?Chapter 2290:


    Eric carried his daughter back to her room. Together with Hadley, they each grabbed a tiny sock and slipped them onto Joy’s feet.


    Bathed in the soft glow of the room’s light, Eric looked from Hadley to Joy. A warmth spread through his chest, filling him with a deep sense of contentment. If only life could stay this peaceful forever.


    The next morning, Phillips came to Eric with an update. “Mr. Scott, Gifford took the bait. Now he’s absolutely livid.”


    “Got it.” Eric’s expression remained calm, as if he had expected this all along.


    “What’s he up to now?”


    “Running around like a headless chicken. He still hasn’t figured out what’s going on. But the board members are already feeling anxious. By noon, maybe this afternoon at thetest, they’ll reach out to you…”


    Before he could finish, Eric’s phone rang. He nced at the screen and gave Phillips an amused smile. “Looks like you were off by a bit.”


    Phillips chuckled. “Seems so.”


    The call hade sooner than either of them expected.


    “Hello.” Eric sank into the sofazily and casually ordered, “Yes?”


    Phillips didn’t have to hear the other side to guess what was happening. They were begging Eric to cut his vacation short ande back to take the reins.


    After a pause, Eric replied, “I understand. But I’m busy right now. We’ll talkter.” Without waiting for the other person’s response, he ended the call.


    Just then, footsteps echoed from upstairs. Hadley had woken up and was making her way down.


    She caught thest bit of his conversation and raised an eyebrow. “What was that about? Was it work?”


    “Yeah,” Eric said, taking her hand in his. “You’re up this early today? Did you sleep well? Feeling alright?”


    “I’m fine,” Hadley replied with a smile, and then circled back to what she’d overheard. “So… are you going to be busy soon?”


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    “This afternoon.” Eric tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and continued, “You’lle with me.”


    Hadley shook her head at once. “I’d rather not. I need to go see Elissater. She’s leaving tomorrow, and I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help. If nothing else, I can just keep herpany.”


    Leaving Locke behind and moving away from Srixby… it wasn’t hard to guess how heavy Elissa’s heart must be right now.


    At the Flynn Mansion, Elissa sat quietly by Locke’s side. He’d had a rough night, restless and hurting, and only before dawn had he finally gotten some much-needed sleep.


    Out of nowhere, her phone buzzed with a new message. It was from Ernest. “Elissa, we need to talk. It’s about Locke’s custody. I’m waiting for you in the sunroom.”


    Elissa ced her phone on the nightstand and walked out of her room, making her way downstairs.


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