The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 81

“Is she out of her mind? She's actually walking over!”

“This is so embarrassing. What is she thinking? Does she really believe she can climb the social ladder with Mr. Hayes?”

Janie Fisher stood on the steps, her jaw dropping so wide she nearly dropped her phone on the ground.

Nora Xavier walked up to Gideon Hayes, stopping a couple of feet away.

“Why are you here?” Nora asked, staring at his expressionless face, her voice dry.

The surrounding coworkers gasped as they watched Nora actually approach him and speak to Gideon in such a familiar tone.

The female designers who had just been mocking Nora instantly turned pale, exchanging bewildered glances as they tried to process the situation. Janie gasped again, slapping a hand over her mouth.

Gideon looked down at Nora. His gaze swept over her conservative black suit, not lingering on her pale complexion.

He turned around and reached out to open the back door of the Maybach.

“Today is Silas's memorial. I came to pick you up.”

Gideon spoke flatly. His tone was entirely matter-of-fact, completely devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were stating an inconsequential piece of business.

That simple sentence struck like a thunderbolt, exploding through the crowd.

Nora didn't ask anything else. She knew Gideon was doing this solely to maintain the facade of a harmonious marriage in front of their relatives.

“She's always so low-key in the atelier, never even talking back when people bully her, and she's actually the wife of the CEO of The Hayes Group? That is so enviable! She hid it so well!”

Before the envious sighs could fade, several harsh voices immediately cut them off.

“What is there to envy? Haven't you heard the rumors about the Hayes family?”

The female designer who always had it out for Nora sneered sourly, “Everyone in our circle knows Gideon's heart belongs entirely to his adopted sister, Giselle Hayes. Nora is probably just an unloved decoration, holding the title in name only.”

“Exactly. Didn't you see Mr. Hayes's attitude just now? He was completely freezing, without even a hint of a smile. That didn't look like a man picking up his wife from work; it looked like a boss picking up a subordinate for an errand. Living in a wealthy family like that is basically living as a widow, and it must be suffocating. No wonder she has to come out and work for a measly paycheck.”

“No wonder she works overtime like her life depends on it. Her billionaire dreams shattered, she can't survive in the Hayes family, so she has to come out and earn her own living. She looks glamorous on the outside, but in private, she's worse off than an average person. It's truly pathetic.”