Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 443

Hudson's brow furrowed slightly. He could tell 'Arthur' was acting completely out of character today, lacking his usual sharp composure. But his mind was occupied with what Professor Campbell had said on the phone, so he brushed it off as morning grogginess.

"Hurry up, wash up and get dressed. We're heading to the Research Institute."

"...Yes, Boss!"

Archer nodded furiously, his voice still thick with sleep, but his brain was now running in overdrive.

The second the door clicked shut, he slumped against the wood, gasping for air as his heart hammered wildly against his ribs.

Wait. Did the Boss... not recognize him?

It made sense. He and Arthur were practically identical twins. As long as he kept his mouth shut, even the people closest to them had trouble telling them apart.

But that wasn't the real problem! This was Hudson Lancaster! The man had predatory instincts and missed absolutely nothing. This cheap charade wouldn't last five minutes in front of him!

What do I do? What the hell do I do?

Archer took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He scrambled toward the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. Ignoring the unread notifications on the glowing screen, he dialed his brother's number.

Arthur answered on the second ring.

"Artie! Save me! The Boss just cornered me in your room!"

"What happened?"

"I don't know what happened! He came knocking at the crack of dawn. Thank God I barely said a word, or he would've realized it was me immediately!"

On the other end of the line, Arthur rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh. "Don't panic."

"How can I not panic?! What if he finds out?!"

Whatever. His brother had told him not to speak, so he wouldn't speak. If he got caught... the worst Hudson could do was beat the living daylights out of him. And it wasn't like he hadn't taken a beating before.

Slightly comforted by that logic, Archer felt a bit better. He quickly changed into a serious dark suit, ran his fingers through his hair, grabbed the room card and his phone, and stepped out into the hall.

Hudson was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone. Hearing the door open, he glanced up, his gaze locking onto Archer for a split second.

Archer's heart skipped a beat, but he fought to maintain a blank expression. Stepping half a pace behind Hudson, he lowered his gaze and deepened his voice. "Boss, we can go."

Hudson pocketed his phone and headed toward the elevator. "Yeah."

Archer followed precisely three steps behind him, keeping his back rigid, his strides even, and his breathing controlled.

On the outside, he was as steady as a rock. On the inside, he was screaming.