Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 708

Olive O'Neil, who had been standing nearby sucking on a lollipop and watching the scene unfold, raised an eyebrow. She looked the boy up and down before letting out a scoff. "He's just a kid. Can he even fight? Don't make me divide my attention to protect him when things go south."

The boy's expression remained completely blank. He didn't even twitch an eyelid, though his hands, hanging loosely by his sides, shifted ever so slightly.

Finnian chuckled. "Don't underestimate him. He's the most exceptional one out of his entire batch."

Olive pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced, but she didn't argue further.

Finnian stepped closer to Nora, dropping his voice. "In San Francisco, if you ever run into a situation that isn't convenient for your public people to handle, let him do it."

Nora blinked—was he implying what she thought he was implying?

Seeing her expression, Finnian knew she had caught on and offered a faint smile. "And it's not just that..."

"He's backed by the Fairchild Shadows' extensive network. There are 'Ears' who gather intel, 'Voices' who spread information, and 'Blades,' the sharpest of them all... Just give him your orders. Whatever he can't handle personally, someone else will figure out a way to get it done."

This level of covert protection was a privilege reserved exclusively for the direct descendants of the Fairchild family.

Even though Liana Fairchild was beloved by the Matriarch, she only had a highly visible bodyguard like Lester Tate. She was never allowed near the Fairchilds' most confidential core, so naturally, she knew nothing of this.

Only true heirs, like him and Xander, were granted such resources.

Nora was momentarily stunned, her heart suddenly racing.

A significant part of her reason for returning to the Fairchild family had been to borrow their influence...

Yet here was Finnian, handing over the absolute core of the Fairchild power structure straight into her hands!

Was this...

Was this what family meant?

Nora looked up at Finnian, her eyes growing a little red.

Finnian reached out and affectionately rubbed the top of her head. Afterward, he shot a quick glance at Hudson, terrified the Lancaster brute was going to throw a jealous fit.

Strangely, Hudson hadn't intervened at all. He didn't even try to push him away when he got physical...

Had the sun risen in the west today?

Hudson simply threw a cold glare at the intrusive older brother, then stepped forward to wrap an arm around Nora's shoulders. "Alright, time to board."

Finnian breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, the guy was acting normal again!

"Goodbye, Finnian."

Nora waved reluctantly, but just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she caught someone following right behind her out of the corner of her eye.

"Finnian?" she blinked in confusion.

If he saw her off any further, he'd be getting on the plane with them...

"I'm flying back to San Francisco with you."

Finnian raised a brow at Hudson. "Didn't you say the Fairchilds were joining the microchip project? I have to personally bring my team over to check things out. It just so happens I brought a few tech guys with me."

He gestured with his chin. Nora followed his gaze and noticed a dark gray van parked a short distance away. The doors were open, and several sharply dressed people were unloading equipment. It looked like they were ready to move an entire lab.

"..."

That was an option?

...

By the time the plane touched down in San Francisco, it was just past noon.

Hudson's phone had been practically blown up by Professor Douglas Campbell. Nora could hear the old man's booming reprimands from several feet away; he was clearly furious.

"Artie, take my wife back to Cloudwater Estate."

But River was holding onto the Ivory Pill and the ashes of Hudson's parents. She had to see him.

At the very least, she needed to know what he wanted if she had any hope of getting those things back.

"Let's go. We'll hear him out."

Olive tried to protest again, but Archer tugged on her sleeve.

She paused, and seeing Nora already walking toward the gate, had no choice but to follow.

The teenage boy silently trailed behind them. His footsteps were so soft it felt like he was walking on cotton. Artie couldn't help but give him a second look.

This kid—he didn't make a sound when he walked?

The Fairchild Shadows...

It seemed they really did live up to the hype.

...

At the gates of Cloudwater Estate, River leaned casually against the hood of his car, an unlit cigarette wedged between his fingers, his arm still in a sling. The gunshot wound had clearly not fully healed.

In just a few short days, he had visibly lost weight, his cheekbones jutting out slightly, though his eyes remained piercingly bright.

Seeing Nora walk out, a smile spread across his face, and he leaned forward. "Nora, it's been a while."

Nora looked at him through the iron gate, her voice flat. "What do you want?"

"I heard you finally found your family. The heiress of the Fairchild family, no less. My, my, congratulations. Hudson really lucked out, managing to marry the jewel of the Northampton Fairchilds."

Nora raised an eyebrow, her tone turning cold. "You were the one behind the smear campaign against me?"

It was phrased as a question, but her tone was absolute certainty.