The elevator doors chimed open, and the two stepped inside. The enclosed space shut out the air from the lobby. lan hit the button for his office floor, and the elevator began its smooth ascent.

In the cramped quarters, the smell of alcohol mixed with the man's cedarwood cologne grew increasingly potent.

lan leaned against the back wall, turning his head to watch the floor numbers tick

up. Under the harsh white lights, his profile looked sharp and defined.

Eleanor stood on the other side of the cab, lost in her own thoughts.

With a *ding*, the doors slid open.

A female assistant carrying a stack of files was walking down the hall. Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boss, she hastily offered a greeting. "Good afternoon, Mr. Goodwin."

Then she spotted Eleanor and added, "Good afternoon, Miss Sutton."

Eleanor gave her a faint smile and a nod, clutching her purse as she followed lan toward his office.

Ian walked into his spacious office. Sunlight flooded in through the massive floor-to- ceiling windows, casting a blinding glare. He immediately walked over, grabbed a remote control, and closed the blinds behind the couch.

He turned back to Eleanor. "Rest on the couch for a bit. The meeting has been pushed back an hour, so you can catch a quick nap."

With that, he rolled up his shirt sleeves and tugged at his tie, eventually pulling it all the way off and tossing it onto the sofa before undoing the top two buttons of his shirt.

lan hit a button on his intercom and asked an assistant to bring in some water and a fruit platter.

Eleanor was indeed feeling a bit sleepy. There was something inexplicably lethargic about summer afternoons. She sat down and massaged her temples.

A moment later, the assistant brought in the drinks. Eleanor picked up a glass of refreshing water and took a sip, trying to perk herself up.

lan came over and sat down. He grabbed a glass as well, took a sip, and sighed softly. "My stomach is acting up."

Eleanor turned to look at him. "Don't you have any stomach medicine handy?"

"No." lan took another sip of water. "It's fine, it'll pass."

Eleanor stared at him, at a loss for words. "You should really just have someone go buy you some!"

Seeing her show concern for him, lan smiled. "Alright, I'll have Gavin run out and get some."

With that, he stood up, grabbed his phone, and dialed Gavin's number.

Eleanor pulled out her phone to check her messages. The office was dead quiet as the two of them sat in

silence. lan rested his head on his hand his eyes fixed ly

Eleanor.

Feeling his gaze, she looked up at him. "Stop staring and go lie down in your room for a bit."

After all, he still had a shareholder meeting to lead later.

lan scoffed softly. "Do you think I'm an old man? I just turned thirty."

Eleanor gave him a speechless once-over and didn't hold back her assessment. "You're not an old man,

Asi

you're a three-year old child. You're acting completely childish and unreasonable."

A look of surprise crossed lan's handsome face before he burst out laughing,

shaking his head in defeat. "Fine, I admit it."

His behavior today had indeed been extremely childish, but he couldn't help himself.

lan's eyes darkened as they settled on her

ratie. "If I kept acting like a al adult, you probably whet

even spare me a second glance."

Eleanor averted her eyes back to her phone screen, not wanting to respond.

A while later, Gavin arrived with a box of stomach medicine. Ian unboxed it himself,

popped two pills, and swallowed them down with some water.

Once he was done, he turned to Eleanor. "I'm going to go lie down in the lounge. You"

"I'll just rest on the couch," Eleanor answered immediately.

lan didn't push the issue. He glanced at his watch. "If you're still awake, wake me up at two-thirty."