The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 14

"Get the car ready. Send an apology gift to the Mayor and tell him an emergency came up."

Liam snapped the planner shut. He was entirely desensitized to these spontaneous cancellations. "Understood."

Gideon pushed off his chair and grabbed his suit jacket from the backrest, his gaze softening as he looked toward the suite.

Watching Giselle game, his voice melted into the sweet register reserved only for her. "Giselle, pause it. I canceled my dinner. I'm taking you to that private bistro you've been whining about, and we'll take a walk by the river after."

Giselle tossed her controller, squealing as she jumped up to hug his arm.

Gideon chuckled, ruffling her hair. The two of them walked out of the office together, utterly abandoning the lonely resignation letter sitting on his desk.

...

Nora walked out of The Hayes Group building. She was supposed to meet her best friend, Lucia Xander, at a corner cafe at 2 PM to process the sheer absurdity of the past few days.

The phone in her hand buzzed again. Nora knew exactly who it was without looking. Frowning, she unlocked it, met with a massive block of text from her mother.

"Nora, I heard you went to the office today? Did you go apologize to Gideon? Let me tell you, there is no shame in bowing your head."

"As long as you butter him up and give him an heir, our family's social standing is invincible."

"Your father's project is bleeding money; we are begging for that grant next month. Stop throwing a childish tantrum. Do you know how many women are gunning for your title? Don't hand over your position on a silver platter."

Nora scrolled past the text with zero emotion and held down the power button until the screen went black.

In everyone's eyes, she was just an ungrateful, unreasonable lunatic.

The public narrative dubbed her the absolute jackpot winner of high society.

These aristocratic socialites always treated Nora with an artificial, distant courtesy.

They would politely greet her by name, then immediately pivot to gossip she had zero context for. Gideon remained his silent self, occasionally humming a reply.

Nora sat next to him, desperately maintaining a flawless smile, while Gideon predictably blocked any drinks pushed her way.

Everything looked perfectly normal—as stagnant and lifeless as dead water.

Until the door slammed open.

Giselle burst in wearing a burgundy dress and stilettos, swinging a limited-edition Birkin bag like a hurricane.

"Ugh, traffic was an absolute nightmare! I'm so late!"