Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 123

Edmond Sterling stood behind the one-way glass, his gaze locked onto the slender figure in the audience seating, his knuckles turning white as his grip tightened instinctively.

It had been days.

Ever since that incident in the Star Entertainment parking garage, he hadn't been able to get anywhere near her.

It wasn't for lack of trying.

It was simply impossible.

Security around Star Tower had suddenly tightened into an impenetrable fortress. He couldn't even get within a block of the building, much less see her in person.

He had tried every trick he could think of, but every single time, someone would step out at the exact right moment, in the exact right place, blocking his path flawlessly.

It was as if an invisible hand was pulling the strings in the shadows, systematically severing every single route he had to Nora, doing it cleanly and leaving zero trace.

Edmond was no fool.

He knew that in all of San Francisco, the only man with that kind of power and precision was Hudson Lancaster.

But why was Hudson protecting her?

Wasn't he supposed to marry Jade Reed?

In terms of relations, Hudson was, at best, Nora's future brother-in-law.

He shouldn't be going to these lengths for her.

But if it wasn't him, who else could it be?

Was there another man in Nora's life?

These questions had been eating away at him for days, each one fueling his growing paranoia.

"Mr. Sterling?"

Lucas Bennett's cautious voice sounded from behind.

Edmond snapped out of his trance and turned around.

Lucas stood in the doorway, a sycophantic smile plastered on his face. "Um, the Ms. Reed you wanted to see has arrived. She's just downstairs. How would you like to handle this..."

"Bring her up," Edmond cut him off.

"Lucas." Nora offered a polite nod. "Can I help you?"

"Well..." Lucas rubbed his hands together. "There's a sponsor up on the second floor who'd love to meet with you. They want to discuss a potential commercial endorsement for Leo..."

Nora furrowed her brow. "A sponsor?"

Lucas gave a vague wave. "I don't have all the specific details, I'm just passing on the message. Why don't you head up and see what they have to say? It's just up in the viewing suite on the second floor. Super close."

Nora instinctively glanced up toward the second floor, a prickle of suspicion creeping in.

Logically, if they were interested in Leo's commercial value, they could have just gone through Star Entertainment's official channels. Why insist on pulling her away in the middle of a set?

"Lucas, I'm really sorry, but I'm still swamped with Leo's schedule right now. If it's about an endorsement, please let the sponsor know they can just reach out to my agency directly..."

Lucas hadn't expected such a flat-out refusal. He froze for a second before scrambling to smooth things over. "Ms. Reed, it's just a quick meet-and-greet! A few minutes tops. The sponsor is just trying to be friendly, it really wouldn't hurt to..."

"Lucas," Nora interrupted with a polite smile. "I'll let you get back to work. I need to go check on Leo."

With that, she stood up, gathered her things, and prepared to walk away.

Lucas instinctively stepped into her path, his anxiety skyrocketing as he watched her about to walk out of the studio without a second glance.