Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 89

The atmosphere in the lounge was just returning to normal when a sharp, frantic knock echoed from the door.

Sebastian was in the middle of clinking glasses with Grant. He frowned, irritated by the interruption. "Come in."

A man in a sharp black suit practically shoved the door open. He was sweating profusely, his eyes wide with barely contained panic. He bypassed everyone else and went straight to Sebastian, leaning down to whisper frantically in his ear.

Sebastian's relaxed smirk vanished instantly. The glass in his hand froze in mid-air.

Grant leaned forward, sensing the shift in the room. "What's going on? Someone die?" he joked darkly.

Sebastian ignored him, turning a deadly serious gaze onto Hudson. "Hudson. We need to handle something downstairs. Now."

Hudson's sharp eyes scanned Sebastian's tense face. He didn't ask questions. He turned to Nora, his expression softening instantly. "I have to step out for a minute. I'll have Arthur take you to the private suite next door. I'll be right back for dinner."

"Okay," Nora agreed.

Hudson reached out, his large hand gently stroking her hair. "Be good."

Nora batted his hand away, glaring at him for treating her like a pet.

Hudson smirked, then looked up, his eyes locking onto his bodyguard. "Keep her safe, Arthur."

"With my life, Mr. Lancaster."

Once Hudson, Sebastian, and Grant swept out of the room, Arthur escorted Nora to the luxurious private suite next door.

Left alone with nothing to do, Nora pulled out her phone to scroll through social media, only to wince at the glaring red battery icon.

Ten percent.

She dug through her designer handbag but came up empty.

"Arthur?"

Nora recoiled, her heart hammering against her ribs. She tried to step back, but the girl's grip was like a vise.

"They want to force me into a room with those men!" the girl sobbed hysterically, fresh tears cutting paths through the dirt on her face. "I won't do it! Please, I'm begging you, help me!"

Forced into a room?

Nora's stomach twisted. She knew these elite, secretive clubs often operated in the shadows, but she never imagined they would actively run a violent trafficking ring. The girl looked so young, practically trembling out of her skin in sheer terror.

But this was Sebastian's club. Hudson's closest friend.

Seeing Nora hesitate, the girl squeezed her eyes shut, her sobs echoing through the quiet room. "If they find me, they're going to kill me! Please..."

Meanwhile, three floors down, the elevator doors slid open to the basement.

Grant matched Sebastian's rapid pace. "Alright, what the hell is so urgent that we had to leave the VIP room?"