Chapter 185 Nora Is Being Followed
Nora held Steven close and shook her head firmly. "I am myself, and my family is my family. If I have the means, I'll treat them well. If I don't, I'll just live my own life well. Nobody has to sacrifice everything for their family, marrying into a wealthy family so their relatives can live better—that’s not right. If the marriage isn't happy, should I grit my teeth and endure it for the rest of my life? That would only make me more miserable, and it wouldn't really make my family happy either."
Steven was momentarily speechless, unable to argue with her.
Nora continued, "Besides, the show said Doyle's second wife's death was suspicious, and her child was sent abroad. Maybe someone deliberately caused trouble there."
"His first wife, even though they're divorced, still keeps in touch with Doyle. Now there's a third wife, each one has their own children, all living together under one roof. Don't you think that's just like those wealthy families in TV dramas? The relationships are way too complicated."
Steven remained silent. The York family was indeed very complicated.
Nora went on, "Think about it−if I were Serena, finally married into a wealthy family but not smart enough, I might end up in trouble like her. My child would have to be sent abroad, without a mother or father around. How sad would that life be?"
"So do you understand now? Marrying into a wealthy family isn't all benefits−there are lots of risks too. Even if I had a child, I wouldn't want to be separated from them. The way things are now, we have enough money, the kids can go to school properly, the whole family is safe and sound, no need to scheme against each other for money and inheritance, and no need to worry about people trying to harm us. Isn't this ordinary life better?"
Steven looked at her, a complex mix of emotions churning in his chest, at a loss for words.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, as if trying to merge her completely into himself.
Nora said quietly, "Let me tell you, my dad has three brothers. My uncle's family is doing okay, but he had another woman on the side before. A while back, he fell at home, then had a stroke, and nobody wanted to take care of him."
"His wife's children felt he betrayed the family and wouldn't visit him at the hospital. The mistress's children felt they had no legitimate status and wouldn't look after him either. In the end, he was alone in the hospital with only a caregiver, nobody by his side. So men shouldn't think they can mess around with relationships—in the end, they're the ones who suffer."
Steven raised an eyebrow. "Are you warning me not to do anything to wrong you?"
Nora smiled. "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about Doyle. When he was young, he probably thought he was pretty great, but with several children from different mothers, their feelings definitely aren't deep. When he gets old and his health fails, the York family will definitely have lots of fighting. By then, everyone will only care about the inheritance; nobody will really care about him."
Though Nora usually didn't like competing for things, she saw human nature very clearly.
Steven rested his chin on top of her head, his eyes somewhat complicated.
He had originally wanted to reveal his true identity, but hearing her say this, he felt there was no need.
She didn't like that kind of family and didn't want to live that complicated life.
Steven gently kissed her hair. "Let's sleep."
"Okay." Nora held Steven and slowly fell asleep.
After a while, Steven released her and turned to face away, as if returning to that initial state of being guarded against everyone.
Nora blinked in the darkness, feeling Steven seemed a bit down, but couldn't quite figure out why.
She quietly reached out and hugged him from behind, pressing her face against his back.
The warmth transmitted through his clothes made Steven's eyes open slightly, his gaze somewhat dim. "Sleep."
"Okay," Nora responded softly and gradually drifted off.
The next day.
Olivia asked Nora to go look at the offices together, preparing to start their business.
They were in the chip business, so they wanted to rent an office at Skyline Trade Center.
Steven drove them to Skyline Trade Center, carefully instructing them along the way, "When choosing an office, make sure it has good natural light. Don't get one with carpet−it's a pain to clean. And don't get those rough tiles either, they're also inconvenient to clean. Also, don't choose one that's divided into lots of small rooms - that's not useful. Better to choose something more square-shaped."
"Got it, I've noted everything down." Nora nodded seriously.
Steven added, "Remember to check for water leaks and look at the walls for problems. Don't rent the top floor−it's prone to leaking and gets hot in summer."
"I know." Nora thought Steven's advice made a lot of sense.
"If you see something suitable, take a video for me, and I'll help you look at it." Steven reminded them again.
Olivia whispered to Nora, "Your husband knows so much."
"I think so too, he's really amazing." Nora's eyes were full of admiration.
When they arrived at Skyline Trade Center, the two got out of the car.
"Drive safely." Nora closed the car door and waved to Steven.
Steven was about to drive off when he noticed a flash of light from the side.
Someone was following Nora!
They had just dealt with one last time, and now another one appeared.
Steven's expression turned cold. He immediately called James. "Someone's following Nora. Deal with it quickly."
After hanging up, he drove to the company.
He trusted James would handle it properly.
Nora and Olivia followed the real estate agent to look at offices, but none of the places the agent showed them were satisfactory−either this wasn't right or that had problems.
Nora took videos of two places and sent them to Steven, but he didn't think either would work.
Nora felt a bit discouraged, thinking Steven's standards were too high, and it would be really hard to find something.
At ten in the morning, after Steven finished his regular meeting, Clarence walked into the office and reported quietly, "Mr. Steven York, the person who followed Mrs. York last time was arranged by Mr. Doyle York. This time too."
Steven stopped looking at the documents in his hands.
Clarence continued, "Because the PR department helped with Olivia's matter before, Mr. Doyle York noticed. Now he keeps having people watch Mrs. York. Even if we deal with one, there will be another."
Clarence hesitated, then boldly said, "Mr. Steven York, I think you should divorce Mrs. York, Mrs. York comes from an ordinary background−Mr. Doyle York could never agree to let her into the family."
Three years ago, he and his brothers followed Steven back from overseas, swallowing their pride and biding their time, all to seize control of York Development Group.
Now was the critical moment−they couldn't have a direct confrontation with Doyle.
Doyle was calculating and would never agree to let his most outstanding son marry an ordinary woman.
If Steven hadn't divorced, Doyle would have targeted Nora, and she wouldn't have a moment's peace.
Only divorce was the best way to protect her.
Doyle hadn't made a move yet, just letting Steven discover someone was following Nora−this was a warning, showing respect between father and son. But if Steven didn't do as he wanted, he definitely wouldn't hold back.
"Has the person following Nora been dealt with?" Steven rubbed his temples.
"Already handled. But this is only temporary, Mr. York. The other side is in the shadows; Mrs. York is out in the open. Unless Mrs. York stops going out and has full-time protection, there will always be gaps."
"If we keep her constantly watched, like being locked up at home, nobody could stand that."
Steven said nothing.
He silently looked at the documents on his desk. This represented all his efforts and hard work over three years.
He knew he couldn't stop now.
In the afternoon, Nora and Olivia continued looking at offices. This time with a different agent.
The agent brought another person, and they rode electric scooters.
"Let's go." The agent had them get on. They weren't familiar with the area and could only each sit on one scooter.
Nora had just settled in when she noticed Olivia hadn't caught up yet, so she said to the agent, "Wait, Olivia's not here yet."
"It's fine, they might be a bit slow." The agent answered while steering the scooter toward a remote alley.
Nora felt something was off. They were supposed to be looking at offices - why were they going to such a remote place?
She alertly took out the folding umbrella from her bag and said to the person in front, "Where exactly are you taking me?"
"To see an office, of course." The person's tone was calm, seemingly nothing unusual.
Nora felt more and more that something was wrong. Her voice turned cold. "Stop the scooter right now. I want to wait for Olivia."
But the person wouldn't stop, instead speeding up. "Don't be scared, I'm really just taking you to see a place."
Without hesitation, Nora hit him with the folding umbrella. "Stop now!"
The person winced in pain but still wouldn't stop.
Nora then pulled out her acupuncture kit from her bag and stuck two needles in his back.
"Ah!" The person couldn't take the pain and finally stopped the scooter.
Nora immediately jumped off and ran.
This was a demolition area, fenced off all around, with hardly anyone on the streets. Afraid the person might have accomplices, she could only run forward desperately.
She rushed into a breakfast shop, out of breath, and said to the owner, "Ma'am, someone's following me. Can I hide here for a bit?"
The owner went out to look around. There was no one outside. "Miss, I don't see anyone out there."
"Maybe they're hiding..." Nora didn't dare go out. She quickly took out her phone to call Olivia, but couldn't get through.
Panic rose in her chest. With trembling fingers, she quickly dialed Steven's number.
Steven sat in his office, smoking. His phone screen lit up, showing "Nora."
"Hello." He answered the phone.
On the other end, Nora's voice carried panic and tears. "Steven, Olivia's missing. Her phone keeps not going through..."