Chapter 63
Nightfall Clubhouse.
Nora was finishing her shift handover, getting ready to leave work.
Walter sent her a WhatsApp message, telling her to wait at the club.
"Nori, Mr. Wood will be entertaining guests here later. Could you put in a good word for us?" The manager walked over with a smile.
Nora had social anxiety and would instinctively hide when she saw people.
The manager didn't mind and pulled Nora over enthusiastically.
"Who's Nora?" Outside the door, several bodyguards in black escorted a woman inside.
The woman wore sunglasses and high heels, a tight leather mini skirt, with a Chanel tweed jacket on top. She looked particularly stunning despite the cold weather.
When the woman took off her sunglasses and the bodyguards cleared the area, the manager finally recognized who she was.
Bronte!
The manager's heart sank with a bad feeling.
"Are you Nora?" Bronte walked up to Yasmin and asked.
Yasmin shook her head frantically in fear.
Bronte looked over everyone and finally asked the manager, "Bring Nora out."
Clearly, she didn't think the current Nora was Walter's type.
Nora stood in the corner, her head almost buried in the dust. She habitually hunched her shoulders, not daring to stand up straight.
Because of all those years in prison, she'd been beaten so much that she learned to hunch her shoulders to protect herself better.
The manager nervously glanced at Nora. They couldn't figure out the situation yet—they didn't know if Walter and Bronte had broken up or not.
Walter's interest in Nora might just be temporary, but Bronte had been with Walter for three years.
When it came to feelings, Bronte and Walter definitely had a deeper connection.
"Are you deaf? Who is Nora?" Bronte asked unhappily.
The manager weighed the pros and cons, then pointed to Nora in the corner. "She is. What do you want with her?"
Bronte looked at Nora in surprise, walked over and grabbed Nora's chin to examine her carefully. "You're Nora?"
Her face showed shock and disbelief. "Is Mr. Wood blind?"
Nora said nothing, took a step back, and kept her head down.
Bronte gritted her teeth. She'd come here ready to hit someone, but seeing Nora like this—she hadn't even touched her yet and the other person already looked wronged. What a master at playing weak!
"Wait, are you sure she's Nora? The one Walter personally delivered breakfast to?" Bronte asked suspiciously again.
The manager quickly nodded.
Bronte was shocked and looked Nora up and down again. "Did you sleep with Walter? He doesn't like your type."
Nora remained silent, head down, as if trying to bury herself.
"I thought she'd be some stunning beauty, but turns out after eating too many delicacies, he's developed a taste for plain cabbage?" Bronte muttered to herself. She'd come to see what she'd lost to, but seeing Nora like this, she was clearly disappointed.
"You think you can compete with me for a man?" Bronte gave Nora a push.
Nora backed away in fear, lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Bronte was shocked. What a pro.
She hadn't even really touched her!
Why wasn't this acting talent in show business?
Bronte's bodyguard walked over and grabbed Nora.
"Don't touch me." Nora reacted reflexively, losing control as she curled up, hugged her head and hid behind a low cabinet.
Bronte was startled by Nora's reaction.
The bodyguard also frowned and stepped back.
Bronte looked at Nora carefully, then at the manager. "What's wrong with her?"
The manager quickly tried to smooth things over. "Nora is just timid."
"Nori!"
Getting Yasmin's distress message, Savannah rushed down from upstairs and stood in front of Nora. "Bronte, don't make things difficult for her. She has stress-induced psychological trauma, severe depression. If you do anything to her and something happens, Mr. Wood won't let you off."
Savannah felt uncertain inside, but right now she could only use Walter's name.
Bronte looked at Nora in surprise. "Walter's into this type lately?"
Savannah protected Nora and spoke again. "Mr. Wood hates trouble. Don't mess with his people. You know the rules."
Bronte scoffed. "I just wanted to see who's competing with me for my man."
Turns out it's a mental patient.
Nora's face was deathly pale. What she feared wasn't Bronte, but Bronte's bodyguards.
Back then, Pearl had cornered her in an alley with bodyguards. If Jasper hadn't arrived in time, she would have been...
Since then, whenever more than two men got close to her, Nora would have an episode—trouble breathing, shaking all over, unable to say a word.
"Nori, it's okay." Savannah knew about Nora's condition and crouched outside the cabinet to comfort her softly. "It's okay now. Can you come out?"
Savannah had spent two and a half years in prison. During those two and a half years, Nora had attempted suicide countless times. Finally, the guards, afraid something would happen, sent her for over ten MECT treatments. Each time she came back from treatment, Nora was like a corpse—no soul, empty eyes, sometimes not even recognizing her.
At the time, Savannah didn't understand what MECT treatment was.
After getting out of prison, Savannah looked up this treatment method and cried for a long time with her hand over her mouth.
It was electroshock therapy. Simply put, it was shocking a person until they were numb, making the body endure electrical stimulation to temporarily forget some pain and weaken the patient's suicidal tendencies.
But after too many treatments, whether the painful memories disappeared or not was unclear. Nora became more and more numb. She became silent, lost her ability to speak, and in severe cases couldn't even take care of basic needs.
Her memory got worse, she forgot things easily, and was often bullied by other inmates.
Even the guards bullied her.
In short, it was Nora's hell.
A hell created by the people who once loved her and whom she loved.
"Stop pretending. I didn't even touch you." Bronte thought Nora was being dramatic. "With acting skills this good, you're wasted not being an actress. Does Walter really fall for this act? Playing weak?"
Her bodyguard had only touched her once. Was this necessary?
"Ms. Langley, don't judge others so casually. If you knew what she's been through, you wouldn't say that about her." Savannah's eyes reddened as she turned to look at Nora. "Nori, come out. She won't hurt you."
Bronte opened her mouth but said nothing.
Nora curled up in the corner. Only corners gave her a sense of security.
Probably because in prison, she'd gotten used to hiding under tables.
"Have your bodyguards leave. Don't crowd around here." Savannah told Bronte to take the bodyguards away.
Bronte had come with so many people looking for a fight. Never mind Nora—even she would be scared.
Bronte scoffed, put on her sunglasses and left, looking bored.
"Look into that Nora for me. Find out what's wrong with her."
The bodyguard was also curious. That Nora's fear didn't seem fake.
Shortly after Bronte and the bodyguards left, Michael and David entered the club.
"Mr. Smith?" The manager hurried over. "Are you here for Mr. Wood's appointment? This way, please."
Michael frowned and walked toward Savannah.
Savannah instinctively protected Nora. "Mr. Smith, Nori got a bit of a scare."
Michael seemed used to Nora hiding in corners when she was scared.
That day at the Smith Villa, she'd also hidden in the corner behind the curtains.
"How long do you plan to keep hiding?" Michael crouched in front of Nora and asked.
Nora bit her finger, glanced up at Michael, then lowered her head again.
Michael reached out his hand to Nora. "Come out. I'm here. No one will dare touch you."
Nora stared blankly at Michael, her eyes burning with heat.