Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 691

San Francisco.

Arthur Lancaster II and River Sterling had been in the hospital for a week and were finally discharged just before New Year's Day.

River had held onto a sliver of hope for Uncle Lawrence.

He had genuinely believed Lawrence would manage to kidnap Nora Reed.

Instead, all he got was the news of Lawrence landing in the hospital.

On the day of their discharge, Lawrence came to see them off, leaning heavily on a cane, his expression so dark it looked ready to drip ink.

Supported by two massive bodyguards, his cheeks were hollow, making his cheekbones jut out and his eye sockets look deeper. His eyes were dim, clearly showing a severe lack of sleep.

"Lawrence, looks like you didn't fare too well against Hudson either..."

Arthur Lancaster II didn't gloat, knowing they were all in the same sinking boat now.

As long as Hudson was alive, they would never know a day of peace!

"Don't worry, he doesn't have many days left to live!" Lawrence sneered coldly.

Arthur II frowned deeply. "But I heard he brought a highly skilled doctor to his side. His rapid recovery last time was probably that doctor's doing... Lawrence, we can't just sit and wait. If he actually cures the poison, he'll come for our heads!"

Lawrence narrowed his eyes. Hudson had been incredibly ruthless lately. Not only had he taken out Chloe Caldwell—the mole Lawrence had spent so much effort coercing to flip—but he had also swallowed up the majority of Lawrence's core assets!

The losses were catastrophic.

And it wasn't just him.

Even the Grand Matriarch's side businesses were getting hit. Contracts were frozen, supply chains were cut. Someone was clearly sending a message.

"So what do you suggest?"

Arthur II instinctively turned to River.

For matters this critical, he always relied on his second son to call the shots.

After all, River's intellect and cunning were fully on par with Hudson's.

Lawrence caught the look and turned to River as well. "Good nephew, what do you think we should do?"

River let out a low chuckle. "I share your thoughts exactly, Uncle Lawrence."

Lawrence raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Let's hear it. What exactly are my thoughts?"

River didn't beat around the bush, laying it all out. "Hudson is an impenetrable fortress. You can't find a single crack in his armor. His only weakness is Nora Reed. She has no power, no backing, making her the easiest target. No matter how formidable Hudson is, he can't protect her every single second..."

Lawrence smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

Then, his smile faded. "But you've seen it yourself. Hudson has surrounded Nora with a small army of bodyguards. Getting to her physically is near impossible... If we sit around waiting for a crack, we'll be waiting until the end of time."

"We don't need to attack her physically. We wage a war of public opinion."

River's lips curled into a sinister smirk. "From what I've gathered, Nora's background is riddled with scandals. Exposing just one or two would be enough to destroy her socially! Her status is too low; she is entirely unworthy of the Lancaster family. That is her original sin!"

Holding the phone, he glanced down at the expedited DNA Paternity Test report he had ordered, which was sitting right on the coffee table.

Same names. Same conclusion.

It was absolutely true.

Nora Reed really was Finnian's biological sister!

Hudson clicked his tongue, feeling a wave of annoyance toward this sudden brother-in-law.

In the past, he used to mock Finnian relentlessly.

Status-wise, Hudson ranked higher, since Finnian wasn't the official head of the Fairchild family yet—his father, Henry Fairchild, still was.

But now, Finnian had magically transformed into his 'superior' brother-in-law, jumping up a whole generation in family hierarchy.

It was genuinely frustrating to think about.

"Yeah, I know," Hudson replied flatly.

Finnian frowned.

He had been wondering why Hudson sounded so completely unfazed, almost as if he had known all along. Thinking it over, it clicked.

Hudson must have ordered his own expedited DNA test.

That explained it.