Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 716

Artie pursed his lips. "Not yet."

"Call him. Tell him to get back to San Francisco in the next few days."

"Yes, Boss."

...

The days passed in a blur, and soon it was New Year's Eve.

Cloudwater Estate was bursting with festive energy.

The string lights Archer and Olive O'Neil had strung up earlier were fully lit, transforming the entire courtyard into a glowing wonderland.

Bane sat by the door of his doghouse, tilting his head as he watched the flickering lights. He wagged his tail twice before resting his chin boredly on his front paws.

Olive was eagerly directing a crew to unload crates of fireworks from a truck, lining them up neatly in the open space of the backyard.

"Archer! Put the 'Midnight Starlights' right in the center! Yeah, that one! We're saving that for the stroke of midnight!"

Archer was running around frantically following her orders, sweating profusely as he hauled the heavy boxes back and forth.

The New Year's Eve dinner was prepared by the estate's private chef, completely filling the massive dining table.

Over twenty dishes of hot and cold appetizers covered the spread—prime rib, garlic butter shrimp, creamy lobster bisque, truffled mashed potatoes... all steaming and squeezed together. In the very center sat a gorgeous roast lamb, its skin perfectly crisp, dripping savory juices as it was sliced, filling the room with an incredible aroma.

Hudson sat at the head of the table, with Nora Reed to his right. Artie, Archer, Olive, Soren, Liam, and Dr. Silas Vane rounded out the rest of the lively group.

Olive's eyes sparkled as she scanned the feast. Unable to resist, she reached out to snag a BBQ rib, only for Archer to lightly slap the back of her hand.

"No one's even picked up a fork yet, Olive. Show some restraint."

"I was just taste-testing it for everyone!"

"Taste-testing? That's called stealing!"

The two continued their playful bickering.

"Alright, knock it off, you two. Let's eat." Hudson glanced at them, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Olive immediately flashed a wide grin. "Let's dig in!"

She loaded up her plate and began devouring the food, mumbling something incomprehensible as Archer poured her a drink. "Slow down, Olive. No one's going to steal your food..."

"Hurry up and eat! We have fireworks to light!"

Even though Soren hadn't said a single word, his plate was already piled into a small mountain, entirely thanks to Olive and Archer taking turns serving him food.

"Eat up, kid. You're still growing."

"...I'm twenty."

"Twenty is still a kid. Eat more!" Olive said, sliding a glass of whiskey toward him. "Do you know how to drink?"

Without a change in expression, Soren picked up the glass and downed three straight shots, not even blinking.

Olive stared at him in utter shock for several seconds before finally letting out a breathless, "Damn, your tolerance is that good?"

Soren glanced at her. "They taught it in the training camp."

"Does that camp teach you literally everything?"

Various fireworks exploded overhead, lighting up the night sky as brightly as daytime.

Olive's sparkler had burned halfway down, and she ran wildly around the yard with it. She didn't even notice the sparks landing in her hair, thankfully rescued by Artie before disaster struck.

Boom! Bang!

Right at that moment, Archer squatted on the steps and lit a heavy firecracker, setting off two deafening blasts that earned him a couple of scolding knocks on the head from Olive.

Nora stood on the porch, a subconscious smile curving her lips as she watched the chaotic, joyful scene.

As she watched, completely absorbed, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Hudson pressed against her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. His warm breath brushed against her ear. "Honey, come inside for a minute."

Nora was too distracted by the lights to think much of it. "What's wrong?"

"Help me grab something."

She murmured an absent acknowledgment, stood up, and followed him toward the living room.

But the moment she crossed the threshold, he caught her wrist.

Hudson led her down the hallway, pushed open the bedroom door, and shut it behind them. He pinned her against the wood, leaning down to capture her lips.

Caught off guard, Nora let out a muffled sound, pressing her hands against his chest to push him back. "Didn't you... didn't you say you needed to grab something..."

Hudson simply stripped off his shirt, exposing his toned, burning-hot chest. "Hold this for me, honey."

"...Hudson! You... mm..."