The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 227

Gideon set down his white porcelain teacup, his dark pupils locking onto Nora's pale cheeks.

He sharply sensed the jagged defensiveness and exhaustion rolling off her, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Why do you look so pale?"

Gideon's voice was deep, laced with a hint of probing. "Did you go to the studio?"

"I went to see a client."

Nora brushed him off casually, her eyes dropping to the wood grain on the coffee table, refusing to engage in any unnecessary eye contact with him.

Noticing the awkward chill in the air, her dad hurriedly rubbed his hands together and tried to smooth things over with a smile. "Gideon, Nora's been swamped with work lately, please be understanding. Oh, by the way, about the Southside development project we were just talking about, do you think Xavier Enterprises could..."

Gideon pulled his gaze away from Nora and turned to her dad, his expression reverting to its usual coldness. "Dad, the Hayes Group has already handed the Southside project over to a professional assessment team. As long as the qualifications of Xavier Enterprises meet the standard, the Hayes Group will naturally greenlight the process."

Her dad's smile stiffened for a second before he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from the staircase on the second floor.

Nathan came bounding down the stairs in designer casual wear, carefully cradling an exquisitely wrapped velvet box in his hands.

"Mom, where did I leave my car keys?"

Nathan yelled out as he descended. His eyes swept across the living room, and his footsteps came to a jarring halt.

He saw Nora sitting on the sofa, and then he saw Gideon sitting in the seat of honor.

Nathan's face instantly darkened, his previously casual posture morphing into blatant hostility. He strode over to the coffee table, clutching the velvet box protectively to his chest, and shot Nora a cold glare.

"What are you doing back here?"

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