Evelyn ran over to Eleanor and placed the cake on her desk. "For you, Mom."

A wave of warmth rushed through Eleanor's chest. She affectionately ruffled her daughter's hair and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Dad said you love this kind, so we went out of our way to get it for you," Evelyn announced happily.

lan walked into the room, glancing at the documents on her computer screen. "Still working?"

"Just tying up some loose ends for the day," Eleanor said, checking the time. "I'm almost done."

"I'll have Joslyn draw Evelyn a bath, and then I'll watch her," Ian offered.

"Okay," Eleanor agreed.

Eleanor went back to her typing. Under the warm glow of the desk lamp, that slice of tiramisu sat beside her, a comforting companion.

She couldn't resist opening the box and taking a bite, and it was so good she immediately went in for a second and third.

Around nine-thirty, Eleanor could hear her daughter singing in the bathroom. She headed downstairs for a glass of water. In the high-ceilinged living room, lan was lounging on the sofa, watching a sports game.

Eleanor poured her water and walked over to the living area. Ian's gaze shifted to her. She was wearing simple loungewear, her long hair cascading loosely over her shoulders. Despite the faint traces of exhaustion from a long day's work, she exuded a breathtaking, tranquil beauty.

"I've already arranged the gift for tomorrow's gala," lan said. "It'll be from both of us."

Eleanor blinked. She had never been good at handling formal gifts. "Thanks for taking care of that," she said gratefully.

"Of course," lan smiled. He then added, "Be ready around four tomorrow afternoon to visit a boutique. I've had some dresses prepared for you."

Eleanor looked at him, instinctively wanting to refuse, but she quickly swallowed the words. She nodded instead. "Alright."

lan continued, "Tomorrow... we'll likely run into some media. If any reporters ask questions you don't want to answer, just ignore them."

Eleanor paused. She had always kept the press at arm's length.

"I understand," she replied.

Just then, Eleanor caught the distinct, pungent scent of herbal medicine wafting from the kitchen. She turned her head toward the smell, then looked back at him. "You asked Joslyn to brew that medicine for you?"

lan gave an easy smile. "Yeah. I figured I'd give it a shot."

Eleanor walked into the kitchen, lifted the lid of the pot to sniff the boiling brew, and then returned to the living room.

"Smells awful," she commented. She had always despised the bitter taste of herbal remedies.

"The best medicine usually is," Ian replied, holding her gaze, entirely unfazed.

A moment later, Evelyn came charging down the stairs like a tiny cannonball. Dressed in adorable bunny pajamas with freshly dried hair, she launched herself straight into lan's arms.

"Dad, I'm all clean and smell good!"

lan caught her with a booming laugh and took a dramatic sniff of her hair. "Mhm, you smell great."

Watching them, Eleanor was suddenly struck by a memory of when Evelyn was just over a year old. The toddler used to constantly shove her chubby little feet into lan's face, demanding he smell them before she'd burst into giggles.

In the blink of an eye, that chubby toddler had blossomed into a proper little girl.

Spending so much time isolated in the lab made these grounding, ordinary moments of domestic life feel incredibly precious and heartwarming.

After they played in the living room for a bit, Joslyn walked over carrying a steaming bowl of dark liquid. "Ian, your medicine is ready."

Evelyn pinched her nose tight. "Dad, what is that? It smells so gross!"

"It's herbal medicine. It's a bit bitter," Ian explained.

"Why do you have to drink something so gross?" Evelyn asked, eyes wide with concern. "Are you sick, Dad?"

lan chuckled softly. "No, sweetie. Dad just wants to turn his hair back to its original color."

"Does Mom not like your hair this way?" Evelyn asked, then spun around to look at Eleanor. "Mom, do you think Dad looks bad?"

She was, of course, referring to his silver-gray hair.

Eleanor was completely caught off guard by the abrupt question and instinctively looked over at lan.

Bathed in the warm, yellow light, his silver hair contrasted sharply with his pale skin and striking features giving him a deeply sophisticated. commanding presence. He didn't look any less handsome than when his hair had been pitch black.

"No," Eleanor answered gently.

Evelyn turned back to her father. "See, Dad? Mom and I both think you look great!"

lan paused, holding the bowl mid-air. He lifted his gaze to Eleanor. Even

though he knew they were only

talking about his hair, it felt as ifet

feather had lightly brushed across his heart, sending a profound warmth spreading through chest.

"Thank you, sweetie," lan murmured, ruffling her hair. "But I still want to try and get my old color back."

With that, lan lifted the bowl and downed the foul concoction in one go.

Evelyn's face filled with profound pity as she watched her poor father suffer. She quickly grabbed a glass of water from the table. "Is it bitter, Dad?"

"...It's not that bad," lan managed to choke out as he set the empty bowl down. He gratefully took the water from his daughter and took a few large gulps, though his expression betrayed his discomfort.

Standing nearby, Eleanor watched

his grimace and couldn't fight the urge to laugh. Just as the corners of her mouth twitched upward, the mancaught her dead in the ac

Amusement danced in larso

in

eyes-so she liked watching him suffer, did she?

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Joslyn hurried over with a plate of fresh fruit. "Here, lan, have some fruit to wash the

taste away."

It seemed no one noticed that Joslyn had entirely dropped the formal "Sir" and was simply calling him by his first name now.