Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 677

“Mr. Fairchild...”

The assistant's deep voice came through the speaker. “The results of this test... show no biological relationship.”

He knew it.

Finnian sprang up from the sofa. Despite the countless storms he had weathered in the business world, his heart was pounding so hard it threatened to leap out of his throat.

That woman wasn't Evangeline.

But she absolutely knew where Evangeline was...

He couldn't afford to be reckless now.

If Evangeline was being held hostage by her, backing the Imposter into a corner could put his sister in lethal danger.

He had to play the long game.

Don't rush...

Take it slow.

He had waited all these years.

A few more days wouldn't hurt.

He was going to see Evangeline soon...

...

Meanwhile, in a five-star hotel room in San Francisco.

Jude was pulled from his sleep by the buzzing of his phone.

He reached for the device on his nightstand, squinting against the harsh glare of the screen. The caller ID read Finnian Fairchild.

It was 2:00 AM.

He swiped to answer, his voice still thick with sleep. “Hello?”

“Jude.”

Finnian's voice crackled through the receiver, vibrating with barely contained adrenaline. “This Evangeline is a fake. I just ran a DNA test using her sample, and the results are in. Zero biological relation. That woman is not my sister!”

Those words shattered whatever residual sleep Jude had left.

He bolted upright, bracing himself against the edge of the mattress, and switched on the bedside lamp. His grip on the phone tightened as his mind raced. “Then whose sample did she submit for the first test?”

“That's exactly it.”

Finnian's voice dropped, laced with a dangerous edge. “She has to have Evangeline's DNA. Or worse... she has Evangeline.”

Jude frowned. “Then you can't make a move yet. You need to keep her comfortable and see if we can trace any leads back to her. If Evangeline is in her custody, startling her might put Evangeline in danger.”

Finnian took a deep, shaky breath. “I know...”

“I'm flying back to Northampton first thing in the morning. I'll handle her. I'll stall her with the wedding arrangements so she doesn't suspect a thing.”

The line went silent for a few seconds before Finnian spoke again, his voice choked with raw emotion. “Jude. Thank you.”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

Jude leaned back against the headboard, his eyes lowering as his tone shifted back to its usual calm cadence. “We're brothers. You don't need to thank me.”

Finnian pressed his lips together. “Evangeline is almost home. After twenty years of searching, it's finally going to end.”

He paused for a beat. “When she gets back, I'll finally get to call you my brother-in-law for real.”

“Sure.” Jude let out a soft chuckle, genuinely indifferent to the title.

Jude stared blankly into the night, lost in thought, until the burning cherry of the cigarette reached his fingers. He flinched, snapping back to reality, and quickly crushed the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray.

Why had the sketch he saw at the Argent Club suddenly popped into his head?

He didn't know if his mind was playing tricks on him.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that the girl in the sketch looked vaguely like Nora...

As soon as the thought formed, he let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.

What was he thinking?

He let out a heavy sigh, tossing the freshly opened pack of cigarettes and lighter onto the patio table before turning back to the bedroom.

Outside, the murky grey horizon was beginning to lighten.

Forget it.

He needed to get some sleep.

He had a performance to put on tomorrow in Northampton.

...

Macy was up bright and early.

She was heading to the airport today to pick up Jude, and from there, she planned to visit the Winslow Manor. She wanted to meet Jude's parents and officially set a wedding date.

As for the Fairchilds, she naturally planned to drag Jude there as well. After all, she was the heiress of the Fairchild family now.

She had been foolish before, settling for the measly hundred thousand Liana had thrown at her.

Over the past few days, the luxury items, jewelry, and real estate Finnian had showered her with easily added up to millions of dollars. Why wouldn't she fully embrace this identity?