Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 712

For the next few days, everyone was tasked with wrapping up their current work, storing up energy for the projects awaiting them after the holidays.

Soon enough, night fell.

By the time Hudson returned to the Cloudwater Estate, the sky was pitch black.

Just as he stepped onto the porch, he saw Olive squatting on the steps, pressing a hand to her shoulder, wincing and rubbing it furiously.

Archer was sitting on a stone stool nearby. He had a bandage plastered to the back of his hand and a nasty bruise on his chin.

Hudson raised an eyebrow, pausing in his tracks.

"Did you two... get into another sparring match with Artie?"

Seeing him, Olive hastily stood up, but the sharp movement pulled at her shoulder, making her wince again. "Boss, you're finally back! You have no idea, that kid you brought home... he is ruthless!"

Archer nodded from the side, chiming in. "Boss, that kid is a prodigy. Olive couldn't even get the upper hand in close-quarters combat."

Hudson's brow furrowed slightly as his gaze swept over the two of them.

He knew exactly how capable Olive was. Her combat skills were so brutal that even Artie couldn't guarantee an easy win against her.

For someone to make her suffer this much, they had to be at least on her level.

And that teenager looked barely twenty years old...

A faint smile touched Hudson's lips.

The Northampton Fairchilds truly lived up to their centuries-old legacy; their foundations were deep.

It seemed Finnian really hadn't held back this time.

He had sent a genuine treasure to guard Nora.

...

After dinner, Hudson dragged Nora out into the courtyard for a walk to digest their food.

"There's something I need to tell you..." Nora stopped walking and looked up at Hudson. "River came by this afternoon. He said he wants to trade the Ivory Pill for the core tech of the Vanguard Microchips."

Hudson let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, Artie called me about it earlier today. Just ignore him..."

He paused, his voice dropping slightly. "Whether that Ivory Pill in his hand is real or fake, he knows better than anyone."

Nora couldn't help but press her lips together. "Did you figure it out too? The Ivory Pill isn't with him anymore..."

"He came to you today to make a bet. He's gambling on whether you'd be willing to make that trade to save my life. The moment you agree, or even hesitate, he'll know exactly where your limits are. Once he knows that, he can weave his next trap."

He stopped, reaching across the space between them to clasp her cool fingers. "Don't worry. Liam Harrison has already gone searching for the second Ivory Pill. We should have news soon."

"There's a second Ivory Pill?"

"Yeah." Seeing her face instantly light up with hope, Hudson's lips curved into a smile, his tone growing deeper. "This time, I will get my hands on it, no matter the cost."

Of course, she didn't mention the most crucial reason.

Hudson was far too fond of acting up...

Even the maids only came around when they needed to work and quickly disappeared. When the mood struck him, he didn't care about the time or place...

"Oh..."

Seeing her refuse so firmly, Soren had no choice but to obediently drop the request.

"Oh, right..." Nora suddenly remembered something. "There's a favor I need to ask you."

"I need you to look into the Ivory Pill... It's a royal panacea, rumored to have the power to bring the dying back to life. Aside from the one held by the Whitman family, I need to know where the other one is."

Soren didn't ask any unnecessary questions; he simply gave a brief nod. "I will bring you an answer as soon as possible, Miss."

With that, he turned and immediately started walking away. But he had barely taken a few steps before he heard Nora's soft laugh from behind him. "And..."

Soren immediately turned back around.

"Next time you spar with Olive and the others... hold back a little."

Remembering Olive wincing and aggressively rubbing her shoulder that afternoon, she couldn't suppress a smile. "At least give them a little bit of pride."

Soren was silent for a second. "...Oh."