"Professor Langley?" As lan turned, Vanessa instinctively slipped her arm from his and leaned against her manager, her gaze settling on Eleanor.

lan made his way over to Simone, concern etched on his face. "What brings you to the hospital, Professor? Are you feeling unwell?"

He glanced over at Eleanor, his voice lowering. "What's happened to Professor Langley?"

"It's nothing, really. You should go take care of your patient." Simone waved him off, noticing the bandage on Vanessa's head—she clearly needed his attention as well.

lan hesitated, his eyes lingering on Eleanor. He swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing.

Just then, a nurse called out, "Simone, your CT results are ready."

Laird hurried off to fetch them. Eleanor stood, gently supporting Simone. "Professor, let's go meet with the doctor."

lan instinctively reached out to steady Simone, then said to Eleanor, "I'll come find you both in a minute."

"That won't be necessary." Eleanor finally lifted her head, her expression frosty. "I'll take care of Professor Langley."

Before lan could respond, Vanessa's manager, Laverne, chimed in, clearly urging him back. "Mr. Goodwin, Vanessa's turn is coming up. She has severe claustrophobia-you need to be there-"

"I'll walk with you," Gavin interjected quickly. "Mr. Goodwin has a few things to handle."

Vanessa flashed a bright smile. "Don't worry about lan. He'll catch up with us." The implication was clear-lan couldn't bear to leave her for long.

As Vanessa's group headed toward the CT room, lan lingered, watching them go. Vanessa glanced back over her shoulder. "Ian, go check on Miss Shannon. Eleanor and Laird have me covered."

Suddenly, a startled cry echoed down the hallway from around the corner.

"Vanessa!" her manager shouted in alarm.

Gavin rushed over. "Mr. Goodwin, Miss Shannon just fainted!"

From the empty corridor, someone called out, "She skipped breakfast this morning could it be low blood sugar?"

lan didn't hesitate. He strode quickly toward Vanessa, leaving Eleanor and Simone standing in place. From around the corner, his angry voice rang out, "How could you let this happen to her?"

Simone jumped at the harsh tone, and Laird stared in shock. Ian's anger made it clear how much he cared that Vanessa hadn't been looked after properly.

A moment later, lan scooped Vanessa up and hurried toward the elevators, clearly intent on taking her to the ER.

As he passed Eleanor, he paused, meeting her gaze. His eyes were stormy, emotions roiling beneath the surface. He swallowed hard, but said nothing, simply tightening his hold on Vanessa and rushing on.

Gavin and the rest of Vanessa's entourage quickly followed, leaving the hallway strangely quiet. Only Eleanor, Simone, and Laird remained.

Simone watched them disappear, sighing as she patted Eleanor's shoulder. "Ian, that boy-"

"Professor Langley, let's look at your results," Eleanor cut her off, guiding her to the doctor's office.

The attending physician reviewed the CT scan carefully. "Professor Langley, the situation is better than we expected. There's no sign of any spread at this point."

Eleanor exhaled in relief. "What's the surgical plan?"

"We recommend surgery as soon as possible," the doctor replied. "For the best outcome, though, you should consider going to Kingston Military Medical University."

Eleanor nodded, turning to Simone. "Professor, I'll reach out to a specialist at Kingston and get your surgery scheduled."

Though Simone was reluctant to go down the surgical path, she knew it was necessary. She nodded. "Eleanor, I hope it's not too much trouble for you."

"Not at all," Eleanor assured her. "I have some connections at the university hospital. I can get us in quickly."

As they left the doctor's office, they saw a figure hurrying toward them from the elevator. Ian's hair was tousled, sweat beading on his forehead-whether from carrying Vanessa or stress was anyone's guess.

"Professor Langley, I just heard about your situation," lan said, catching his breath. "I can arrange for the best surgeon at the Military Medical University."

"Ian, that's kind of you, but Eleanor is already taking care of it," Simone replied gently.

lan turned to Eleanor. "If you need any help with arrangements at the university, just say the word."

He had plenty of connections himself—if anything came up, he could make things happen.

Eleanor's tone was cool. "That won't be necessary."

lan frowned, recalling Eleanor's own network in Kingston. He realized she truly didn't need his help.

"lan, how's Miss Shannon?" Simone asked.

"She had a low blood sugar episode, but she's conscious now," lan answered, his voice calm.

"Then you'd better go check on her," Simone said kindly. It was obvious to anyone that Miss Shannon mattered to him; the rumor mill had already pegged her as his new girlfriend.

"Professor Langley, may I have a word with Eleanor?" lan asked politely.

"Of course." Simone quickly took Laird's arm and walked away.

lan stepped closer to Eleanor. "We need to talk."

Eleanor recoiled, her distaste plain. "I don't see what there is to talk about." She turned away.

But lan caught her wrist, his voice low and raw. "Eleanor, please—don't go."