Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 632

A dead silence fell over the other end of the line.

"Mr. Lancaster, isn't there some sort of misunderstanding? Liana is currently out of the country, she..."

"Would you like to hear her voice for yourself, Mr. Fairchild?"

Hudson tilted the phone toward Liana as he spoke.

Liana's face instantly turned a sickly, chalky white.

She bit her lip, shaking her head frantically. Her eyes were completely bloodshot with tears threatening to spill, but she was too terrified to make a single sound.

"Dad, Liana really did sneak back into the country,"

Finnian interjected grimly, his jaw tight.

The line was quiet for another agonizing few seconds before Henry spoke again, his tone heavy with suppressed rage. "Liana, speak."

Liana's voice cracked into a pathetic sob. "Dad... I... I just missed home. I wanted to come back and see you..."

Henry closed his eyes on the other end, his voice dropping to a gravelly low. "Mr. Lancaster, this is my failure as a parent. I will have someone drag her back immediately and place her under strict watch. I guarantee she will never step foot in the country again."

Hudson leaned back in his chair, taking his time to reply. "So, you're suggesting we just sweep this under the rug?"

Henry's voice stiffened. "Then... how would you like to handle this, Mr. Lancaster?"

Hudson let out a cold scoff. Even now, Henry was still trying to gloss over the severity of the situation.

To play favorites with an adopted daughter to such an extreme extent was utterly absurd.

"Mr. Fairchild, since you lack the heart to discipline her, I'll gladly do it for you."

Before the older man could get another word out, Hudson disconnected the call.

He shifted his predatory gaze to Liana.

She instinctively took a half-step back, her voice trembling. "What... what are you going to do?"

Hudson tilted his head toward the door. "Olive."

Olive O'Neil poked her head into the room. "You called, Boss?"

"I'm leaving the Fairchild heiress in your capable hands."

Olive's eyes lit up with dangerous excitement. She rolled up her sleeves and marched right in.

Liana's face lost whatever color it had left. "You... don't you dare! I'm the daughter of the Fairchild family! You can't—"

But before she could finish her threat, Olive was already in her personal space. Olive grabbed a fistful of Liana's ponytail and forcefully yanked her head down.

"Ah!"

Liana let out a sharp shriek of terror as she was forced to double over. Before she could even attempt to thrash away, Olive's free hand swung upward in a vicious arc.

Smack!

The brutal sound of a slap exploded through the tense silence of the room.

The force of the impact whipped Liana's head to the side. Her ears rang violently as five bright red fingermarks rapidly swelled on her cheek.

"You had the nerve to mess with the boss's wife! Looks like someone needs an ego check!"

"You... you hit me?! Who the hell do you think you are?! You—"

Smack!

Another blow landed, infinitely harder than the first.

Yet, if he was looking at Nora with that intensely conflicted gaze, there was only one terrifying possibility...

He was starting to suspect Nora was actually...

The moment the dreadful thought surfaced, Liana viciously crushed it down.

Impossible!

How could a miserable nobody like Nora Reed possibly be the real Evangeline Fairchild?

The slaps must have completely scrambled her brain.

She was getting utterly paranoid over absolutely nothing.

...

Seeing Liana properly dealt with, Nora instantly lost all interest in staying in the room. She had far more pressing matters to handle anyway.

Hudson caught her shifting gaze immediately and stepped closer, his demeanor softening entirely. "What's wrong? Is your ankle hurting?"

Nora shook her head quickly. "I'm just a little exhausted. I want to go back to our room to rest."

"Alright, let's head upstairs."

Hudson bent down, sweeping her effortlessly into his arms, and carried her straight toward the door.

They quickly took the private elevator up to the penthouse suite.

Hudson gently set her down on the plush sofa. He grabbed some ice from the freezer, wrapped it in a clean towel, and knelt in front of her. With infinite care, he pressed the cold compress against her swollen ankle.

Nora stared down at him, biting her lip. She was just debating whether or not she should tell him the truth about River Sterling when Hudson suddenly glanced up, meeting her gaze. "What's on your mind? Is there something you need to tell me?"