Chapter 727
lan set his daughter down and draped his suit jacket over the back of the couch. His voice was low and grave. “I’ve already warned my sister. It won’t happen again p>
Eleanor gave a sharp, dismissive huff. “Your sister’s been reckless for years. This is hardly new p>
“I won’t let her near Evelyn again. I’ll make her move out,” lan replied, his tone resolute.
Eleanor watched their daughter slip into the playroom on the first floor, then turned to face lan, enunciating every word with icy precision. “If your sister ever tries to fill my daughter’s head with nonsense again, I’ll file a restraining order. I’ll make sure the entire Goodwin family is kept away from Evelyn p>
With that, she turned on her heel and headed upstairs.
lan’s eyes darkened, his expression suddenly heavy. It was clear that, this time, Serena’s behavior had finally pushed Eleanor past her breaking point.
Just then, Evelyn came running out and tugged lan over to the sofa. She wanted to show him how she solved her math problems. Smiling, lan taught her an even simpler way, and Evelyn, delighted, begged for more. “Daddy, give me ten more questions p>
“Alright p>
He wrote out ten problems for her, then glanced at his watch-ten minutes had already passed. Looking up toward the second floor, he noticed Eleanor hadn’t come down to throw him out. Relieved, he settled in to spend a little more time with his daughter.
Princess, their golden retriever, curled up at his feet. Ian reached down and rubbed the dog’s big head, feeling an unexpected fondness for the furry little companion.
Upstairs, Eleanor sat alone in her study. She could hear her daughter’s laughter drifting up through the house. Closing her eyes, she tried to block it out, fighting the urge to storm downstairs and throw lan out. But she was afraid of hurting Evelyn’s feelings, so she restrained herself.
Joslyn, the housekeeper, finished folding laundry and came over with a cup of tea. “Mr. Goodwin, here you go,” she said with a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” lan replied warmly.
“My pleasure.” Joslyn nodded and left them.
By nine o’clock, lan realized Evelyn had school the next morning. He stood up.
“Evelyn, Daddy will come back and spend more time with you tomorrow p>
“Will you take me to school?” Evelyn grabbed his hand, eyes hopeful.
“Of course,” lan promised, kneeling down to meet her gaze.
“Pinky swear!” Evelyn held out her little finger.
lan hooked his pinky around hers, and Evelyn finally grinned, satisfied. “Bye, Daddy p>
Joslyn walked him to the door and closed it behind him.
lan took the elevator down to his own apartment. He stepped inside and glanced
up at the ceiling as he loosened his tie, tossing it onto the sofa.
In the vast, five-thousand-square-foot penthouse, his footsteps echoed in the empty silence.
He headed to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. With only a few wall lamps on, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city lights outside shimmered like a sea of stars.
lan tilted his head back and drained his drink, a faint smile flickering at the corner of his lips as some memory crossed his mind. He unfastened his cufflinks and disappeared into the bathroom.
That night, after Evelyn had fallen asleep, Eleanor retreated to her study to go over the expenses from her recent trip with Xavier. She took out a stack of cash- ten thousand dollars. She knew if she tried to wire Xavier the money, he’d never accept it.
The next morning, as Eleanor finished braiding Evelyn’s hair, her daughter announced, “Mommy, Daddy said he’ll take me to school today p>
Eleanor’s hand paused. “When did he say that p>
“Last night p>
Eleanor glanced down at the floor, a flash of annoyance in her eyes.
Opening the door, she found lan already waiting outside. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, looking every bit as confident and composed as ever.
“Good morning,” he greeted Eleanor.
“Daddy!” Evelyn squealed, running to wrap herself around his leg. She grabbed his hand and looked back at her mother. “Bye, Mommy p>
“Bye, sweetheart.” Eleanor waved.
Evelyn’s ponytails bounced as she skipped toward the elevator, practically dancing with excitement.
At the school gates, lan was just turning to leave when he spotted Xavier walking over with Vivian. Ian stopped, called out, “Xavier, can we talk for a minute p>
Xavier nodded and knelt down beside Vivian. “Go on inside, sweetheart,” he said gently.
Vivian nodded and headed through the gates.
The two men walked over to the shade of a nearby sycamore, facing each other. “About Serena-” lan got straight to the point, his voice low. “I’m sorry for what she did. She shouldn’t have said those things to Evelyn p>
Xavier’s expression remained calm. “It’s fine. I’m not bothered p>
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground between them. After a
brief silence, Xavier spoke first. “Ian, do you ever regret it p>
lan paused, meeting Xavier’s gaze. “Regret what p>
“Divorcing Eleanor,” Xavier replied evenly. “If you could do it all over again, would you still make the same choice p>