Chapter 57
Walter raised his eyebrows. A woman? Michael was making such a big fuss and coming to Silverlight City early just to find a woman?
"Make the arrangements. We can't neglect Michael. I'll handle it personally tomorrow night." Walter had his assistant check his schedule. "Push back all my appointments for the next few days. Michael's coming to Silverlight City, I need to receive him properly."
The assistant understood Michael's importance, but from Walter's demeanor, it seemed like he was just using Michael as an excuse.
Because Walter's eyes had been on Nora the whole time.
"Look into the Smith family and the Adams family, find out why she came to Silverlight City." Walter knew Nora had been released from prison and had been looking for a chance to go to Emerald City. He never expected Nora would come to him on her own.
Leaning back on the sofa, Walter's gaze was meaningful. This time, it was Nora who came to him first.
So she couldn't blame him for not letting go.
"Isn't she the club's receptionist?" The assistant was shocked. How was she connected to the Smith family and the Adams family in Emerald City?
Walter paused, looking up at his assistant Royce Castillo. "Royce, how long have you been with me?"
Royce looked nervous. "Six years."
"You didn't recognize her?" Walter felt a strange tightness in his chest.
Nora had really changed a lot.
Even Royce couldn't recognize her.
Royce was also stunned for a long time, raising his hand to his mouth in shock. "That's such a huge change."
Nora, the Adams family's daughter.
In Royce's first year on the job, he learned that Walter had his eye on a wealthy young lady—cool and noble.
She was the woman Walter wanted but couldn't have.
In just six years, Nora had become what she was now.
"Mr. Wood, does she know that back then you..." The assistant hesitated.
Walter gave Royce a warning look. "Watch your mouth."
Royce lowered his head. "Mr. Wood, my mistake."
After recognizing Nora, Royce's gaze became tense, looking at Nora several more times.
Six years ago, he still remembered the first time he saw Nora. That year he had just graduated and was interning, following Walter to Emerald City, watching Nora perform a ballet solo on stage at the opera house.
She was truly beautiful on that stage.
Royce knew that Nora was a radiant, noble swan who should have remained pure and white, suspended in the sky.
But later, she fell into the mud, and no one reached out to help her. All the men who couldn't have her wanted to trample her underfoot, watch her beg humbly, waiting for her to kneel and plead.
Without a doubt, Walter had won. At least six years later, Nora had shed all her pride and appeared humbly by his side.
The current Nora no longer resembled her former self.
"Mr. Wood, what do you think of this outfit?" The image consultant brought Nora over for Walter to see.
Walter looked at Nora, silent for a long time before speaking. "Long hair looked better."
Nora instinctively raised her hand to touch her hair, lowering her head anxiously.
Back then, her long hair had been her pride—smooth and straight even without styling. But later, her hair, along with her pride, was mercilessly cut off.
"Go pay." Walter told Royce to pay.
Nora nervously followed Royce. She at least needed to know how much it cost.
Seeing Nora's eyes full of panic, Royce spoke softly. "Short hair looks good too."
Nora paused, waving her hand. "Can I just take one piece? It's too expensive."
Royce still remembered his first conversation with Nora. She had said, "You assistants must be so tired, having to help your boss chase girls too."
Back then, Nora's smile was so bright, like an angel, making hearts race.
She handed Royce a bottle of water and took the white roses from his hands. "If I don't accept the flowers, your boss will give you a hard time, right?"
In Royce's memory, Nora was a princess—beautiful, kind-hearted, and from a good family. She was a goddess who should have always stayed above it all.
But when a god's radiance is trampled in the mud, it's truly heartbreaking.
"Are you sure you want to stay with Mr. Wood?" When no one was around, Royce asked kindly.
Perhaps it was his conscience bothering him.
Royce also knew that Walter liked Nora, but his kind of liking...
Over the years, Walter had been with countless women. Every woman he found was a ballet dancer, and his type always bore traces of how Nora used to be.
No matter how many women he went through, they all had Nora's shadow.
Nora thought for a moment and smiled bitterly. "I have no choice."
If there was a second option, she wouldn't debase herself like this.
But she was already so lowly, where would she find another choice?
Being with Walter was better than being thrown to those evil men by James.
Royce lowered his eyes, feeling it was such a shame. "Don't worry about the clothes. Mr. Wood has always been generous with women, and he'll definitely be more generous with you. As long as you stay by Mr. Wood's side, you'll be safe. As long as he's willing to keep you, you won't have to worry about anything else."
In Royce's view, what he once considered his first love had ultimately been tainted by worldly concerns.
He didn't think the current Nora was bad, he just felt for how the world worked.
Nora lowered her head and said nothing more.
"Where are you staying?"
On the way back, Walter asked.
Nora was staring out the car window in a daze and didn't react right away.
Coming to a strange city, she hadn't rested properly in days.
Walter signaled Royce to drive around the city, letting Nora see more of the outside world.
"It's developed so fast." Nora looked at Silverlight City's bright lights in surprise.
She had come to Silverlight City when she was a teenager. Back then, Silverlight City was still quite underdeveloped.
She remembered Aiden saying that only Emerald City was a real big city, and Silverlight City was just the countryside.
Nora had argued back, believing that every city had its unique cultural charm and character.
Now that it had developed, it had lost some of that former beauty.
"The high-end malls, hotels, entertainment venues here are all Mr. Wood's properties." The assistant smiled as he introduced them.
Nora pressed against the window, just watching outside.
It had just snowed these past few days. There was still snow on the trees, but the roads were clean.
After five years in prison, what Nora longed for most was freedom.
Nora kept looking at the outside world, but Walter's gaze stayed on Nora. "Go to Clear Water Park."
Royce paused, then drove to Clear Water Park.
Nora got out of the car and looked at the snowy scenery in the park, a rare smile appearing on her face—one she hadn't shown in a long time.
She liked snow because it was clean and pure white.
"Aren't you cold?" Seeing Nora reach out to catch snow, Walter frowned.
"It's warm." Nora rarely smiled at Walter like this.
Walter froze in place. He never knew she was someone so easily satisfied.
Six years ago, to make Nora smile, he didn't hesitate to spend a fortune at an auction on jewelry, just to make her happy.
But back then, Nora had always been cold, following behind James, unwilling to even look at anyone else.
But now, just bringing her to see the snow could make her this happy?
Perhaps he never knew what Nora really wanted.
And no one knew what she wanted.
"There's no snow in Emerald City. Did you ever have snowball fights as a child?" Walter draped his coat over Nora, crouched beside her, and reached out to pack a snowball.
Then he tossed the snowball at Nora.
Nora paused, holding the snowball and looking at it for a long time before laughing.
But that laugh carried some bitterness.
Walter stood up looking at Nora, his expression not very good. "Let's go, time to head back."
He regretted it.
Three years ago, he had gone to the prison to visit Nora, but Nora had refused to see him.