I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 279

By the time Xander got back to the estate, the sky was pitch black.

Only a single floor lamp lit the living room. His father was flipping through a newspaper with his reading glasses on, while Genevieve watched the financial news. They were clearly waiting for him.

Seeing Xander walk in, Genevieve struck first. "Xander, what exactly are your intentions with Nora?"

Xander didn't pause as he swapped his shoes in the entryway, his tone utterly nonchalant. "She's a good person. Highly capable."

Which was basically the same as saying nothing at all.

Sebastian took off his glasses and shot him a pointed look. "What kind of game are you playing, boy? The marriage agreement we had with Benedict Newman was arranged when you were kids. But she fell in love with someone else, so we couldn't force it. Now, Benedict himself came to me begging to reinstate the alliance. Stop beating around the bush and give us a straight answer."

Genevieve chimed in, "If you're not interested, we'll stop playing matchmaker. We don't want to make things awkward for the poor girl."

Xander hung his coat on the rack and turned around. "I know what I'm doing. Stay out of it."

His voice was level, but the boundary he drew was unmistakable.

Sebastian and Genevieve exchanged a glance.

Sebastian put his glasses back on. "Fine, then we'll cancel the arrangement."

Genevieve looked down. "Alright. It's your funeral."

Xander's dark eyes narrowed slightly. "There's no need to cancel it."

With that, he headed upstairs. The older couple shared another look—there was definitely a spark there.

Early the next morning, Nora arrived at The Vance Institute of Medical Science by six-thirty.

Today was sample collection day for the Phase II trials, and everything at the partnering hospital was prepped and ready.

She ran through the protocol on her computer one more time, double-checking the timeline and task assignments. By seven o'clock, the entire team was assembled. She gave a brief rundown, and they split into two cars to head out.

Both her parents were there. Her father, a shorter man, looked fiercely angry, while her mother sobbed quietly, clutching Annabel's hand.

Nora walked over to greet them, but before she could finish her sentence, Gareth Atkins cut her off. "We're not doing it. What kind of bullshit trial is this? Are you using my daughter as a lab rat?"

Meredith Atkins chimed in fearfully. "We looked it up. This trial is dangerous. If something goes wrong, who's going to take responsibility?"

Nora let out a soft sigh and crouched down to Annabel's eye level. "How are you feeling today?"

Annabel gave a small nod.

Nora then stood back up and looked at the parents. Methodically, she walked them through the nature of the trial, the exact procedure for the sample collection, the potential risks, and the extensive safety protocols they had put in place.

Hearing her thorough explanation, Meredith's expression softened slightly.

But Gareth wasn't having any of it. "You people sure know how to spin a good story, but the second things go south, you run faster than anyone! I'm only going to say this once: we're not doing it. And nothing you say will change my mind."