Chapter 1208

Eleanor went upstairs first to put her laptop away. She sat down to check her

emails; Ryan and Callie had produced new data today, and she was eager to see it.

Fifteen minutes later, lan appeared at the study door. “The noodle soup is ready. You can come down and eat p>

Eleanor looked up from the screen. “I’ll be right down p>

Eleanor followed lan downstairs, one after the other. Joslyn was just bringing out her special side dishes, perfect for eating with noodles.

Both bowls of noodles were topped with two fried eggs, and the broth was rich and looked delicious.

lan and Eleanor had been eating Joslyn’s cooking for six years and always praised her skills. In the past, whenever lan came home from a business trip, Joslyn would often cook him dinner, usually noodles.

Eleanor sat down and began eating quietly. Across from her, lan also ate without conversation, each of them finishing their meal.

In the kitchen, Joslyn wiped down the counter, glancing back at the scene in the dining room. It felt so familiar.

After dinner, lan left first. He had to bring Evelyn home before nine.

Eleanor settled into her work for the evening.

At nine-thirty, Evelyn came home, cheerful and skipping. She was now in the senior class of kindergarten, having just turned six years and three months old. When she started elementary school in September, she would be exactly six years and seven months old.

“Mommy! I’m home!” Evelyn called out for her mother as soon as she entered. Eleanor came down the stairs. “Mommy’s right here p>

After Evelyn ran over to hug her legs affectionately, she went to pull on her father’s hand. “Daddy, play with me p>

“Evelyn, it’s getting late. Let your daddy go rest,” Eleanor told her daughter. “You should get ready for your bath too p>

Evelyn pouted, not having had her fill of fun. “Can Daddy just play with me for a little longer p>

Before Eleanor could say anything else, lan had already agreed. “Okay, Daddy will play with you for another twenty minutes. We’ll try to get you in bed by ten-ten p>

“Okay!” Evelyn nodded happily.

The robot her father had once given her could talk and play with her, but what she truly wanted was the warm and real companionship of her parents.

Eleanor watched them head towards the playroom and sighed softly. But she was grateful lan was here; otherwise, torn between work and her daughter, she would have a hard te balancing her priorities.

The next morning, lan took Evelyn to school on time, and Eleanor got ready and drove to the lab.

While waiting at the first red light, her car’s hands-free phone rang. It was Joy Thatcher.

“Hey, Joy,” Eleanor answered cheerfully.

“Did you just get back from a business trip last night p>

“I went to Kingston for a meeting,” Eleanor said, then added with some surprise, “How did you know p>

“How did I know? I saw it with my own eyes, of course! Today’s top entertainment headline is a picture of lan picking you up at the airport It’s a very clear shot. He’s carrying your laptop bag for you, so thoughtful. The comments are all speculating that you two are getting back together p>

Eleanor’s hand on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and her brow furrowed. She hadn’t expected to be photographed by the media last night.

“So let me interview the person involved. Are you two really getting married again?” Joy’s tone was full of gossip.

“No, it was just a friend picking another friend up from the airport,” Eleanor tried to explain.

Joy clearly didn’t believe her, her voice dripping with teasing. “I looked at the photos carefully. The way you look at him, there’s no more hatred. And the way he looks at you is so gentle p>

Eleanor was at a loss for words. Joy was a lawyer, after all, with a keen sense of observation; a simple explanation wouldn’t satisfy her.

The light turned green. Eleanor

pressed the accelerator while

saying, “Alright, it’s true we’re not at

each other’s throats like before.

We’re facing some things together,

and because of my work, he’s

looking after Evelyn p>