breathe a word while Hudson was present—let out a sneer, his face twisting with arrogant triumph. "Not feeling well? Looks to me like he's at death's door! Breaking down right in the middle of a sentence? A crippled freak like him doesn't deserve to run the Lancaster empire."

"Arthur."

Nora's voice was perfectly calm, slicing through the room like a blade.

The head of security stepped forward instantly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Smack that smug look off his face."

Arthur didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. He marched straight toward Miles.

Miles jumped at the sudden movement, stumbling backward in panic. His knees slammed hard against the heavy coffee table with a loud thud, but he gritted his teeth, jutting his chin out defiantly. "What... what the hell do you think you're doing?"

*Smack!*

Before he could force out another word, Nora's hand cracked across his face again.

"And that was for cursing his life."

Arthur Lancaster's head snapped to the side. His eyes were wide, filled with a wild mix of absolute disbelief and burning humiliation.

Dead silence consumed the parlor.

Everyone stared at Nora as if they were looking at a complete stranger.

The quiet, delicate woman who usually stood obediently behind Hudson Lancaster was now standing tall, her posture completely rigid, her eyes like freezing pools of water. The sheer, overwhelming aura radiating off of her was practically suffocating.

Standing a few feet away, Lawrence watched the situation spiral completely out of control. His face looked as though it had been coated in ash.

He never expected Nora to strike back.

And he certainly hadn't expected her to show absolutely zero mercy.

He took a deep breath and looked toward Beatrice.

The Matriarch was sitting frozen in her seat at the head of the room. She hadn't said a single word to stop the violence.

She just kept her eyes lowered, acting as though she were completely blind to the bloodshed.

Lawrence tightened his jaw. The old woman was doing what she always did—weighing the odds. Clearly, she wasn't ready to choose a winning side just yet.

Lawrence's eyes narrowed into slits, and he stood up, his voice booming through the room. "Nora, have you lost your mind? That is Hudson's uncle! He is your elder! How dare you lay a hand on him? This is Lancaster Hall, not some back alley for you to throw a tantrum! Guards!"