The situation with Vanessa continued to escalate, grabbing the top spot on the trending newsfeeds. Not even the high-profile divorce of a major celebrity could knock her scandal out of the headlines.

Vanessa's move was ruthless-faking a charity project was the kind of transgression that struck a nerve with the public, guaranteeing an uproar the moment it hit the news.

The scandal centered on a children's education program Vanessa had joined the year before. Someone exposed severe financial discrepancies: of the half a million dollars supposedly donated, less than fifty thousand had actually reached the charity.

"This is absolutely staged by Vanessa's own team," Joy fumed over the phone. "They leaked this dirt themselves. Why? To dump the blame on you? To make lan hate you even more?"

Eleanor couldn't agree more.

Vanessa was playing the victim card so dramatically, it was obvious she wanted to sway lan's opinion and spin her own reputation at the same time.

At eight-thirty, Xavier arrived to pick up Vivian. Seeing the worried look on Eleanor's face, he couldn't help but ask, "Is something on your mind?"

Eleanor gave a small shake of her head. "Thanks, I'm fine."

He studied this gentle, slender woman, sensing the quiet resilience beneath her delicate exterior. It made his heart ache for her.

"If

f you need anything, just say the word," Xavier offered in his deep, steady voice.

Eleanor nodded, watching as he took Vivian's hand and walked away.

The next day at noon, Vanessa's team released an official-looking set of donation records online, tagging several well-known oversight organizations to supervise

the process.

Within hours, those organizations published their own reports, confirming that Vanessa's donations were legitimate and warning against spreading false rumors.

Suddenly, the public opinion turned on a dime. Vanessa went from being dragged through the mud to being praised as the true face of charity work-worthy of the "Charity Ambassador" title after all.

She had taken Eleanor's threat and used it to reinforce her own public persona.

Even if Eleanor had forced her to relinquish her ambassador role this year, Vanessa would find her way back into the spotlight next year—or the year after, if it came to that.

"She's got some nerve. She even managed to turn this into a PR win," Joy grumbled, frustrated.

That afternoon, Eleanor carved out some time to attend a weekly meeting at the Vesper Joy Hotel. Ellington was running the company smoothly; all Eleanor needed to do was review and sign off on key decisions.

Ellington had been Xavier's recommendation, and Eleanor trusted him completely.

Mid-meeting, her phone buzzed. Joy had sent over a screenshot.

In the image, Vanessa had posted a photo of herself, gently holding a necklace. Her eyes were red at the corners, but her smile was soft and sweet. The caption read: "Thank you to all my friends and fans for your concern. I'm okay. Someone once told me, even when life is hard, stay strong."

Fans were quick to ask who that "someone" was. Vanessa replied beneath the post, "As for who it is, I won't say!"

"Our queen has someone to care for her-now we can rest easy."

"Exactly. She deserves to be treated like a princess."

"She really does look upset. Look, her eyes are all red from crying."

Joy fired off a message, furious: "Ugh, do you think that 'someone' is lan?"

Eleanor read the message calmly and replied, "Joy, let's talk later. I'm in a meeting."

"Okay, finish your meeting first," Joy texted back.

After the meeting, Eleanor checked the time. Only three-thirty. She decided to relax in the café downstairs.

Ellington approached her. "Ms. Sutton, Mr. Vaughn is here."

Eleanor was startled. She looked up to see Xavier approaching in a dark suit. Standing up in surprise, she greeted him, "Mr. Vaughn, what brings you here?"

"I heard you had a meeting here, so I thought I'd stop by. Hope you don't mind?"

Eleanor smiled and nodded. "Please, have a seat."

Xavier ordered a coffee, his eyes lingering on Eleanor's tired expression. Concerned, he asked, "Is everything going well at work?"

"Mr. Ellington is doing a great job. No complaints," Eleanor replied, grateful for the excellent referral.

Xavier smiled. "Glad to hear I didn't recommend the wrong person."

Eleanor stood up. "I'll go ask someone to bring over some snacks. Make yourself comfortable."

While she stepped away, Xavier gazed out the window, lost in thought. Suddenly,

a phone rang on the table. He glanced over-it was Eleanor's phone.

He reached out and checked the caller ID. Ian.

A subtle flicker crossed Xavier's eyes. On impulse, he answered the call.

"Hello, lan," Xavier said evenly.

There was a pause on the other end. After a few seconds, lan's voice came, wary. "Xavier? Where's Eleanor?"

For a moment, neither spoke.

"She went to get some snacks and left her phone here," Xavier replied, calm but

with a hint of deliberate composure. "Is there something you'd like me to tell her?"

"No need," lan replied coolly. "I'll call her back later."

"All right."

There was a slight hitch in lan's breath. "Goodbye."

He hung up first.

Just then, Eleanor returned, carrying a plate of snacks. She paused, seeing

Xavier holding her phone.

“Did I get a call?" Eleanor asked, curious.

Xavier handed her the phone. “Ian called. It rang for a while, and I thought it might be urgent, so I answered."

Eleanor was momentarily surprised. "Did he say anything?"

“No, just that he'd call back later," Xavier replied, then added, "Is something going on between you two?"

"Nothing important," Eleanor said evenly, sliding the plate toward him. "Try these. They're a specialty from our restaurant."

Xavier watched her, noticing the effort she put into appearing unaffected. A brief flash of concern crossed his face.

He picked up a fork, feigning nonchalance as he asked, "Has lan been calling you often lately?"

Eleanor's fingers paused for an instant. "Just some work-related things."

Xavier nodded, understanding.

At that moment, Eleanor's phone rang again. She glanced at the screen-it was lan, calling once more.