Chapter 300
Eleanor studied the photos on her phone. The images were crisp-far too clear to be some tabloid’s grainy sneak shot. Besides, Vanessa was staying in the VIP wing of the hospital; no journalist could have gotten in without someone’s permission. Clearly, someone wanted these leaked.
The intent was obvious.
It had to be Vanessa’s team, seizing the chance to announce her relationship with lan to the world.
A voice message from Joy popped up, her tone indignant. “How could lan do this? You two have barely been divorced, and now he can’t wait to go public with Vanessa p>
“We ended things a long time ago,” Eleanor replied, her voice calm. “His life isn’t my concern p>
“That may be true, but I still think you deserved better,” Joy grumbled.
Eleanor kept typing her report, unbothered. “He’s not part of my life anymore. There’s no sense in talking about what I deserve p>
The conversation shifted as Joy filled her in on the latest lawsuits her firm had handled.
With Frazier and Joy running her legal department, Eleanor had no worries. Ellington had mentioned a few corporate lawsuits recently, but they were all company vs. company-nothing that required Eleanor’s direct involvement.
Later, Simone asked Eleanor to prep a report on their latest research results-it would be presented to the public Friday morning.
On her way to pick up her daughter, Eleanor found herself stuck in traffic. Left with no choice, she texted Xavier for help.
His reply was almost instant: “No problem. I’ll pick up Evelyn and bring her to my place. Come have dinner with us tonight p>
Eleanor hesitated. She already felt bad enough for inconveniencing him, and now she’d be crashing his dinner table too.
“How about we go out to eat instead? My treat p>
“Miss Sutton, don’t be so formal. Come to my house,” Xavier insisted.
Unable to argue further, Eleanor turned her car toward his place.
When she arrived, she noticed something odd: other than the two kids, the house was empty.
“Don’t you have a housekeeper?” she asked.
Vivian piped up from the living room, “We do! But Uncle Xavier gave Lenora the night off p>
Eleanor glanced at Xavier, who offered a crooked smile. “I’m the chef tonight. Miss Sutton, will you be my sous-chef p>
She laughed. “I’d be happy to p>
In the kitchen, Xavier expertly tied on an apron and began prepping the ingredients with practiced ease. Eleanor rinsed the vegetables, and the two of them worked together in a comfortable silence, their teamwork surprisingly effortless.
She hadn’t expected Xavier to be so skilled in the kitchen. He explained that he’d picked up cooking while studying abroad-he’d never gotten used to campus food, so he learned to cook for himself.
Dinner was ready before long. Vivian took a bite of steak and declared, “Uncle, this is better than anything at a fancy restaurant p>
Eleanor smiled. “Evelyn and I are lucky tonight p>
Xavier looked up at her. “If you like it, feel free to come by more often p>
Eleanor gave a small, polite smile, but when she caught the look in his eyes, she quickly busied herself clearing the plates.
The meal was even more enjoyable than she’d expected. The kids chattered away, filling the house with laughter and making everything feel easy.
Eleanor insisted on doing the dishes. While she worked, Xavier brewed a cup of tea. When she finished and came back to the living room, he handed her the mug. “They get along well, don’t they p>
She accepted the tea with a grateful smile. “Evelyn really likes Vivian. And thank you for having us tonight p>
Xavier’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “The pleasure was mine p>
Back home, Eleanor tucked Evelyn into bed and returned to her study to work on
her speech. As she typed, her phone buzzed with a message.
“Did you have dinner at Xavier’s tonight with Evelyn p>
It was from lan.
Eleanor frowned. How did he know? She guessed her daughter must have used Joslyn’s phone to call him earlier.
“Do I have to report my every move to you now?” she replied, her tone edged with
sarcasm.
“I was just asking, that’s all p>
“I’m busy. Don’t bother me.” She put her phone away and went back to work.
“Okay,” lan answered, and left it at that.
That night, as she hugged her daughter close, Eleanor asked Evelyn about it. Sure enough, the little one confessed-she’d borrowed Joslyn’s phone to call her dad.
Eleanor couldn’t bring herself to scold her; missing her father was only natural. Friday morning arrived. Eleanor was busy preparing for her presentation.
Dr. Lyman Brown had arrived, and Eleanor was chatting with Joel when she spotted Xavier entering with his research team. She blinked in surprise-Xavier hadn’t mentioned he’d be attending.
“Mr. Vaughn, I didn’t expect to see you here p>
“We requested special permission to attend your talk,” Xavier said with a smile. “Gwenda, would you please show Mr. Vaughn and his team inside?” Eleanor said. Gwenda, nearly bouncing with excitement, led them in.
Not far away, Faye was chatting with Simone but kept stealing glances at Eleanor and Joel. Simone caught the look and asked quietly, “Do you have a thing for Joel p>
Faye’s cheeks flushed. “Yes. I like him p>
Simone sighed. “Just don’t let your feelings get in the way of your work p>
Faye nodded, jealousy flickering in her eyes as she looked at Eleanor. How had Eleanor’s new research already made such progress?
The room steadily filled as doctors and hospital leaders arrived to hear Eleanor’s presentation.
When the time came, Eleanor stepped onto the stage. Behind her, the screen displayed the latest data from her team’s research. Her voice rang out, clear and confident: “Thanks to my team’s tireless efforts, our new drug has made a breakthrough in animal trials. We expect to begin Phase I clinical trials within three months p>
Thunderous applause followed.
As Eleanor took a moment to collect her notes, her eyes wandered to the last row.
She froze-sitting there, immaculate in his suit and watching her intently, was lan. She had no idea when he’d arrived.