Eleanor's steps subconsciously faltered. She looked around, searching for Ellington, but lan was already walking toward her. "Don't bother looking," he said in a low voice. "I'm the one picking you up."

Eleanor frowned. "Why are you here? Where's Evelyn?"

"Serena picked Evelyn up to have dinner at my place," lan said, naturally reaching out to take the laptop bag from her hand. He practically had to take it from her, a mix of gentle force and her resigned compliance.

"Did you see him?" lan asked, his voice low and steady.

"Yes," Eleanor nodded, a hint of weariness in her brow, but also a sense of settled determination in her eyes.

In the crowd, a paparazzi photographer had been focused on Eleanor since she appeared. He had originally been there to stalk a celebrity but had gotten lucky, catching the moment the billionaire lan Goodwin quietly came to greet his ex-wife.

Moreover, the thoughtful care lan showed in every gesture suggested that the high- profile divorce from two years ago might have a chance of being reversed.

"You must be tired. The car's outside," lan said, not pressing for more details, and turned to lead the way.

Eleanor walked beside him, looking at his broad, straight back. For a moment, her mind seemed to go still. In the middle of the bustling crowd, the tightness in her chest began to ease.

Once inside the car, the outside noise was cut off. The enclosed space was filled with a faint, crisp scent that was uniquely his-he had driven himself.

lan didn't start the car immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at her. "Did it go well?"

Eleanor didn't refuse to talk about it with him; after all, he was the one leading the research for Mansfield's rescue. "The meeting went smoothly. The expert panel generally approved my proposal."

lan nodded, then started the car and drove onto the brightly lit airport road.

The car fell into a brief silence. Ian glanced at Eleanor's expression in the rearview mirror and saw her with her eyes closed, as if she were truly exhausted.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat out or go straight home?" he asked.

"I want to go home and rest," Eleanor replied, opening her eyes to meet his gaze in the mirror.

"Alright." Ian didn't say more, just steadily steered the car in the direction of Cloudcrest Manor.

The car fell silent again, but this time the atmosphere was different. Eleanor's resistance towards lan had clearly vanished. They seemed to have found an anchor for peaceful coexistence.

The car drove into Cloudcrest Manor and stopped in front of Eleanor's building.

It was still early, so lan didn't plan on picking up their daughter just yet. He carried Eleanor's laptop bag and walked her to the door. As Eleanor took the bag, she hesitated for a moment ther looked at Him. Have, you eaten?

lan's eyes flickered. "Not yet," he said honestly.

Eleanor thought about how he had missed dinner just to pick her up and asked subconsciously, "Do you want to come in and have Joslyn cook some noodles?"

lan's eyes lit up. He nodded almost without hesitation. "Okay."

Eleanor pushed open the door to her

warm home. Joslyn came to greet

them, and seeing the two of them

arrive together without Evelyn, she guessed lan must have picked

Eleanor up from the airport.

"Joslyn, could you please cook two bowls of noodle soup for us?" Eleanor asked.

Joslyn's face lit up with joy. "Of course, I'll get right on it," she said, then turned to lan. "Mr. Goodwin, please have a seat."

"Don't worry about me," lan said with

a low chuckle. He saw Princess wagging her tail at his feet, so he crouched down and couldn't resist petting her Princess became even more affectionate.