I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 293

Xander nodded. "Unless there's some wild coincidence, yes. So keep your guard up around her. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Finnegan pulled some strings to insert her into your team."

Nora's heart sank. She never imagined Finnegan would go to such lengths for Seraphina, allowing someone with a fraudulent background into the core team of a state-level project.

But then again, he had managed to fake a five-year marriage flawlessly. This was probably child's play to him.

She closed the file and nodded. "I understand."

Looking up at Xander, she blurted out without thinking, "Have you eaten yet? I made dinner. Would you like to join me?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze. It had slipped out far too naturally, as if they were intimately familiar.

She laughed awkwardly, quickly trying to smooth it over. "I'm sorry, that was too forward of me."

Xander offered a rare, genuine smile, the usual predatory guard in his eyes softening. "I'd love to."

Nora turned and headed into the kitchen. She had a beef and vegetable stew simmering on the stove. She had planned to save it for herself for the next day, but now she ladled it into bowls.

The two of them sat across from each other. The warm, golden light illuminated the steaming food between them.

Xander took a bite of the stew. "It's been a long time since I've had a home-cooked meal."

Nora looked at him. "What do you usually eat, then?"

Xander set down his fork, seemingly thinking it over. "A rotation of the corporate cafeteria and takeout."

Nora stared in disbelief. "It's a miracle your stomach can handle that."

Xander glanced up at her. "It survives."

Nora smiled and let the silence settle.

Nora leaned in and waved at the screen. Bonnie's eyes instantly lit up. The two of them chatted happily for a few minutes. Bonnie stubbornly refused to hang up until Xander finally took the phone back, reminding her it was past her bedtime. Only then did she reluctantly mumble a goodnight.

After the call ended, a brief, comfortable silence filled the kitchen. Then, Xander spoke up. "It's getting late. I should head out."

Nora walked him to the door. As he swapped his shoes, he looked up. "Dinner was amazing. Thank you."

Standing in the doorway, Nora watched his retreating back. "You can bring Bonnie next time."

Xander nodded and walked away.

After the door clicked shut, Nora stood in the entryway for a moment. She looked down at the guest slippers resting by the rack, then bent down and carefully tucked them away in the cabinet.

The next morning, the very first thing Nora did upon arriving at the Institute was pull up every piece of experimental data, sample log, and equipment request form that Seraphina had touched.