Chapter 19
Her friend’s words left Eleanor deep in thought–she really didn’t have the upper hand to fight for custody right now.
“I’ve always been the type to mend fences, not break them,” Joy leaned in, whispering advice. “Men like lan, with his status, are bound to have their flings. Don’t let it eat you up, darling. Maybe… have another baby with him? A son, perhaps?”
Eleanor lifted her head and smiled. “I’ll be just fine without him. In fact, I’ll be better off.”
Just then, her phone rang. She stood up and walked out to take the call. “Hello? Jude?”
“Ellie, do you have a minute? There’s a meeting at the research building. Can you come by?”
“Sure, I’ll be right there,” Eleanor replied.
The meeting was personally called by Dr. Lyman, a renowned physician whose word carried weight throughout the medical research community. With his reputation, everyone was quick to respond.
When Eleanor arrived, Jude Vaughn waved her over to sit beside him. Four familiar faces caught her eye–classmates from Ashford Medical School. She’d dropped out halfway through her sophomore year, just after finding out she was pregnant. She’d had her daughter soon after, and to outsiders, it looked like she’d thrown herself completely into family life.
Seeing her walk into the conference room, her former classmates stared at her in surprise and suspicion.
When the meeting ended, Eleanor hurried to pick up her daughter. As she left, her classmate Gwenda called out, “Eleanor! Long time no see–it’s been, what, six years?”
Eleanor smiled. “It’s been a while.”
“Eleanor, what brought you to this meeting?” another tall girl asked.
“I was invited by Dr. Lyman,” Eleanor answered.
She remembered her well–Faye Yeaton, a striking, accomplished woman from their year.
Glancing at her watch, Eleanor said, “Sorry, I’ve got to run. Something urgent came up.”
As she walked away, a male voice behind her, just loud enough to hear, sneered, “What makes her qualified to join this project?”
“Exactly,” another chimed in. “She didn’t even graduate. So what was the point of all our hard work?”
Gwenda’s voice cut in, “Maybe you should check who her father is before you start running your mouths.”
That afternoon, Eleanor took Princess to pick up her daughter from school. As expected, her
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Chapter 19
little girl was delighted. Back home, Princess and Evelyn raced across the grassy garden, their laughter and the dog’s excited barks weaving together in the warm air. Eleanor sat nearby with a book, a gentle smile curling on her lips.
At six, lan came home, suit jacket slung over his arm. The gray vest hugged his lean frame, and his tailored dress pants showed off legs that could rival any top male model.
Eleanor was in the living room, watching cartoons with Evelyn. When lan walked in, she glanced up, then calmly returned her gaze to the TV, as if the childish animation was far more captivating than the man himself.
“Daddy!” Evelyn squealed, running over and launching herself into his arms with toddler enthusiasm.
lan bent down and ruffled her hair, unable to resist kissing her cheek. “Were you good today?”
“Super good! I finished my dinner first–my teacher even called me the ‘Clean Plate Champion!” Evelyn declared with pride.
lan tweaked her nose, grinning. “Is that so? Let me take a quick shower and then I’ll come play with you.”
“Okay!” Evelyn dashed back to the cartoons.
Eleanor’s nose wrinkled–she caught a faint trace of perfume lingering in the air, and it irked her. Clearly, after she’d turned lan down last night, he hadn’t wasted any time finding Vanessa to satisfy his needs.
At nine, Eleanor was in her study on the third floor, busy typing up a report. The door swung open. She thought it was her daughter, but when she looked up, it was lan who stepped inside.
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