Evelyn stretched out her arms. "Mommy, sleep with me."


    Eleanor remembered that Xavier was going to handle some things online, so she didn''t have to worry about it. She crawled back into bed, pulling her soft little girl into her arms, and drifted off again.


    It was the weekend, and Eleanor wanted to let herself rx for once.


    They slept in until nearly nine. Downstairs, Joslyn had already prepared a delicious breakfast. Evelyn was absorbed in her new coloring book while Eleanor sipped her coffee and considered hiring a French tutor to help her daughter improve hernguage skills.


    She decided to leave the arrangements to Ellington. He would have HR put out a job posting and handle the interviews through thepany''s usual process.


    Eleanor was ying with Princess, their golden retriever, when her phone rang from the sofa. She reached over and nced at the screen, surprised to see that Mansfield Ellington was calling.


    Wasn''t he supposed to be on base right now?


    She stepped out into the garden and answered, "Hello, Mr. Ellington!"


    On the other end, Mansfield chuckled. "Still keeping it formal with me, Eleanor?"


    Eleanorughed softly. "Sorry, force of habit. Old habits die hard, you know."


    He seemed to smile at that, his voice low and warm. "I saw you trending online."


    Eleanor froze for a second. So he''d seen it too.


    "Would you mind exining what''s going on between you and Xavier?"


    Mansfield asked, then quickly added, "I don''t mean anything by it. If you''ve found someone you like, I-I wish you all the best."


    "Xavier and I are just friends," Eleanor replied.


    It was the truth.


    "Really?" Mansfield pressed.


    "He''s helped me a lot, even saved my life once. We''re good friends, nothing more," she said.


    Mansfield gave a quietugh. “Understood. Just like me, then-another friend in your circle."


    It was only now that Mansfield realized just how many aplished men surrounded Eleanor. The thought made him feel a twinge of pressure.


    Eleanor heard the subtle probing in his tone and paused, then smiled. "That''s right. You''re all my friends."


    "I''ll call you again sometime. I have to head out on a mission," Mansfield said, clearly reluctant to hang up but duty-bound.


    "All right, take care," Eleanor said, not wanting to keep him.


    No sooner had Mansfield''s call ended than her WhatsApp chimed twice- messages from Serena.


    "Eleanor, you''re really rushing to make things official with Xavier, aren''t you?"


    "The Vaughn family elders haven''t even approved. Even if you go public, it doesn''t mean anything."


    Eleanor nced at Serena''s messages, furrowing her brow but not bothering to respond to such pointless provocation. She simply turned off her phone.


    That afternoon, she took Evelyn and Joy out for afternoon tea at the Vesper Joy Hotel.


    While Evelyn yed on the couch, Joy leaned closer, unable to contain her curiosity. "So, you and Xavier are the talk of the town. How didn react?"


    Eleanor stirred her coffee and said, "I blocked him. He called Joslyn, and when I finally picked up, he warned me to stay away from Xavier."


    Joy bristled. "Seriously? He''s been with Vanessa for years, and now that you''re divorced, he still thinks he can control you?"


    Eleanor took a quiet sip. “His issue isn''t with me seeing other men just Xavier. Maybe if it were anyone else, he wouldn''t care. But Xavier''s been his best friend since they were kids."


    "Oh! So that''s what''s got him bothered," Joy said, suddenly understanding. Eleanor nodded. "I guess. He doesn''t like me getting close to people in his circle." Joy rolled her eyes. "That''s some next-level possessiveness. You''re divorced, he''s moved on, and yet he''s still policing who you see? Besides, it''s Xavier chasing after you."


    Eleanor let out a small sigh, meeting Joy''s gaze.


    "I know you''re focused on your career and your daughter right now," Joy said gently. "But you''re amazing, Eleanor. It''s natural that men are attracted to you, want to help you, even if you can''t give them what they want in return. They''re happy just to be close."


    That was exactly the problem for Eleanor-she hated owing anyone favors. The weekend passed pleasantly, and soon a new workweek began.


    Before she knew it, Friday had rolled around again.


    Today was the big meeting called by Dr. Lyman. Nearly everyone from theb was present.


    Joel came in and sat beside Eleanor as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She greeted him with a smile.


    During the subsequent discussion, Faye made a point of showcasing her contributions. Since Eleanor had solved thatst major hurdle for Meridian Dynamics, the joint research had progressed smoothly, and several breakthroughs had been made.


    Dr. Lyman nodded approvingly. "Excellent work. It''s good to see our coboration with Meridian Dynamics bearing fruit."


    "Eleanor, how''s your ownbing along since you started over?" Faye suddenly turned toward her.


    Every eye in the room shifted to Eleanor, all curious about her new research direction.


    She smiled. "At the moment, I''m still developing the theoretical framework. I''ll share more once I have something concrete."


    Faye''s lips curled in satisfaction. As she expected, Eleanor''s ''genius'' reputation was finally on shaky ground. No one''s lucksted forever.


    After the meeting, Joel caught up with Eleanor, speaking quietly. "Are you really still in the theoretical phase? If you need any help, just let me know."


    Eleanor gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Joel. I''m just getting the new experiments underway, so it''s too early to say anything definite."