Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 83

"I'm fine," Nora managed to say, her voice tight and breathless. "It's just really hot in here."

"Is it?" Leo stood up. "I'll turn the AC down."

As Leo moved toward the wall panel, his vantage point shifted. The table no longer concealed the lower half of their bodies. Panic surged through Nora, and she thrashed her leg with desperate strength, shooting Hudson a glare filled with pure venom.

Finally, the vise-like grip of Hudson's legs released her.

Nora shot up from her chair as if it had caught fire, ready to bolt for the door. But before she could make her escape, Hudson stood up as well, adjusting his cuffs with infuriating calm.

"I'll leave you two to your work," Hudson said smoothly. "I'll be going."

"Take care, Mr. Lancaster!" Leo practically shoved him toward the door, eager to be rid of the intimidating presence.

As Hudson walked past Nora, he paused. He turned his head slightly, his gaze dropping to the furious red flush of her ears, and a wicked, satisfied smirk crossed his lips before he strode out into the hallway.

Nora collapsed back into her chair, her clothes clinging to her damp skin. She ground her teeth together, a silent curse echoing in her mind.

Absolute bastard.

Leo returned a moment later, eyeing her flushed face with amusement. "What were you so nervous about? Mr. Lancaster looks terrifying, but he's actually a decent guy once you know him."

Nora scoffed internally. A decent guy? What kind of decent guy practically ravages someone under a conference table?

"Anyway, what did you need to talk about?" Leo asked, dropping into the chair opposite hers with a relaxed sigh.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Nora remembered the crisis at hand. She handed him her phone, pulling up the screenshots of the vicious rumors circulating through the company group chats.

When she returned to the management department, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. The moment she sat down, the woman at the opposite desk—Leona Zale, a known crony of Serena Sinclair—shot her a vile look.

Leona covered her mouth, whispering venomously to the colleague beside her. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh, aiming a glare of pure disgust right at Nora.

The malicious energy in the room was palpable, rolling over Nora in suffocating waves. This was the true destructive power of a smear campaign. It didn't require facts or proof; it only took a few vicious words to drag a woman's reputation through the mud.

Nora simply lowered her eyes and opened the file folder on her desk. She didn't flinch. She didn't cower.

She had survived far worse psychological warfare since she was ten years old. She had navigated a childhood drowned in absolute hatred—this petty office drama was nothing to her.

Seeing that her bullying wasn't getting a reaction, Leona scoffed in disappointment and turned back to her computer. The rest of the office, realizing the show was over, grudgingly returned to their tasks. The room settled into a heavy, awkward silence.

Nora pulled up Leo's schedule, circling the dates for the 'The Next Icon' recordings. It was a massive undertaking—coordinating the live band, stage design, and lighting cues. She picked up her pen, ready to draft the logistics, when the distinct sensation of being watched made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.