I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 179

The moment Nora stepped into the main exhibition hall, she spotted Seraphina.

Seraphina was clinging to Finnegan's arm near a cluster of project boards. Finnegan's injured back was clearly still bothering him—his posture was noticeably stiff—yet he had still dragged himself out to accompany her.

He must have been worried about Seraphina feeling out of place at such an elite event, playing the devoted protector despite his own agonizing pain. How touching.

Nora let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh, tore her eyes away, and kept walking without missing a beat.

Seraphina had spotted her, too. Turning to Finnegan, she murmured, "Finn, isn't that Nora?"

Finnegan followed her line of sight and instantly locked onto Nora's silhouette in the crowd.

She was wearing an elegant cream-colored dress, her head tilted slightly as she conversed with the tall boy trailing behind her.

Finnegan frowned. "It's her. What is she doing here?"

"Maybe she's here to meet her blind date," Seraphina offered breezily, secretly thrilled.

Once Finnegan saw Nora moving on, all of his lingering attachments would finally be crushed.

Finnegan's eyes darkened, his voice dropping a dangerous octave. "Meeting a blind date at a high-level summit like this? Watch your mouth, Seraphina."

Taking the hint, Seraphina snapped her mouth shut. He was right. There was no way Nora's pathetic setup could score an invite to an exclusive event reserved only for the upper echelon.

Still, thinking about the trap she and Sienna had laid filled her with a giddy sense of victory. One way or another, she would soon be rid of this nuisance.

Across the hall, Julian followed Nora closely as they wove through the exhibition zones.

Staring down at her, Felix's expression suddenly turned intensely serious. His voice dropped to a low, magnetic whisper right by her ear. "It means the guy looking after her failed."

Nora froze.

For a split second, she thought she saw something dangerously raw lurking in his eyes, but she ruthlessly squashed the thought before it could take root.

She couldn't take it seriously, and she wouldn't. She forced a quick, polite smile, instantly looking away to shift the focus. "It looks like Julian is done wrapping up over there."

Felix's expression darkened slightly, his heart sinking with the realization that he had just been silently rejected. Knowing better than to push, he masked the sting with a smile and followed her over.

Julian jogged back from the booth, still practically vibrating with the hyper-focused energy from his academic debate.