The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 114

He didn't ask for a reason. He didn't weigh the pros and cons. He simply used the most swift, brutal methods to throw out the person who dared to humiliate her.

He held her in his arms, his chin resting against the top of her head, and told her in that husky, gentle voice:

From now on, you'll never need to thank me again.

The phone screen on her desk lit up.

Nora walked over and picked it up. It was a message from Janie Fisher.

"Nora! Did you see the anonymous post on the finance gossip forum just now?! I heard Mr. Hayes completely destroyed the Sterling family at the European Commerce Alliance gala tonight just to protect you! Is it true?! That's straight out of a billionaire romance novel!"

A row of shocked and screaming emojis followed.

Janie also sent several screenshots of the forum leaks. The posts described in detail how coldly Gideon had ordered security to drag Seraphina out, and how he publicly commanded the legal team to terminate the contracts immediately.

The commenters were all marveling at the ruthless tactics of the Hayes patriarch and envying the absolute devotion showered upon Mrs. Hayes.

"Everyone at the studio is losing their minds! They're saying you're the true love of his life!"

Nora stared at the text on the screen, the corners of her lips turning up uncontrollably.

Her fingers lightly tapped the keyboard, typing back a simple reply.

"It's true."

...

The next day happened to be the weekend.

Nora lowered her eyes, avoiding Lucia's probing gaze, and tried to keep her voice flat. "I accidentally spilled some hot soup in the kitchen the other day and got splashed. I've been using medicine, so it's almost healed."

She didn't mention the absurd drama in the dining room of the manor, nor did she utter Giselle's name. In front of her friend, she instinctively wanted to preserve her last shred of dignity.

She didn't want Lucia to know how pathetic her life at the Hayes house truly was, nor did she want to recount how ruthlessly Gideon had abandoned her to comfort Giselle.

Lucia stared at her for a moment, and seeing her calm expression, she accepted the story.

"You need to be more careful," Lucia sighed in relief, leaning back in her chair. The excited sparkle immediately returned to her eyes. "Enough about that. Tell me about last night! I literally woke up to my socialite group chats exploding this morning!"

Nora's grip on her cup tightened slightly. Pretending not to understand, she asked softly, "What gossip?"

"Don't try to hide it from me!"