I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 23

Nora checked into a hotel, took a quick shower, and finally felt a heavy burden lift from her chest. At the very least, she hadn't suffered from insomnia and managed a decent night's sleep.

The next morning, Nora woke up early, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and headed to the Vance Institute.

The hotel was only a ten-minute walk away, so she stopped at a street-side vendor to grab a coffee and a muffin, eating as she walked.

When she pushed open the doors to the Institute, people were already bustling through the hallways, their voices loud with excitement.

"The funding actually cleared!"

"Harrison Group's finance department wired it last night. I checked the accounts this morning—every single dollar is there!"

"Does that mean our projects are back on track? The cancer drug, the antibiotics—can we resume everything?"

"Of course we can! We can even upgrade the equipment. That busted centrifuge should have been retired ages ago!"

"Thank god! I thought this project was completely dead. I've been stressed out of my mind this past week."

A small group had gathered around the bulletin board, beaming with absolute joy.

Nora walked past them, offering a polite nod and a soft smile without saying much, and headed straight down the corridor to push open Xavier Vance's office door.

Zelda Vance was sitting in the chair next to the desk. When she saw Nora walk in, she stood up, walked over, and looked her up and down, a frown slowly forming on her face.

"Nora, where were you last night? Why didn't you come home?"

Nora smiled softly. "I stayed over at a friend's place, Zelda."

Zelda looked her dead in the eye, clearly unconvinced. "Don't lie to me. You know your eyes dart upward whenever you're making something up, right?"

Nora nodded, her expression entirely serious. "I swear. Besides, I have a property in my own name, so please don't worry. I would never be unnecessarily polite with you and Professor Vance."

That part wasn't a total lie.

She did have a property to her name, part of her dowry from the Newman Estate years ago, but it had sat empty and neglected all this time. Moving in would require a massive cleanup, and given her strained relationship with her father, she didn't feel comfortable living there.

But she kept those details to herself; there was no need to burden Zelda with the specifics.

Zelda sighed and dropped the interrogation. She knew Nora's personality well; the girl looked soft on the outside but was incredibly stubborn. If she didn't want to talk about something, prying wouldn't work.

Taking the opportunity to shift the conversation, Nora asked, "Does Professor Vance know about the funding yet? What did he say?"

Zelda's expression immediately shifted to one of sheer exasperation. "What else would he say? Just acting tough as usual. We'll see how long he can keep up that stubborn act."