The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 287

In the second-floor bedroom of The Hayes Manor.

Gideon sat on the edge of the massive bed, watching Giselle's red, swollen eyes close as her breathing finally steadied.

He had spent an immense amount of energy coaxing the completely hysterical girl back to a state of calm.

To appease her fury, Gideon had signed a laundry list of entirely unequal treaties.

He agreed to buy her the luxury yacht she had been eyeing, promised to transfer two highly profitable subsidiaries from The Hayes Group directly into her name, and even swore never to interfere with her seeing Julian Pierce again, pledging to send someone to formally apologize to the man.

He offered a compromise devoid of any boundaries, trading it all just to get Giselle to drop the idea of moving out.

As long as she stayed alive. As long as she didn't leave the Hayes family.

He pulled the silk duvet up over her, making sure to avoid the bandaged wound on her wrist.

Gideon leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against Giselle's smooth forehead.

Seeing his sister sleeping peacefully, the nerves he had kept tightly wound all night finally found a brief moment of relief.

He stood up, smoothed out his severely wrinkled suit, and walked out of the bedroom, gently clicking the carved wooden door shut behind him.

The wall sconces in the hallway cast a dim, moody light.

Gideon stood in the empty corridor, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.

When he had rushed into the room earlier, Nora had clearly been standing in the shadows of the hallway, just a few feet from the door.

Now, the space was completely empty. Not a single shadow remained.

Gideon's brows knitted tightly together. His long legs quickly carried him to the top of the stairs, where he looked down at the first-floor foyer.

Gideon thought back to what had happened at the Xavier Residence just a few hours ago.

He had forcefully dragged her away from her own birthday dinner, right in front of her parents. She had followed him obediently all the way, without a single word of complaint.

Once they reached the Manor, his mind had been so consumed by Giselle's safety that he had dumped Nora in a living room full of shattered glass. He had left her in the cold shadows of the hallway without a single word of explanation.

Today was her birthday.

Not only had he ruined her family dinner, but he hadn't even managed to give her a basic "Happy Birthday."

Gideon pushed open the heavy doors of the Manor and sprinted into the vast night.

He bypassed the driver entirely, pulling open the door to the driver's seat himself and aggressively starting the engine.