Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 178

"I asked where you are."

"I'm out, meeting with a client."

There was a two-second silence on the other end before Arthur Sterling's voice grew even heavier.

"Your brother brought your mother and me, along with Juliette, to San Francisco. Come over immediately."

Edmond hung up the phone and closed his eyes.

He wasn't the only son in the Sterling family.

He had a younger brother, Alastair.

Ever since the Starlight incident, his father had suddenly started letting Alastair take over core projects within the Sterling Group.

The implication was crystal clear.

Edmond opened his eyes and looked down at his bloodstained hands.

The wound on the back of his hand was still bleeding, the blood sliding down his fingers and dripping onto the ground, blooming into small, dark red spots.

He slowly clenched his hand into a fist.

The movement squeezed the wound, sending a sharp, piercing pain through his hand, but he didn't even wince.

Compared to Hudson, who held absolute power over the Lancaster empire, he was far too weak.

He had to find a way to snatch Nora back from Hudson.

But before he could do that, he had to secure his position as the heir to the Sterling family.

"Edmond, where are we heading?"

"To the hotel. My parents are here."

Edmond leaned back in his seat, his Adam's apple bobbing. "We'll deal with things there before going to find her."

...

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Cloudwater Estate.

Nora was crouching on the steps, with Bane lying at her feet, his tail wagging lazily.

She was wearing a loose white t-shirt, her hair tied casually back, revealing a smooth forehead and a slender, pale neck dotted with faint, intimate marks.

Hearing the sound of an approaching car, she looked up. Her eyes lit up, and she stood up to welcome him.

Bane was faster than her, running circles around the newly parked car, his tail wagging like a helicopter blade.

He suddenly turned his hand, catching her wrist, plucking the swab from her grip, and tossing it onto the coffee table.

"What are you doing? I'm not done yet..."

"I don't need medicine..."

Hudson cut her off, his voice husky. "Nora, blow on it for me. Blow on it, and it won't hurt anymore."

Nora froze for a second. The tips of her ears turned visibly red, the flush spreading all the way down her neck.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice dropping even lower. "Come on, blow on it..."

Her face flushed even deeper. She glared at him and opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly paused.

Wait...

Did he just call her 'Nora'?

She had never told him her real name.

How did he know?

"What... what did you just call me?"