Eleanor arrived at theb that afternoon, and Joel had already heard she''d been invited to the conference. He wasn''t just envious-he was genuinely happy for her; this invitation was proof that Eleanor''s expertise was finally being recognized. "Joel, I''ll have to trouble you with theb work for a while. I''ll try to get back as soon as I can," Eleanor said as she packed up some notes.


    "Don''t worry about it," Joel replied with a warm grin. "It''s not every day you get a chance to go abroad. Take some time for yourself-have some fun, clear your head a bit."


    Eleanor nodded. "I''m taking Evelyn with me this time."


    "In that case, you should definitely enjoy yourselves. Do you have someone to help watch her?" Joel asked, his concern genuine.


    "Ian''sing as well," Eleanor admitted, not bothering to hide it.


    Joel paused, his expression shifting for a moment. He couldn''t help but recall all ofn''s behavior after the divorce. Before,n barely seemed to care; but now, suddenly, he showed up everywhere in Eleanor''s life. It was shameless, honestly. Still, Eleanor had told him inlyst time-she had no intention of getting back together. Whatevern was doing was pointless; Eleanor had her own path, and nothingn did could change that.


    Yet, Joel couldn''t deny one thing:n''s presence, for better or worse, had helped shape the brilliant, confident Eleanor standing before him now. Of course,n had benefitted too—his biotechpany, though not yet public, was already worth billions, much of that sess built on Eleanor''s research.


    After hesitating, Joel finally decided to voice his concern. "Just... be careful aroundn, okay?"


    Eleanor smiled, understanding exactly what he meant. "You don''t have to worry.n''s justing as Evelyn''s father. That''s all there is to it."


    With the triping up fast, Eleanor headed home early to pack. Just as she was finishing up, her phone rang-it was Gavin.


    "Ms. Sutton, we''d nned to use Mr. Goodwin''s private jet, but the clearance would take a week. I''ve bookedmercial tickets for all of us tonight at ten-thirty. We''ll head out together."


    Eleanor thanked him, grateful for his efficiency. That settled it; she''d travel with her daughter and Gavin.


    She picked Evelyn up from school, and on the drive home, told her about the trip. Evelyn''s eyes sparkled with excitement-she''d get to go skiing abroad with both her mom and dad.


    "Do you like skiing, Evelyn?" Eleanor asked, ncing at her daughter in the rearview mirror.


    "I do!" Evelyn replied brightly. Somewhere in her young mind was a fuzzy memory of skiing before-she remembered Mrs. Shannon being there, but the details were hazy. She almost mentioned it, but then remembered those were times her mom hadn''t been around, so she puffed out her cheeks and stayed quiet.


    Eleanor didn''t notice anything amiss in her daughter''s reply.


    When they got home, Joslyn had already packed their suitcases. After a quick meal, Gavin arrived at seven-thirty to drive them to the airport.


    As soon as they pulled up to the departures drop-off, Eleanor opened the car door and spottedn''s tall figure waiting outside. He reached in and scooped Evelyn up into his arms.


    "Daddy!" Evelyn squealed, hugging him tightly.


    Eleanor nced over as Gavin started unloading the luggage. She moved to help, but another pair of hands joined in. "Ms. Sutton, please, let us take care of it. You should rest," a gentle voice said.


    She recognized the speaker-Lanny, one ofn''s bodyguards. He was rarely in the spotlight, but he''d been byn''s side for six or seven years now.