Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 542

Oh, my god!

In the span of clearing the room, Dominic had just earned more than his restaurant made in an entire year!

He had hit the jackpot!

...

Nora stood completely still, the dull ache from where the gun had pressed into her side slowly fading. Her racing heart finally began to settle.

A second later, Hudson stepped in front of her, his tall, broad frame shielding her completely from the horror.

Staring at his steady back, the last traces of her panic evaporated, leaving her feeling utterly safe.

Hudson approached Arnold, who was writhing on the floor, and crouched down with maddening slowness.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You think you have the right to make me call you anything?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his foot lashed out, the heavy toe of his shoe smashing brutally into Arnold's knee.

Crack!

The joint bent backward at a grotesque angle!

Arnold convulsed in agony, a mix of sweat, tears, and snot coating his face. Muffled, pathetic whimpers tore from his throat as he struggled to breathe.

Hudson grabbed a fistful of the man's greasy hair, jerking his head back.

Then, he raised his foot and brought his heel down squarely onto Arnold's ankle.

Another horrific snap filled the air as the bone shattered into pieces!

Arnold couldn't even scream. A raspy, broken wheeze escaped his mouth like a punctured bellows.

Hudson released his hair.

Arnold collapsed completely, lying motionless on the floor like a pile of rotting meat. Only the shallow rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

Arthur stepped forward, grabbing Arnold by the collar, and began dragging him toward the back exit like a bag of garbage.

Silence fell over the restaurant.

Penelope sat paralyzed on the floor, trembling violently.

She had clung to the delusion that even if Arnold got caught, she could talk her way out of it. She hadn't pulled a gun; she had only set up a meeting. A fine, maybe a slap on the wrist, and she'd be fine.

But watching Hudson break Arnold apart with such merciless precision shattered every illusion of safety.

She couldn't even muster the strength to run. Her legs felt like lead as she stared up at Hudson in sheer terror.

Hudson turned slowly, his dark, predatory gaze landing on her.

But looking at her now, Nora felt absolutely nothing.

"You're not my mother."

Penelope's sobbing hitched. "Nora, what... what are you talking about? I gave birth to you. I carried you for nine months..."

"No. You lost that right a long time ago."

The wailing stopped entirely. Penelope stared at Nora with wide, panicked eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Having completely lost interest, Nora turned and walked toward Hudson.

As she moved away, Penelope's gaze met a pair of eyes filled with utter devastation.

Xavier stood a few feet away, his expression shattered.

"Xavi... Xavi, please, help me! Tell them I just wanted to apologize! You know that, right? Beg them for me!"

"Mom... you lied to me?"

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed his mother was capable of something so depraved!

What kind of hatred did she harbor for Nora?

Was she truly capable of doing this to her own flesh and blood?