After a nonstop morning, the clock read two-thirty. Eleanor found herself fighting off sleepiness. She lifted her coffee mug for a fortifying sip and leaned back, letting her gaze drift out the window.
Mansfield''s image surfaced in her mind.
Seven days had passed in a sh, and there was still no word from him.
No texts, no calls.
Eleanor had thought about contacting the Ellington family, but she didn''t know in what capacity she could approach them.
Her rtionship with Mansfield was private, and until it was made public, she couldn''t reach out to his family on her own.
But she was genuinely worried about him.
As Eleanor was lost in thought, a low male voice suddenly came from behind her. "Are you worried about him?"
Eleanor jumped, turning to see the man who had entered at some point. She frowned slightly. "Next time you enter, please knock."
Eleanor returned to her seat and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"I''ve sent the detailed schedule for the tech forum to your email,"n said, noticing
the faint shadows under her eyes. He asked with concern, "Didn''t you sleep wellst night?"
"I''m fine," Eleanor replied, shuffling papers on her desk, clearly not wanting to discuss it.
Eleanor''s head snapped up. She was clearly desperate for any news about Mansfield, but the thought of him being the one to help made her shake her head. "No, thank you."
"It''s normal for someone of his rank to be unable to contact the outside world while on a mission. You don''t need to worry too much."
Before Eleanor could say anything,n continued, "I''ll ask about him for you."
With that, he turned and walked out of the office.
Eleanor clutched the documents in her hand, her heart a turmoil of mixed emotions. Her ex-husband helping her get news about he current boyfriendt felt strangely humiliating.
The office returned to its silence. Eleanor picked up her phone, wanting to send Mansfield a message, but ultimately put it down.
She couldn''t interfere with his mission.
Around four o''clock,n walked into
the main lobby. Eleanor was at the front desk signing for a package, and they ran into each other unexpectedly.
Eleanor instinctively paused, her lips pressed together, her eyes holding a flicker of anticipation she didn''t even realize was there.
Eleanor''s fingertips tightened unconsciously. "Is there—any news about him?" she asked softly.
"The mayor said there''s no concrete
news at the moment," he reported honestly. Seeing the sh of disappointment in her eyes, he quickly added, "But no news is good news. At his level if something had really happened, his family would have been notified immediately."
Eleanor lowered her gaze and murmured a soft, "Okay," before adding, "Thank you."
Eleanor nodded and turned to leave.
Asn watched her walk away, he said in a low voice, "I''m going to pick up Evelyn now."
Eleanor''s steps faltered. She nced back at him.
Could it be that he had made a special trip to theb just to give her news about Mansfield?
For a moment, Eleanor was left speechless.