I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 125

After work, Nora packed up her things and walked out of the institute. The moment she stepped through the front doors, she saw Finnegan and Seraphina standing side by side next to a car. Without breaking her stride, she prepared to walk right past them.

Finnegan took a step forward, deliberately blocking her path, his tone laced with a forced, brotherly concern. "Nora, don't forget about the family dinner tonight. I came to pick up Seraphina. We can give you a ride."

The instant the words left his mouth, Seraphina's smile stiffened.

But she didn't voice any objections, knowing it would make her look petty. She quickly swallowed her discomfort and chimed in with feigned generosity, "He's right, Nora. Let's head back together."

Nora turned to face them, her expression entirely blank save for a polite, distant smile. "No thanks. I don't like squeezing into cars with other people."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Finnegan's gaze turned icy, but he didn't go after her or press the issue. He pulled his eyes away and looked at the woman beside him. "Seraphina, let's go."

Seraphina offered a sweet smile. "Alright." Before getting into the car, she threw one last, unnecessary glance in the direction Nora had disappeared.

Nora drove her car toward The Fletcher Manor. Halfway there, the flow of traffic suddenly crawled to a halt before coming to a complete standstill.

She frowned, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stepped out to see what was happening. A black luxury SUV was stalled sideways in the middle of the road. It had clearly broken down.

She walked a few steps closer and recognized the license plate. It was Xander Harrison's car. Nora paused in surprise; it really was a small world to run into him here of all places.

The back window slowly rolled down, revealing Xander's deep, freezing eyes.

His gaze was like a venomous snake, fixed on her with a piercing scrutiny, as if trying to rip through her flesh and see exactly what she was hiding.

Nora offered a helpless smile and threw her hands up. "I really just want to give you a ride to the airport. You've helped me a lot lately, and that's all there is to it."

Xander glanced down at the watch on his wrist. Time was running out. If they delayed any longer, he would miss the flight and the Southampton meeting would be completely ruined. He had no choice but to gamble on whether this woman had deliberately orchestrated this encounter or not.

His cold voice finally released a few clipped words. "Then I'd appreciate it."