Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 655

Everyone at the table was part of their inner circle, and they all knew about Jude's arranged marriage.

Because his fiancée had gone missing when she was just a child, Jude had remained single all these years. No one had even seen him with a female friend.

Now that she had finally been found, everyone was naturally curious about his romantic prospects.

Jude's hand paused slightly on his teacup. He instinctively glanced over at Nora before withdrawing his gaze, a warm, polite smile spreading across his face. "Please, don't tease me. That was just a childhood arrangement. You can't take it seriously..."

He chuckled softly. "Lately, I've been following the Professor on his projects. I'm planning to dedicate the rest of my life to scientific research."

Professor Campbell couldn't let that slide. He slammed his chopsticks down and glared at him. "What kind of nonsense is that? You're not getting any younger. Find a woman, get married, and stop trailing after me all day."

Jude smiled helplessly. "Professor, it's just that I haven't found the right person."

"That's because your standards are too high."

Professor Campbell swept his gaze around the table before pointing at Hudson and Nora. "Look at Hudson. He didn't waste time being picky. When it was time to marry, he married. Why can't you learn from him?"

Jude followed the direction of his finger, glancing at the couple before lowering his eyes. He didn't argue.

If it were him...

He wouldn't have been picky either.

"I understand..."

Jude replied casually, his signature warm smile still on his lips, but a cool shadow lingered in his eyes.

He poured himself a glass of wine, his peripheral vision accidentally catching the scene across the table. Hudson was busy peeling shrimp for Nora, while she happily chewed, her eyes crinkling into joyful crescents.

He looked down and took a sip of his wine.

The alcohol burned on its way down, leaving a bitter aftertaste that coated his throat.

He frowned and set the glass down, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He had truly lost his mind.

It was time to reel in his feelings.

Perhaps...

He really should fulfill his childhood pact with the Fairchild family.

After all, to him, it didn't matter who he married.

Evangeline... She had suffered too much over the years.

Nora crouched down with a bright smile, using her finger to draw a crooked smiley face in the snow on the steps.

While the two women were thoroughly enjoying themselves, Jude stood under the awning. His gaze lingered on Nora for a moment before shifting to Hudson, who was standing beside him. "The framework for the Vanguard TBM Chip is mostly complete, but there's still a gap in the core algorithm. I went over it again with the Professor last night, and we're still stuck on a few nodes."

Hudson pulled his eyes away from Nora. "My R&D team has come up with a preliminary plan. I'll have them send you the detailed specs once I'm back in San Francisco."

Jude nodded. He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Actually... if we could integrate the Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) Technology, we could break through those bottlenecks. The precision would improve by at least an entire magnitude."

Hudson turned his head, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know something about Felix Vaughn?"

Jude lowered his eyes. It took him a few seconds to answer. "I know a little. But I was just a kid back then, I don't remember much..."

Hudson nodded, not pressing the issue.

After all, this was Fairchild family business. If he really wanted to know, he could just ask Finnian Fairchild. There was no need to pry it out of Jude.

Instead, Jude, perhaps spurred by the mention of Felix Vaughn, looked up at Hudson. "You might not know this, but my engagement to Evangeline Fairchild was arranged by our grandfathers. The Fairchild patriarch passed away a long time ago, but my grandfather is still holding onto that promise."

He paused. "When my grandfather heard that Evangeline was found a few days ago, he was overjoyed. He said he could finally face his old friend in the afterlife with a clear conscience."

Hudson leaned against the pillar, fishing a mint out of his pocket. He unwrapped it, tossed it into his mouth, and mumbled a casual, "So? Why are you telling me this?"