Chapter 648
On the other end of the line, lan’s deep voice carried a hint of laughter. “Of course I remember p>
“Dad’s busy with meetings, so Mom brought her over to our house,” Evelyn
explained.
“Did you miss Daddy p>
“I did p>
“I’ll come over now. Should I bring you girls anything p>
“Yay! Vivian, my dad’s bringing us presents!” Evelyn beamed at her friend.
Vivian’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Yes, Daddy, we want presents!” Evelyn announced.
“Alright. I’m driving now, so I’ll see you soon,” lan replied.
“WizWiz, hang up and tell us a story!” Evelyn chimed in, addressing the family’s virtual assistant.
Upstairs, Eleanor worked in her study. With her daughter happily occupied with a friend, she finally had some peace and quiet.
At six-thirty, the elevator doors of Building 12 in Cloudcrest Manor slid open. Xavier had just finished work, parked his car, and strolled through the garden to Eleanor’s building. He pressed the button, and the elevator-which was idling in the parking garage-soon began its ascent.
With a soft “ding,” the doors opened. Xavier stepped forward, only to freeze when he recognized the man inside.
Both men stared at each other, momentarily thrown off.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
“Well, fancy seeing you here,” Xavier broke the silence first.
lan nodded curtly. As the doors started to close, he pressed the button to keep them open for Xavier.
Xavier stepped inside, noticing that lan had pressed for the twenty-eighth floor, not the twenty-seventh.
“Headed to Eleanor’s as well?” Xavier narrowed his eyes, studying him.
lan nodded. “Yeah. I need to talk to her p>
For just a second, Xavier’s expression stiffened.
The elevator climbed, tension thickening between the two men, as if the air itself might crackle.
“So, is your place on the twenty-seventh finished yet? Moving in soon?” Xavier finally asked, making conversation.
“Probably next week,” lan replied, eyes fixed on the flickering floor numbers.
Xavier let out a faint chuckle. “Makes sense. Even after the divorce, living just below Eleanor’s place will make it easier to see Evelyn p>
lan glanced at him but said nothing.
The elevator chimed as they reached their floor. Xavier stepped out first, lan following behind, two carefully wrapped gift bags in hand.
Hearing the doorbell, Joslyn hurried from the kitchen. “Vivian, that must be your uncle p>
She glanced at the video intercom and, seeing Xavier’s face, unlocked the door. But when she peeked out and saw both men, she was startled. “Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Goodwin! You’re both here p>
Xavier offered a polite smile. “I’m here to take Vivian home p>
“Oh! Come in, please!” Joslyn quickly set out two pairs of men’s slippers.
“The girls are playing in the toy room. Make yourselves comfortable-I’ll go let
Mrs. Sutton know,” she said, hurrying up the spiral staircase.
In her study, Eleanor was still at her laptop when Joslyn entered, slightly flustered. “Ma’am, Mr. Vaughn and Mr. Goodwin arrived together p>
Eleanor’s fingers stilled over the keyboard. Looking up in surprise, she asked, “Together? Why p>
“You’d better come down,” Joslyn urged, worry creasing her brow. One was the ex-husband, the other a suitor-the last thing anyone needed was for them to fight in the living room.
Eleanor snapped her laptop shut and left the study.
Downstairs, the two men sat on opposite ends of the sofa, quietly assessing the decor-and, perhaps, each other.
Descending the stairs, Eleanor’s eyes skipped over lan and landed on Xavier. She smiled warmly. “You’re here. Vivian and Evelyn are in the playroom; I’ll go get them p>
Xavier stood. “Thank you for having her p>
“It’s no trouble at all,” Eleanor replied with a gentle smile, heading toward the playroom. In a moment, the two girls came bounding over.
lan stood and handed each of them a toy from his gift bags. Their faces lit up.
“Thank you, Uncle lan,” Vivian said sweetly.
Xavier took Vivian’s hand. “Say goodbye to Mrs. Sutton p>
“Goodbye, Mrs. Sutton!” Vivian waved.
Xavier’s gaze flicked toward lan. “We’ll be off, then p>
Once Xavier and Vivian had left, Eleanor’s pleasant expression vanished. She
turned to lan, her tone frosty. “Was there something you needed p>
lan’s eyes narrowed. “I just wanted to see Evelyn p>
“Next time, ask first. I don’t want you showing up unannounced,” Eleanor replied bluntly.
lan’s posture stiffened, his long fingers curling slightly at his side.
“Apologies for overstepping p>
Eleanor looked away, her face unreadable but clearly unwelcoming.
Adjusting his suit cuffs, lan maintained his usual dignified air, even as he was being shown the door. “Sorry to intrude p>
He strode toward the exit.
Joslyn hurried over to see him out, but lan paused, glancing back. “I’ll schedule visits in advance from now on p>
Joslyn’s heart ached for her former employer. After six years working for his family, she knew just how proud and reserved Mr. Goodwin could be. Seeing Eleanor shut him out like this made her uneasy.
Back in the playroom, Evelyn was too absorbed in unwrapping her new toy to notice her father had left.
Once lan was gone, Joslyn looked over at Eleanor, whose face was still icy cold. Poor Mr. Goodwin-he’d looked almost lonely as he walked away. If he hadn’t come today, Mrs. Sutton and Mr. Vaughn probably would have ended up having dinner together.