Chapter 389

lan watched the white Cayenne until it disappeared into the rain, his brow tightening ever so slightly.

As Vanessa drew closer, she caught the lingering scent of tobacco on his clothes and narrowed her eyes. Ian only ever smoked for one reason-when something was weighing on him.

Eleanor had shown up at Xavier’s father’s funeral, though by all rights, she had no reason to be there.

So why had she come? There could only be one explanation: to get under lan’s skin.

Even though Eleanor’s car was long gone, Vanessa glanced in that direction a few more times, her expression tinged with frustration. Ever since the divorce, Eleanor refused to fade quietly into the background; she always found a way to rattle lan. Was she trying to prove a point?

Just then, Henry walked over to lan. “Most of the guests have left. Let’s go pay our respects to Mr. Vaughn p>

lan nodded, tearing his gaze away and heading toward the chapel. The black suit he wore made his tall frame look even more severe and unapproachable.

Vanessa turned to Henry. “That was… Eleanor, wasn’t it? What was she doing here p>

Henry nodded. “Yeah, she stopped in to pay her respects and left right after.” Vanessa frowned in thought. “You don’t think Xavier introduced Eleanor to his parents in private, do you p>

Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was just enough for lan to catch the words. His brow furrowed, and he quickened his pace almost imperceptibly.

Henry considered it. “It’s possible. Mr. Vaughn’s last wish was to see Xavier bring home a girlfriend p>

“So, Eleanor helped him fulfill that last wish?” Vanessa’s lips curled in a smirk as she hurried after lan.

Henry followed after them, his gaze lingering before he too headed into the chapel.

Meanwhile, Eleanor rushed through the halls and managed to slip into the conference room with just two minutes to spare.

Byron let out a breath of relief. For some reason, whenever Eleanor was present at these meetings, he felt a sense of calm. The tough questions thrown out by the military reps never seemed to faze her; she always had an answer ready, keeping the discussion from stalling.

Faye bit her lip, watching Eleanor stride in dressed head to toe in black. For a moment, she wondered if Eleanor had just come from a funeral-she wasn’t wrong.

Joel was surprised too. The cool, dark outfit gave Eleanor an air of effortless confidence aloof, striking, and captivating all at once.

The review meeting went off without a hitch.

Garrison, the military liaison, expressed his satisfaction with Meridian Dynamics’ technical proposal, especially the module Eleanor had spearheaded.

After the meeting, Byron offered a rare compliment. “You did well in there p>

Back at her office, Eleanor barely had time to settle in before a new email popped up—there was a routine meeting that afternoon.

A knock sounded at her door. Joel peeked in. “Eleanor, grab your laptop and meet me in Conference Room Three in two minutes p>

“I’ll be right there,” she replied.

Meridian Dynamics was moving toward a more collaborative, group-based workflow to encourage closer cooperation between departments.

At lunch, Eleanor and Joel sat across from each other in the cafeteria. Joel eyed

her outfit with curiosity. “Don’t often see you in all black p>

Eleanor looked up. “I went to Xavier’s father’s funeral this morning p>

Joel raised his eyebrows. “Did you know his father p>