Eleanor stepped aside. "Come in," she said, her voice t.


    Eleanor returned with a disposable cup of water and handed it to him. Ian took it without a second thought and drank it down. When he was finished, he held the empty cup out to her. "Could I have another?"


    She took the cup and refilled it. As she walked back, she saw his phone light up. He nced at the screen, silenced the call, and took the water from her. "I have to go," he said after finishing it.


    "Okay," she replied simply.


    Asn changed his shoes at the door, Princess darted out the moment he opened it, as if ready to run away with him.


    "Princess, get back here!" Eleanor called out, annoyed.


    The dog immediately bounded back inside, a clear sign of who held the authority in the house.


    Standing in the doorway,n was momentarily amused. A low chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Don''t cause trouble," he said to the pouting dog. Princess blinked her big eyes and let out a soft whine.


    Eleanor rubbed her temples and headed toward her daughter''s room.


    By the timen arrived at theb, Vanessa was already there, sitting amidst the cold, sterile equipment. Dressed in a cream-colored sweater and without any makeup, she looked pale and frail. The moment she saw him, she rushed toward him as if he were a lifeline.


    n, you''re finally here! I was starting to think you weren''ting."


    Suddenly, her sharp eyes caught sight of several long strands of dog hair clinging to the sleeve of his expensive, dark gray suit. The joy on Vanessa''s face froze, and a sharp pain pierced her heart. She had heard from Serena that Eleanor had a dog. Had he juste from her ce? A flicker of jealousy darkened her eyes.


    "We''re ready. We just need Miss Shannon to provide a blood sample."


    As Vanessa was having her blood drawn, her agent, Laverne, arrived. Laverne cleverly took a photo with her phone, capturing Vanessa''s pale, delicate face. She then zoomed out slightly, making sure to includen''s arm resting on the table in the frame-the rolled-up sleeve revealing a sapphire cufflink, a sliver of a man''s strong forearm, and a limited-edition watch. It was a picture that screamed wealth and power.


    Ten minutester, a new post appeared on Vanessa''s social media.


    "So d to have someone here with me. Suddenly, I''m not so scared anymore."


    Fifteen minutes after that, a message from Joy Thatcher popped up on Eleanor''s phone. "Ellie, is Vanessa pregnant?"


    Eleanor opened the photo. She


    zoomed in on the equipment behind


    Vanessa and recognized Dr. Smith''s


    the arm in the photo asn''s.


    "No, it''s a blood draw for a physical exam. For something else," Eleanor replied to her gossipy friend.


    "You scared me! I''m so sick of blood draws from my own pregnancy, I thought she was getting her early screening done," Joy wrote back.


    Eleanor looked at Vanessa''s post again. She''s twisting the truth with that photo. Definitely trying to make someone look at her in a certain way.