The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 80

Sloane stepped out of the lobby, freezing the second she spotted him. A flash of shock widened her eyes before she frantically smoothed down her pencil skirt, clearly debating if she had the guts to approach him for a networking attempt.

Hovering at the edge of the stairs, Nora gripped her purse so hard her joints ached.

Staring at the imposing figure blocking the street, her lungs totally seized up. She never imagined he would actually show up here. For the past three years, he had always left from the main estate with Giselle on his arm; he had never once gone out of his way to pick her up.

Her spine locked up defensively. She absolutely refused to out herself in front of these vipers, and she definitely didn't want to be the center of a corporate scandal. Ducking her head, she slid into the thickest part of the crowd, hugging the far rail as she rushed down the steps, aggressively pretending he didn't exist.

Her only goal was to sprint past the Maybach, hit the intersection, and hail a cab before he noticed her.

"Nora."

His low, lethally calm voice cut through the chaos like a whip. It wasn't loud, but the terrifying authority in his tone instantly silenced the entire block.

The moment her name left his lips, an absolute, suffocating dead zone dropped over the plaza.

Every single woman who had been openly drooling over the billionaire instantly snapped their heads around, following his laser-focused gaze straight to the girl desperately trying to sneak away.

Nora's feet glued themselves to the pavement.

"Did he just call you?"

"Right? She doesn't even have the wardrobe to stand next to his tires. If she takes one step toward that car, his security team will physically throw her into traffic."

The rest of the team laughed openly, entirely convinced it was either a hilarious misunderstanding or Gideon was yelling at some executive behind them.

Nora completely ignored the venomous insults. Sucking in a sharp breath, she realized there was no escaping this nightmare.

Under the horrified, judging stares of her entire department, she pivoted and forced her heavy legs forward, marching straight toward the terrifying man by the Maybach.

The entire plaza gasped collectively, eyes bulging out of their heads as they watched her walk right up to him.