Just as lan finished the drink, a waiter carrying a tray walked by and nearly bumped into Eleanor.

Eleanor noticed it just in time and took a slight step back, but a warm, large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Although his grip was loose, it carried a weight and a possessiveness that were impossible to ignore.

Eleanor stiffened and looked up at lan.

He looked entirely casual. "Are you alright?"

To anyone else, it seemed like the most natural gesture in the world.

But Eleanor knew it wasn't.

This man was using his actions to tell her that he was fully exercising his newly won privileges.

"Mr. Goodwin and Dr. Sutton truly are—a perfect pair!" the middle-aged man complimented them with a smile.

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat. After the man walked away, she gently pushed lan off. At the very least, she didn't want to look overly intimate in front of a crowd.

lan was sensible enough to give her space. After all, everything he had done just now was just to confirm that Eleanor had tacitly accepted his 'crossing the line.'

lan stepped away to take a phone call, and Eleanor went over to chat with Gwenda and the rest of the team.

The celebration went smoothly. Everyone was drinking, chatting, and having a fantastic time.

Just then, an assistant walked over to Eleanor. "Ms. Sutton, I saw Mr. Goodwin on the balcony earlier, and it looked like his stomach was bothering him. Do you want to take him somewhere to rest?"

Eleanor was taken aback. She walked out to the balcony and found lan gripping the railing, pressing a hand to his stomach as he fought through obvious pain.

"What's wrong?" Eleanor asked, stepping closer.

"I don't know why, but my stomach is killing me. Probably a bad mix of drinks today," lan said, taking a sharp breath.

"Let's get you a room so you can lie down," Eleanor offered.

"Don't you have a private suite upstairs? Would that be alright?" lan looked at her.

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. Knowing exactly what she was thinking, lan gave a helpless smile and raised hand promise just need to fie down. I won't do anything out of line"

Eleanor figured that no matter what room they booked, she would have to look after him anyway, so she might as well take him to hers.

"Can you walk? Or do you need me to help you?" she asked.

lan chuckled faintly. "I can manage."

Eleanor went over to let Joel know Joel looked concerned and walked over to lan Mr Goodwin, are you

alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No need. I just need to go upstairs and rest for a bit. I'll leave this to you," lan replied.

"Eleanor, why don't you take Mr. Goodwin up to rest?" Joel suggested.

Eleanor nodded. "We'll be going then."

Suddenly, lan slung a long arm over Eleanor's shoulder, acting as though he needed her support just to stand straight.

Eleanor saw right through him. He was doing it on purpose just to show off in front of Joel.

Once they were in the elevator, lan consciously leaned back against the wall, looking at Eleanor. "Thank you."

"Don't drink like that next time," she scolded lightly.

At the same time, she called Ellington and asked him to send someone out to buy a specific brand of stomach medicine.

They arrived at Eleanor's private suite. It was cleaned and maintained year-round, looking neat and orderly.

lan sat down on the sofa, and Eleanor poured him a glass of warm water.

As she handed it to him, his large hand reached out and grasped both the glass and

her hand at the same time. "Thank you."