Xavier brought in his topb team to work alongside Eleanor. The experiment dragged on for two hours, but finally, they achieved the result she''d been hoping
for.
By the end, Eleanor''s eyes stung unbearably. She rubbed them several times, and when she emerged, her eyes were so red she looked as if she''d been crying.
Xavier was waiting outside theb. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he couldn''t hide his concern. "Your eyes hurt from staring at the screen too long?"
"I''m fine. I just need to rest a bit," Eleanor replied.
"Come to my office and have a cup of tea before you leave."
"Oh, that''s not necessary, I-”
"It''ll only take a few minutes." Xavier insisted. With her looking so worn out and knowing she still had to drive back to Ashford Medical University, he didn''t feelfortable letting her go just yet.
Eleanor nodded, resigned. “Thank you, then.”
She followed Xavier into his office, feeling a little awkward. While he made tea, she wandered over to his bookshelf, scanning the spines. To her surprise, she spotted an old book she''d been searching for ages.
She turned to him. "Would you mind if I borrowed a book?"
Xavier smiled. "Take the whole shelf if you want."
Eleanor felt her cheeks warm. She pulled out the book. "This one is enough."
He nodded. "Of course, it''s yours for as long as you need. Now,e have some tea."
She sat on the sofa, cupping the warm mug in her hands. The tea was fragrant and soothing, easing her tension.
"Last night... it must have bothered you, didn''t it?" Xavier watched her closely.
Eleanor was sensitive enough to realize he''d brought this up on purpose.
"It didn''t bother me." She quickly took another sip, hoping to hide her emotions. Xavier noticed and couldn''t help thinking how endearing she was.
Afterst night''s conversation, Xavier had decided he wasn''t going to hide his feelings anymore.
"Eleanor, I''m not the type to beat around the bush. I admire you-not just as a scientist, but as a person." His voice was gentle but steady. "I know you andn haven''t been divorced long, and maybe now isn''t the best time for me to say this."
Her hand trembled slightly around the mug. She hadn''t expected Xavier to be so straightforward.
"Mr. Vaughn, I..." Eleanor looked up, caughtpletely off guard.
She wasn''t prepared for his confession at all.
"Miss Sutton, I''m not asking for an answer," Xavier interrupted gently. "Let''s just be friends for now."
Eleanor let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded. “Thank you for understanding."
Xavier poured her another two cups of tea. When she finished, Eleanor started thinking of how to excuse herself and leave.
Picking up on her thoughts, Xavier stood and joked, "All right, the scientist has to get back to work. I won''t keep you any longer."
Eleanor smiled gratefully and stood as well. “Thank you so much for letting me use yourb."
"Anytime. If you ever need anything in the future, just ask," Xavier replied with a weing gesture.
He walked her all the way to the parking lot, which made Eleanor feel even more embarrassed.
She''d borrowed hisb, taken up his time and resources, and now he was personally seeing her off-Eleanor felt deeply uneasy about it.
Upstairs, behind the second-floor windows, Serena clutched her phone tightly. Watching Xavier walk Eleanor to her car, so attentive and caring, made her chest ache as if something was tearing inside.
Xavier had postponed two important meetings just to take care of Eleanor?
Had she really be this important to him?
Serena bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. She hurried down the hallway to an empty conference room and dialed her brother,n.
"Hello?"
Serena drew a shaky breath. "Ian, can''t you just make Eleanor leave the medical field? I can''t stand seeing her anymore."
"What happened?"
"Just keep her out of yourb. Stop giving her any resources. She doesn''t deserve them," Serena''s voice cracked as she began to sob, "I hate her. I can''t stand her..."
"Calm down,”n said in a low, steady voice. "Just tell me what happened."