The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 179

Nora acknowledged that Janie had only thrown that punch to protect her.

But how on earth could she save her?

Her pride would never allow her to go begging to Gideon like a dog.

She knew that man's ruthlessness all too well. If she begged him today, she would be throwing her dignity on the ground for him to trample on forever.

Nor could she watch Janie grovel to Giselle.

This wasn't just about Janie's dignity; it was about Nora's moral baseline.

Janie had thrown that slap to defend her. If she let Janie grovel and beg for mercy like a dog just to survive, Nora would be committing the ultimate betrayal.

How could she let such a fiercely loyal girl debase herself before the vicious instigator who caused all this?

If it really came to that, Nora would have no face left to live in this world.

And she absolutely could not let Janie collapse in front of her. That collapse would force Nora to live the rest of her life in the shadow of betraying a comrade.

Using all her strength, Nora pressed Janie firmly back into the booth.

They sat across from each other once more.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second.

Janie's sobbing gradually died down to suppressed hiccups. She leaned against Nora's shoulder, her tears soaking through the trench coat.

Slowly letting go, Nora looked at Janie's pale face and tried to steady her voice.

"Janie, I promise, I won't let you grovel to Giselle, and I won't let you leave."

Gritting her teeth, she offered a promise she herself knew carried no weight. "We'll turn down the investment. I'll find another way. I'll find other investors, and even if I have to go to the loan sharks, I will keep this studio alive."

In this city, with Gideon's decree out, what bank would dare lend them money? What investor would risk angering The Hayes Group for a small studio?

Julian was their one and only lifeline. If they rejected his money, the studio was dead.

Arthur's precious sketches and the heart and soul poured into the high-end project would all evaporate into an astronomical debt in a matter of days.

Without backing, without funds, and having offended the most powerful man in the city, they were blacklisted everywhere.

Nora's so-called "other way" was nothing but a pale, empty comfort.

Lawrence Atelier was on the verge of collapse, and the banks would freeze their accounts tomorrow. If the studio fell, Arthur's legacy would be ruined, and Nora would go to jail carrying massive debt.

And what about her?

As the catalyst of this entire storm, as the lowly assistant who slapped the Hayes family's precious heiress, did she really think Gideon would let her go just because Nora went to jail?