The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 145

Inside the sunroom of the Hayes Manor, several pots of priceless Grand Empress Orchids were in full, magnificent bloom.

Giselle Hayes had wrapped up her trip to Scandinavia and returned a week early. She lounged in a wicker chair, casually swirling a cup of Darjeeling tea.

"What has Gideon been so busy with lately?"

Giselle set the teacup down, throwing the question out casually.

Franklin stood off to the side, answering truthfully. "Mr. Hayes has been overwhelmed with corporate affairs recently. He basically spends his nights resting at the villa. He hasn't stayed overnight at the manor for over half a month."

Giselle froze instantly.

Half a month.

In her mind, Gideon and Nora's marriage was completely dead. To Gideon, that villa was nothing but an empty shell he occasionally stopped at.

In the past, he would rather sleep in the corporate lounge or come back to the manor to accompany her than look at Nora for an extra second. Yet now, he was actually going back to the villa every single night for over two straight weeks.

A violent, terrifying wave of panic crashed over her.

She had thought that by flying out of the country to clear her head, Gideon would be overwhelmed with guilt for neglecting her.

She fully expected him to worship the ground she walked on the second she returned. She never anticipated that the moment she left, Nora would silently slide into the gap and pull Gideon closer.

Giselle ground her teeth together, a vicious, sinister gleam flashing in her eyes.

The following afternoon, Giselle hosted a high tea at an ultra-exclusive, private club downtown.

Sitting directly across from her was Cassidy Quinn.

Cassidy wore the latest haute couture skirt suit, her eyes fixated on Giselle's slightly red, teary eyes.

The Quinn Group's wealth came mainly from real estate and mining—they were practically swimming in cash. Cassidy had always been arrogant and aggressively obnoxious, desperately clawing her way into Giselle's elite inner circle.

"I know Gideon is married and has his own life now. If Nora hates me, I'll just try to stay out of her way from now on. I don't want to put Gideon in a difficult position."

Her words sounded incredibly understanding and mature, but in reality, every single syllable was engineered to broadcast a lethal narrative: Nora was a jealous monster bullying her behind closed doors, and Nora had stolen her protector.

Hearing this, Cassidy slammed her teacup down, her face contorting with explosive, self-righteous fury.

"Who the hell does Nora think she is?! She used the Old Master's dying wish to shamelessly latch onto the Hayes family, and now she actually thinks she's the queen of the house? Does she really think she has the right to give you attitude?!"

Cassidy raised her voice, dripping with absolute disgust.

The other socialites at the table instantly jumped in, firing off a barrage of insults and sneers entirely aimed at tearing Nora down.

Giselle reached out and gently grabbed Cassidy's hand, shaking her head weakly as a tear flawlessly slid down her cheek.

"Cassidy, please don't say that. She is my sister-in-law, and Gideon... cares about her right now. It's fine if I suffer a little. As long as Gideon is happy, that's all that matters."