The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 107

As late autumn set in, the city's temperature plummeted. The sycamore trees in the villa's courtyard shed all their leaves, their bare branches looking bleak in the biting wind.

However, this once perpetually cold and empty marital home had recently gained a touch of everyday domestic warmth.

Ever since the night Gideon offered his compensation, he had abandoned his usual routine of disappearing for weeks on end. Now, he pushed open the front doors of the villa almost precisely at dusk every day.

The dynamic between them grew incredibly delicate.

There were no arguments, no cold wars, not even a raised voice.

One evening, a fine drizzle began to fall outside the window.

Nora finished the final intricate details of her inlay design and massaged her aching neck. She closed her sketchbook and was just about to head to the kitchen for a glass of water when Gideon came down from the second-floor study.

He was dressed in a dark gray loungewear set, holding a gold-embossed invitation. He walked over and sat on the sofa beside Nora.

"Next Friday night, The Eastern Commerce Alliance is hosting their annual charity gala at The Park Hyatt Hotel."

Gideon set the invitation on the coffee table and pushed it toward her. "You're coming with me."

Nora's movements paused. Her eyes fell on the invitation, her brows furrowing slightly.

In their three years of marriage, the number of times Gideon had taken her to public events could be counted on one hand. Outside of mandatory family gatherings, he rarely brought her into his elite business circles.

For those high-society galas, he usually went alone or took Giselle out to experience the world.

Nora's instinct was to refuse. She didn't want to step back into a social arena full of calculation and hypocrisy, nor did she want to parade around as Mrs. Hayes just to be scrutinized and judged.

The memory of her disastrous time at the banquet last month was still fresh, and she felt a deep aversion to such settings.

Gideon seemed to read her mind.

Hearing her agree, Gideon nodded and said nothing more.

Friday evening, the city lights flickered to life.

Inside the grand banquet hall of The Park Hyatt Hotel, the air flowed with the scent of designer perfume and soft classical music. Anyone who managed to secure an invitation was either a titan of the business world or part of an old-money legacy.

A black Maybach pulled smoothly up to the hotel's main entrance.

The valet hurried over and opened the door. Gideon stepped out first. Dressed in a sharply tailored, pure black custom suit, his tall, commanding stature exuded the steady aura of a man used to reigning at the top.

Instead of walking straight toward the red carpet, he turned around and extended his right hand into the car.

Nora placed her hand into his broad, warm palm, holding up the hem of her gown as she slowly stepped out.

Tonight, she was wearing a dark green velvet backless evening gown. The texture of the velvet accentuated her luminous skin, while the deep green neutralized the fabric's heaviness, adding a layer of aristocratic mystery.