"Let go," Eleanor said softly.

lan promptly released her hand and took the cup, sipping the water.

After finishing it, he was clearly still unwell. His voice was laced with a raspy exhaustion, "Can I lie down here for a bit?"

"Go ahead and sleep," Eleanor replied. Seeing the fine sheen of cold sweat on his forehead, she knew he wasn't faking it.

She went to the closet and pulled out a blanket. Ian lay down, resting his head on a throw pillow, and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Ellington had personally brought the stomach medicine up. He expressed his concern, "Is Mr. Goodwin doing alright?"

Eleanor gave a slight nod. "He's fine."

After closing the door, Eleanor poured another glass of warm water. She popped two pills out of the blister pack and placed them in her palm. "Take your medicine before you sleep."

lan slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, took the pills from her, and swallowed them with the water.

As he lay back down, Eleanor turned to leave, but lan suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't go," he muttered softly.

He thought she was going to leave him there and head back down to the banquet.

Eleanor looked back at him. "I'm not leaving. Just going to get some water."

Only then did lan slowly loosen his grip. Relieved, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Eleanor stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with a glass of water. The night view was stunning, a bright full moon hanging high in the sky. She glanced back at the sofa; lan seemed to have fallen completely asleep.

She turned off the main lights, leaving only two warm wall sconces on, and sat down in the single-seater sofa to check her phone.

After replying to a few emails, she felt a wave of fatigue. She set her phone down and leaned back quietly against the cushions.

Outside, moonlight bathed the city in a silver glow. Inside, the room was perfectly peaceful.

Evelyn was staying at Goodwin Manor tonight, so Eleanor didn't have to worry about picking her up.

Around 10 PM, the man on the sofa finally shifted and slowly opened his eyes.

Though his gaze was still groggy from sleep, he immediately started searching the room with an anxious urgency.

It wasn't until he spotted Eleanor still sitting in the armchair by the window that his heart finally settled.

"You're awake." Eleanor walked over to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." lan sat up, realizing

vel

that his stomach was no longer bothering him. He rubbed his

temples and checked his watch. He had actually slept for two hours,

"Thank you for the trouble. You stayed here with me the whole time." Ian looked at her, his eyes full of gratitude.

"It's nothing." Eleanor went to pour him another glass of warm water. "Have some more water."

lan took it and drank half. He looked at her and asked, "Do you still want to go home? Or..."

He left the question hanging. After all, this was a full suite. Even if she didn't want to commute, there was more than enough room for them to stay the night.

"Let's head back," Eleanor said clearly. "I have some documents at home that I need

to bring to the lab tomorrow."

lan's gaze rested on her deeply. "Alright, I'll call Gavin."

"No need. I'll have Ellington arrange a car for us," Eleanor said.

Ten minutes later, a black sedan was waiting for them at the hotel entrance.

They arrived at Cloudcrest Manor around 11 PM. As they walked into the residential

complex, the landscaped gardens were exceptionally quiet.

The elevator brought them straight to the 27th floor. Ian stepped out first. He turned around, his eyes filled with gratitude and an even deeper, profound emotion

"I had a great time today," he said.