Catching Eleanor's reaction in her peripheral vision, Miranda let out a dramatic sigh. "Before my cousin-in-law passed away last time, I went to visit him. You know what his final wish was? He desperately wanted lan to have a house full of kids. He said he wanted at least three boys, but at the very bare minimum, they needed one."

"Well, naturally. An empire this massive can't survive without a boy to carry on the name," the socialite chimed in smoothly.

"It's been ten years, and his dying wish still hasn't been fulfilled. And I heard from Gina that Magdalen's final wish on her deathbed was exactly the same. She just wanted the Goodwins to have more children, especially a grandson! If they can't produce a boy, then two generations of this family have gone to their graves with broken hearts."

Miranda's voice wasn't a shout, but it was perfectly pitched for Eleanor to catch every single word. The hands resting on Eleanor's lap tightened into loose fists.

She had heard Magdalen's dying wish with her own ears. She hadn't known lan's father had died with the exact same regret.

"Oh, it's fine. Mr. Goodwin is still young. If he wants a boy, it's easy, right? He just needs to get to work," the socialite replied, thinking Miranda was being entirely too pessimistic. Given the Goodwin family's resources, having ten kids wouldn't be an issue, let alone three.

Miranda sighed again. "You don't understand. Gina is worried sick. I heard lan just has no interest in having more kids. It's been three years since his divorce, and he hasn't even looked at another woman."

"Men only wise up when they get older. He might seem fine now, but one day he'll wake up, realize the clock is ticking, and quickly find some fertile young girl to start having babies with," the socialite stated matter-of-factly.

Miranda glanced over and saw Eleanor was still listening. She sneered internally. With an ex-wife like Eleanor blocking the path, what other woman could even get close to lan?

Feigning sudden realization, Miranda turned her head and gasped in mock surprise. "Oh! Aren't you lan's ex-wife?"

Eleanor slowly lifted her head, her gaze calm and steady as it met Miranda's. "Yes. I am."

Miranda put on an overly sympathetic face. "I heard you and lan were thinking about getting back together. Oh, please don't take what I just said to heart! I was just gossiping. Having kids is all about timing and luck, anyway. Maybe you and lan will manage to—"

"Thank you for your concern," Eleanor cut in coolly.

"Oh dear, did I say something wrong? I really didn't mean to offend you!" Miranda backpedaled, looking incredibly pleased with herself.

She knew perfectly well that if Eleanor wanted to marry back into the Goodwins, she would have to produce a son.

She would have to keep trying until the family was satisfied. If she couldn't, or wouldn't, she'd be betraying the dying wishes of two generations of Goodwin elders.

Would the family even accept her then? If Eleanor had any sense, she'd walk away right now.

The socialite beside her finally realized what was happening and offered a quick, uncomfortable excuse. "Let's respect the dead and stop talking about their family business today."

Miranda felt a rush of victory. She had planted the seed; whether Eleanor chose to listen was up to her.

Just then, Gavin walked over and handed Eleanor a fresh cup of tea. "Miss Sutton, something warm to drink."

"Thank you, Gavin."

"Evelyn will be with Mr. Goodwin for a while longer," Gavin added.

Eleanor nodded. She took her tea

nodded.

and moved to a quieter spot under a large tree, Scanning the crowd, she spotted several familiar faces,

including the Browns Amomnet

later, she noticed Simone Langley and Dr. Lyman Brown walking together to pay their respects.

Eleanor quickly set her tea down and went to greet them as they stepped outside.

"Professor Langley, Dr. Lyman."

Simone looked genuinely pleased to see her. "Eleanor, it's been a while."

"It certainly has. I hear your lab is keeping you busy," Dr. Lyman added.

After a brief chat, Dr. Lyman excused himself to catch a meeting, leaving Simone to keep Eleanor company.

They inevitably touched upon Faye Yeaton's situation. Simone expressed deep regret, feeling immense pity and a lingering sense of responsibility as her former mentor.

Simone was also quite invested in Eleanor and lan's relationship. "Have you and lan made plans to remarry yet?" she asked gently.

Eleanor shook her head slightly. "I haven't thought about it."

And she wouldn't. Miranda's words had only cemented the truth Eleanor already knew.

The Goodwin family's future required a capable male heir to shoulder the empire alongside lan. That kind of suffocating burden shouldn't be forced onto her daughter's shoulders.

"You need to think about it! You've

already cleared up all the

1.n

misunderstandings from the past. Why are you hesitating when it comes to your

in happiness fo

Simone looked genuinely anxious her. Time waited for no one, and Eleanor and lan should be seizing this chance to enjoy their lives together.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Professor," Eleanor smiled gratefully. "How is your recovery coming along?"

"Oh, I'm practically back to normal.

By the way, I was just mentioning to

Dr. Lyman that I'd love for you to come give a lecture at the university next week. Do you think you have the time?"