"Vanessa, something''se up on my end. Could you do me a favor and put in a good word for me with Mr. Goodwin?"


    Vanessa''s face paled. "Dad, what happened?"


    "It''s just a minor issue with the equipment at thatb he invested in. Nothing serious," Rnd said, clearly unwilling to go into details.


    But Vanessa pressed on, her tone anxious. "Dad, please tell me what exactly happened?"


    Rnd sounded frustrated on the other end. "Theb''s people spotted a problem with the equipment we supplied. Now they''re using us of mixing in used parts." "How did they find out?" Vanessa asked, her worry deepening.<fn08e8> Content originallyes from find[?]ovel</fn08e8>


    "There''s this woman-Eleanor-she''s been nitpicking the equipment, making trouble for ourpany. Some know-it-all who actually doesn''t know a thing, but she''snded me in a real mess." Rnd''s anger was palpable.


    Vanessa''s expression darkened. What? Eleanor was deliberately targeting her father over the equipment?


    "Dad, you need to cooperate fully with theb and keep things from escting. I''ll find a chance to speak ton and smooth things over for you."


    "Alright," Rnd replied, relieved. He knew his eldest daughter''s influence was still valuable.


    As soon as the call ended, Vanessa clenched her fists. Eleanor really was a troublemaker-stealing her sister''s spotlight at work and now giving her father grief over the equipment.


    Vanessa narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. Eleanor had gone too far this time.


    ...


    Eleanor returned home with her daughter. Joslyn had made her a bowl of pasta, worried that she hadn''t eaten anything even though it was already nine o''clock.


    After dinner, Eleanor retreated to her room to catch up on emails. She also spent some time online discussing the situation with Jude Vaughn. Jude promised to keep a close eye on whatever Rnd was up to.


    Soon, an email arrived an invitation from Meridian Dynamics to attend an uing meeting.


    The next morning, Eleanor walked her daughter to school. Just as they reached the gate, she unexpectedly spotted Xavier. Coco''s mother stood nearby and called out, "Mr. Vaughn, I know it''s a bit much to ask, but would you mind giving me a lift?"


    Eleanor hadn''t expected Mrs. Brown to try hitching a ride with Xavier.


    Xavier caught Eleanor''s eye and shot her a silent, pleading look.


    She understood immediately. Xavier had helped her out more than once; it was her turn to return the favor.


    After seeing her daughter off, Eleanor walked back over. Xavier was quick to speak. "Miss Sutton, I left a file at your cest time. Would it be alright if I stopped by to pick it up?"


    Eleanor was momentarily thrown but recovered quickly. "Of course, that''s no problem."


    "Great! Let''s go, then," Xavier said, already heading toward her car. Eleanor turned to Mrs. Brown with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we''ll get going." Mrs. Brown watched them leave, disappointed. She''d purposely left her car at home that morning, hoping for a ride with Xavier-only to have her n foiled. Climbing into Xavier''s car, Eleanor couldn''t help but tease, "Mr. Vaughn, it seems Mrs. Brown has quite the crush on you."


    Xavier nced at her in the rearview mirror. "Miss Sutton, do you think unrequited love ever actually leads anywhere?"


    Eleanor froze. She knew Xavier''s feelings for her, but she refused to dance around the subject. Smiling, she met his eyes in the mirror. "If both people aren''t headed in the same direction, I doubt it ever works out."


    A shadow flickered across Xavier''s gaze. At that moment, Eleanor suddenly cried out, "Watch out!"


    Xavier mmed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a rear-end collision.


    "You okay?" he asked quickly, pulling over to the side of the road, worry etched on his face as he looked at Eleanor.