Oh my god! Did Mr. Goodwin really just drink from the same water bottle as Eleanor?


    When Eleanor nced up, she caught sight ofn setting down the now-empty bottle. She turned and realized with disbelief-it was the one she''d just been drinking from, and he''d finished it without a second thought.


    Assuming she must be thirsty,n reached for a fresh bottle from the table, twisted the cap open for her, and offered it with a quiet, attentive air.


    Eleanor wrinkled her nose and looked away, refusing to take it.


    This little scene didn''t go unnoticed-Eleanor''s young assistant, sitting nearby, stared wide-eyed. What on earth was going on between Mr. Goodwin and Miss Sutton?


    After all,n was the kind of man who made the entire conference room tense with a single look, and yet here was Eleanor, daring to give him the cold shoulder.


    Of course, Rnd and his team were too busy discussing solutions with Jude Vaughn to notice anything out of the ordinary.


    The meeting dragged on until half past seven, only wrapping up once they''d finally hammered out a workable n.


    "Everyone must be starving by now! I''ve already made dinner reservations-let''s all go out and eat together," Rnd suggested with a genial smile.


    Jude Vaughn turned to Eleanor. "Care to join us?"


    She shook her head. "No thanks. I''m heading home." These business dinners were never her scene.


    Jude turned ton. "How about you, Mr. Goodwin?"


    "I''ll pass as well," Ian replied.<fn0821> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? find?novel</fn0821>


    Rnd hurried over, eager to show his appreciation. "Mr. Goodwin, would you please join us? I feel terrible that we''ve had to trouble you over all this."


    Eleanor made her way out to the front of the building and unlocked her car parked by the curb. As she slid into the driver''s seat, she sawn approaching.


    "Mind giving me a ride?" he asked.


    She shot him a look. "Call a cab. I''m not heading your way."


    He smiled, easy and unbothered. "Not a great time to get a ride-and I need to pick up Evelyn."


    Eleanor''s hand paused on the door handle. With a resigned sigh, she said, "Fine. Get in."


    As soon as Eleanor merged into the evening traffic, she checked her mirrors and flicked on the turn signal. Just as she was about to elerate, a motorcycle came roaring out of nowhere and forced her to m on the brakes. Her heart pounded as she sat frozen for a few seconds, shaken.


    Without a word,n got out of the passenger seat, walked around to her side, and opened her door. His voice was calm but left no room for argument. "Out. I''ll drive."


    Still rattled, Eleanor didn''t protest. She slipped into the back seat whilen adjusted the driver''s seat and steered them smoothly back into traffic.


    "Have you been getting enough rest?"n asked, ncing at her in the rearview mirror.


    She ignored him, staring out the window.


    "Theb situation-I''ll take care of it," he continued in that even, matter-of-fact tone.


    But Eleanor remained unmoved. Everything he did was for Vanessa''s sake. Of course he was anxious about theb; he had every reason to be.


    With no response from the back,n fell silent. They pulled up to a red light. Eleanor rolled down her window, catching the sound ofughter outside-four college-aged girls were waiting to cross.


    "Damn, he''s gorgeous!" one of them blurted out.


    All four girls unabashedly stared atn, breaking into excited whispers.


    Eleanor couldn''t help but admit, even if he did nothing, justn''s looks alone could leave people breathless.


    Suddenly, the girls noticed the silhouette of a woman in the dim back seat—a face they couldn''t quite make out, but somehow the mysterious presence only added to her allure.


    In that instant, Eleanor found herself the target of their envy.


    And in the rearview mirror, a pair of eyes lingered on her, their expression unreadable and impossible to decipher.