"Be good, sweetie. Daddy will y with you next time."n gently set his daughter down and slipped off his trench coat. "Go on inside now!"


    But Evelyn clung stubbornly to the hem of his coat. "No, Daddy has toe in too."


    Eleanor stood at the door, her face unreadable. She spoke to her daughter, "He''s busy, honey. He has a meeting."


    By now, the rain wasing down hard. Ian''s dark hair was drenched, water streaming along his sharp jaw. He nced down at Evelyn''s hopeful face, then back up at Eleanor. "Let me just walk her inside."


    Eleanor''s porch offered no shelter from the rain, so Evelyn huddled under her mother''s umbre.


    "That''s not necessary," Eleanor replied coolly.


    Evelyn''s eyes grew round with worry as she watched her father get soaked, rainwater running down his face and soaking his suit. Lips quivering, she pleaded, "Mom, don''t make Daddy go. He''s all wet!"


    Eleanor saw the tears welling up in her daughter''s eyes. She understood-seeing her dad like this, Evelyn''s heart ached for him. And from a mother''s perspective, Eleanor knew she couldn''t ignore this budding empathy. If she hardened her heart and dismissed her daughter''spassion for her father, it would only hurt Evelyn''s emotional growth.


    Eleanor took a deep breath, then finally stepped aside. "Alright. Come in."


    Eleanor guided Evelyn onto the balcony, shielding her with the umbre, asn followed, raindrops pooling at his feet.


    "I''ll get you a towel, Daddy!" Evelyn called out, truly worried. She dashed off and came back with a small, dry towel-her own.


    "Okay!" Evelyn nodded eagerly and began awkwardly dabbing at his hair and face.


    From the corner by the water dispenser, Eleanor watched the two of themughing together. She knew this was something she could never change-a bond that belonged only to them.


    "Mom, do we have any clean clothes?" Evelyn asked, ncing at her dad''s soaked sweater.


    "No," Eleanor answered crisply.


    "Evelyn, tell your dad to go to Grandma''s and change. It''s not far," Eleanor said, letting her daughter have thest word but also nudgingn to leave.


    "Daddy, you should go to Grandma''s, take a hot shower, and change your clothes —so you don''t get sick," Evelyn urged.


    Aftern left, Eleanor gave her daughter some warm water and checked her


    clothing to make sure she hadn''t gotten wet.


    That evening, Eleanor cooked a simple dinner-two bowls of pasta. She savored the quiet time with her daughter, just the two of them.


    The next morning, as Eleanor headed out, she noticed a security car trailing behind her-Ellington''s arrangement. For the next month, the car would follow her everywhere, just in case.


    After dropping Evelyn off at school, Eleanor received a meeting notice from Meridian Dynamics. The neural interface project had been in preparation for nearly a week, and it was finally about tounch.


    Eleanor had taken a full week off, prompting plenty of spection at the office. Gwenda, ever curious, asked, "Did you go on vacation?"


    "No, a friend was injured. I took care of them for a week."


    "Wow! Which friend was lucky enough to have you looking after them for a whole week?"


    Eleanor only smiled, not answering, as Gwenda handed her a coffee. "Here you go."


    The two women walked toward the conference room, chatting about work as they sipped their coffee.


    Just then, Faye emerged from the conference room and shot a fleeting, disgruntled look at Gwenda, who used to be her sidekick but now stuck close to Eleanor.


    Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Joel, who''d recently been preparing for an overseas assignment, was also present. He nced at Eleanor, concern in his eyes—word had clearly spread about her week-long absence.


    The Meridian Dynamics team was all there, but Byron kept checking his watch, as if waiting for someone.


    "VP Chase, are we expecting anyone else?"


    "Mr. Goodwin said he''s on his way-should be here any minute. Please be


    patient," Byron replied.


    Five minutester,n walked in.


    He looked paler than usual, dressed in a charcoal suit with a perfectly knotted tie, though a hint of fatigue lingered in his features.


    "Sorry I''mte." His voice was rougher than normal, and he couldn''t help but cough twice after speaking.


    Byron immediately expressed concern. "Mr. Goodwin, are you feeling alright?"


    "I''m fine. Just a bit of a cold,"n said, waving it off, his gaze sweeping over the group.


    Faye quickly grabbed her phone and texted Vanessa, “Did you know Mr. Goodwin is sick?"


    "Yeah, he caught a chill the past couple of days," Vanessa replied.


    Faye''s imagination ran wild. Givenn''s usual resilience, it was hard to picture him catching a cold under ordinary circumstances. Did something... happen? Maybe Vanessa was on her period and couldn''t satisfy him, so he took a cold shower or something? She nced at the stoic, self-possessed man across from her, feeling her cheeks flush and quickly cut off her train of thought.


    Eleanor, meanwhile, calmly flipped through her files, as if the people and drama around her had nothing to do with her.


    The meeting began. Ian was as professional and focused as ever, though he coughed quietly every so often. Byron had Laird bring him a mug of warm water. Halfway through,n''s coughing worsened.


    "Mr. Goodwin, do you need to take a break?" Byron asked, worried.


    Several people looked over at Eleanor-after all,n was her ex-husband. Now that he was sick, surely she felt something for him.


    But Eleanor''s expression remained cool andposed, giving absolutely nothing away. If anything, she seemed even less concerned than anyone else in the room.