There were a few seconds of silence on the other end. "Why be so formal with me?"


    "I''m hanging up," Eleanor said before ending the call. Just then, Lanny''s figure appeared at her car window. She rolled it down, and Lanny looked at her apologetically. "Miss Sutton, I''m so sorry. Did we startle you?"


    "A little, yes," Eleanor admitted with a nod.


    "Mr. Goodwin was very concerned for your safety, so he assigned us to protect you discreetly for a month. He was worried you''d object, so we didn''t inform you beforehand," Lanny continued. "He doesn''t want a repeat of what happened two years ago with that car."


    Eleanor froze. "Two years ago... you were protecting me then, too?"


    Lanny nodded. "Yes. When Mr. Goodwin heard that Drew from the chemical nt had someone run you off the road, he arranged for us to protect you discreetly. We only withdrew after Drew was imprisoned and we confirmed there were no other threats."


    Eleanor was stunned. She remembered being on high alert for over a month after that terrifying incident. It wasn''t until she heard the news that the head of the chemical nt had been sentenced that she finally started to rx.


    So,n Goodwin had been having her protected all that time.


    "Miss Sutton, Drew is about to be released from prison. We will be here to ensure your safety from the moment he''s out. Please don''t worry," Lanny said.


    Eleanor nodded lightly. "Thank you. I appreciate it."


    "It''s our duty," Lanny said with a slight bow. "Miss Sutton, would you like me to drive for you?"


    "No, that''s alright. I can manage," Eleanor replied. Knowing it was Lanny''s car, she finally felt at ease.


    On the ride home, Eleanor''s emotions were tangled. She had to admit to herself: whilen hadn''t been the perfect husband, he had always been a responsible father.


    When Eleanor got home, she sawn and Evelyn ying with Princess on the balcony. Seeing her walk in,n stood up and came over. "I assume Lanny spoke with you. Is the misunderstanding cleared up?"


    Eleanor nodded. "Yes, we met." After a brief pause, she added softly, "Thank you for the protection."


    "Mommy, can Daddy stay for dinner?" Evelyn asked, skipping over.


    Looking at her daughter''s hopeful face and thinking about the protectionn was


    providing, Eleanor nodded. "Alright. I''ll go let Joslyn know."


    In truth, Eleanor didn''t need to say anything. Joslyn had already overheard. The moment Eleanor entered the kitchen Joslyn smiled. "Ma''am, as it happens, I bought some of Mr. Goodwin''s favorite dishes today!"


    "Great, thank you for making a couple of extra dishes." When Eleanor came out, she heard her daughter''s giggles from the balcony, punctuated by Princess''s yful barks.


    Evelyn excitedly tugged onn''s hand, pleading, "Daddy, pick me up, pick me up!" Ian scooped his daughter up, and Princess started pawing at his leg, her tongue lolling out as if she wanted to be held too.


    Holding his daughter with one arm,n stroked Princess''s head with his other hand. Princess let out a soft whine seemingly no longer intimidated by the master of the


    house''s imposing presence.


    Just then, Eleanor''s phone rang. She walked over and saw it was a call from Joy Thatcher.


    She answered with a light tone, "Hey, have you eaten yet?"


    "Already ate, you busy bee. Are you off work?"


    "Yeah, just got home a little while ago."


    "Why didn''t you ever tell me having a kid was this exhausting? Being a new parent


    is no joke," Joymented from the other end.


    Eleanor chuckled and sat on the


    sofa, sharing some advice with Joy. On the balcony, behind the


    floor-to-ceiling windows, a pair on et


    deep eyes watched her. As he


    observed the woman on the sofa chatting on her phone with a smile that looked as if she were flirting with a lover, a shadow of disappointment crossed the man''s


    face.


    resigning himself to something.