The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 25

After leaving the mansion, Nora headed straight to the apartment she owned in her name.

She didn't return to the Xavier estate. That house was filled with gifts from the Hayes Group; if her parents knew she had signed the divorce papers, they would resort to anything to force her to beg Gideon for mercy.

The next morning, Nora arrived promptly at Arthur's jewelry atelier.

Arthur ran one of the nation's premier independent jewelry design brands. Over the last three years, the operation had doubled in size, relocating to a high-rise in the financial district.

Arthur was wearing a jeweler's loupe, examining a ruby.

"You're here."

He glanced up and pointed to a desk near the window. "That one's been waiting for you."

The atmosphere inside wasn't as relaxed as it seemed. Arthur was a titan in the industry, and his studio handled haute couture requests from top international brands.

The room was packed with arrogant, ambitious young designers, all desperate to make a name for themselves.

When Nora walked into the main workspace, the bustling room went dead silent for a moment.

"Arthur, who is this?"

A sharp female voice broke the tension.

The speaker was Sloane Miller, the atelier's current lead designer.

Sloane was strikingly beautiful and highly skilled, having created several viral collections over the past two years.

The senior designer position had just opened up, and everyone expected Sloane's assistant to take it, but Nora had swooped in out of nowhere.

Holding a sketch, she walked over in stilettos, her gaze dragging up and down Nora's frame.

"Our projects are booked through next year. Slipping someone new in right now seems a bit inappropriate, doesn't it?"

Arthur waved her off. "Nora used to be my star pupil. If she hadn't left for personal reasons three years ago, she would have won international awards by now. Sloane, show her the ropes and get her up to speed with the new software."

"It's not easy being a trophy wife."

Sloane scoffed. "She's probably just bored and looking for a thrill. People like her are only good for dragging down the boss's reputation."

Nora paused, the tip of her stylus leaving a dark dot on the screen.

She didn't look up to defend herself. Compared to Gideon's vicious daggers, this gossip didn't even sting.

A few coworkers huddled together scrolling on their phones, the topic inevitably shifting to high-society gossip.

Two female interns were glued to a screen, watching the latest financial broadcast.

It showed a live photo of Gideon speaking at an international economic summit.

"The head of the Hayes Group is so hot. He's so young and runs a massive empire. He's literally a walking romance novel hero."