"I''ll treat you to dinner when you get back," Eleanor replied.


    "Okay, I''ll be waiting," Mansfield texted back instantly.


    Eleanor returned to her study, ced her phone aside, and opened herptop to check her emails. Gina was scheduled to start her infusions next Monday. Her condition was severe and would require assessment based on various data points.


    Around seven o''clock, Joslyn came upstairs. "Ma''am, dinner is ready."


    "Joslyn, could you please go downstairs and get Evelyn?" Eleanor asked, not wanting to go down herself.


    Joslyn smiled. "Of course-" She hesitated at the door, as if she had something more to say.


    Eleanor looked up at her, guessing what she wanted to ask, and frowned. "Don''t invite him up."


    Joslyn''s smile faltered, but she nodded. "Understood."


    Five minutester, Evelyn''s voice echoed from the living room downstairs.


    Eleanor got up and went down to have dinner with her daughter.


    "Mommy, Princess is still at Daddy''s house!" Evelyn said.


    Eleanor''s brow furrowed. "We''ll get Princesster tonight."


    "But Daddy is all alone. I want Princess to keep himpany. Mommy, please let Princess stay at Daddy''s house!" Evelyn pleaded, tugging at her hand on her father''s behalf.


    Eleanor sighed in resignation. "Alright. Let''s eat first."


    After dinner, Eleanor went back upstairs to work. Evelyn, however, pestered Joslyn to take her downstairs again and stayed there ying until nine. Just as Eleanor went to the entryway to get her, she heard her daughter''s voice outside.


    She opened the door to seen leading her daughter upstairs. Princess was not with them.


    "Please bring Princess up," Eleanor said, annoyed. Princess was her pet, and she didn''t want to lend her out.


    "Mommy, you promised you''d let Princess keep Daddypany," Evelyn said, looking up with her big, innocent eyes.


    Eleanor was at a loss for words. She had vaguely agreed before dinner. She quickly tried to find an excuse. "Your daddy''s house doesn''t have a dog bed—"


    "Yes, it does! Daddy already had Uncle Gavin deliver a beautiful dog bed. Princess loves it!" Evelyn said happily.


    Eleanor felt a knot of frustration in her chest, but she couldn''t lose her temper in front of her daughter. "Fine," she finally said.


    "Goodnight, Daddy," Evelyn said sweetly, waving atn.


    "Goodnight." Ian''s gaze was soft. He then looked up at Eleanor, a gentle light in his deep eyes. "You two get some rest."


    Eleanor didn''t respond and closed the door.


    Whenn opened his door, Princess immediately trotted over to greet him.n went to a cab, took out dog food and a bowl, filled it, and ced it in front of her. Princess immediately started eating_O earnestly.


    At ten o''clock,n was watching a game. Princess hopped onto the sofa and curled up beside him, resting herrge snout on his leg, enjoying the feeling of his hand stroking her fur.


    Early the next morning, as Eleanor opened the door to take her daughter to school, she saw a tall, elegant figure leaning against the wall outside, a dog lying at his feet.


    Before Eleanor could react, Evelyn cried out in delight, "Daddy! Princess!"


    Eleanor instinctively started to refuse. "You don''t have to. I—"


    "It''s no trouble," Ian interrupted her, his voice gentle but firm. "You should have a proper breakfast before heading to theb."


    "Mommy, please let Daddy take me! I want to go to school with Daddy," Evelyn pleaded, her little face full of expectation as she looked at Eleanor.


    Faced with her daughter''s sparkling eyes, Eleanor swallowed the refusal on the tip of her tongue.


    "Say goodbye to Mommy," Ian told his daughter.


    "Bye-bye, Mommy!" Evelyn waved happily.


    Princess trotted into the apartment, wagging her tail cheerfully at Eleanor. Eleanor red at the dog. It felt liken was slowly chipping away at the boundaries she had set.


    Especially with her daughter growing more and more attached to him, Eleanor ran


    a hand through her hair, grabbed her bag, and left for theb.


    At ten in the morning, Eleanor was still in the tab when she saw Serena standing outside the door, waving at her. Eleanor opened the heavyb door and asked with a frown What, is it?"


    "Ellie, she''s here," Serena said, a hateful look in her eyes. "She''s here to see Dr. Smith."


    Eleanor immediately understood who Serena was talking about. Vanessa was probably here to see Smith about terminating her donation contract.


    "Ellie, you don''t think she''s here to cause trouble at theb, do you?" Serena said angrily, clenching her fists.


    "Let''s go see," Eleanor said calmly.


    As Eleanor approached Smith''s office, she heard Vanessa''s raised voice from inside, filled with intense emotion. "What do you mean you can make that decision? Thats not what you said when we signed the contract! My health is failing. I can''t continue to donate. Are you trying to kill me?"