The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 37

Late at night, on the top floor of the Hayes Group.

Gideon sat in his massive leather office chair, twirling a fountain pen before signing his name at the bottom of a final acquisition proposal.

The vast office was dead silent.

The quiet made Gideon feel faintly out of sync.

Going by the routine of the past month, Giselle's video calls or endless voice messages should have bombarded his phone by now.

She would usually complain about her dinner or show off the new jewelry she bought that day. Just hearing her voice was enough to wash away his exhaustion.

But Giselle wasn't around today. Yesterday morning, at her insistence, Gideon had arranged his private jet to fly her and her friends to Paris for Fashion Week.

Before she left, she had clung to his arm at the airport, sweetly demanding that he eat his meals on time and promising to inspect his routine when she returned.

He had rubbed her head, agreed to all her demands, and dispatched an elite security detail to escort her every step of the way.

Now that she was in Europe, her schedule was packed to the brim with shopping sprees at luxury boutiques. She obviously didn't have time to check in on her brother back home.

Without that energetic presence buzzing in his ear, Gideon finally had some peace, yet his chest felt distinctly hollow.

His efficiency plummeted, his eyes constantly drifting away from the numbers on the contracts.

Gideon picked up his phone, habitually swiping the screen open.

The notification center was completely clean. Not a single missed call.

His thumb hovered over the screen as a name he had nearly forgotten suddenly flashed through his mind.

Nora.

Now that Giselle was out of the country and the noise had faded, Nora's sudden departure was finally glaring at him again.

The signed divorce papers in the manila envelope were still sitting in the bottom drawer of his desk.

Gideon pressed the intercom button.

Two minutes later, Liam York knocked and entered the office, holding a schedule ledger, his footsteps deliberately light.

"Mr. Hayes, last month's quarterly report is in. We're up three percent against projections."

Liam set the file gently on the desk, reporting cautiously.

"What kind of tantrum is Nora throwing at her father's place?"