Reject My Alpha President (Iris and Arthur) novel Chapter 255

Chapter 255

“It’s lovely to meet you,” I say, standing and extending my hand to her. “Properly, I mean. I think we had a bit of an awkward

moment last night in the courtyard.”

“Yes,” she says stiffly, briefly shaking my hand. “I apologize for staring. It was quite rude of me. My old eyes aren’t what they

used to be, so I didn’t recognize you.”

“No worries,” I assure her with a smile. “I was the one wandering around in the middle of the night.”

There’s an uncomfortable pause, and I wonder if I’ve said something wrong. Nora doesn’t seem particularly warm toward me, although she smiles slightly at Miles when he looks up at her.

My mother beckons her closer. “Come have some breakfast, Nora. We’re having a family morning.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Nora says, although she does take a seat at the far end of the table when my father insists. Far away

from me.

“You’re not intruding,” Caleb assures her. “You’re practically family.” He turns to me. “Nora was more of a mother to me than a

nanny when we were growing up.”

Our mother gasps. “Caleb!”

My brother’s face reddens. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that you and Dad were often busy with your duties, but Nora was

always there. I felt like I had two mothers at times.” He gives Nora a warm smile, which she returns. Sort of.

I nod, trying to imagine this stern woman caring for a young Caleb. It’s not hard to picture her ensuring he did his homework and

ate his vegetables, but I wonder if she was affectionate too. Did she hug him when he fell and hurt himself? Did she tuck him in at

night and read him stories?

Did she do those things for Selina, thinking she was me?

The thought brings up a strange mixture of emotions–jealousy, sadness, curiosity. I push them aside, though, and focus on

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, then,” I say to Nora. “I’m grateful for everything you did for my family.”

Nora gives me a small nod but says nothing more. Throughout the rest of breakfast, she speaks when spoken to, but otherwise remains quiet, occasionally stealing glances at me when she thinks I’m not looking.

I try not to let it bother me. She’s probably just shy, or perhaps feels a little guilty that I was swapped at birth. Or maybe she’s just

not a very warm person in general. Not everyone has to be a ball of sunshine all the time, after all.

After breakfast, we say our goodbyes to my parents and Caleb. My mother hugs me tightly, whispering, “Think about what we

discussed last night,” in my ear. I offer her a subtle nod and a smile as I pull back.

I’ve already got a lot of ideas in regards to last night’s discussion. I hardly slept, too busy thinking about all of the possibilities.