lan fell silent as well, his gaze fixed on the operating room doors across the hall, his thoughts unreadable.

Just then, the sound of the elevator announced another arrival. A figure, looking slightly travel-worn, strode around the corner. It was Xavier, a suit jacket draped over his arm, his expression a mixture of urgency and concern.

His steps faltered for a moment when he saw the three people sitting on the bench, but he quickly composed himself and walked over.

"Eleanor, lan," Xavier greeted them, then turned to Mansfield with a polite nod. "Major General Ellington."

His eyes returned to Eleanor. He saw that while she was pale, she seemed to be holding up, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"Xavier, you're here," lan said, raising an eyebrow.

"Mr. Vaughn," Mansfield acknowledged.

Eleanor was the most surprised of all. She couldn't believe he had come.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, standing up. She had assumed he would just check in via text, not drive all the way from Ashford City.

"I had a business trip in Kingston and heard about your mentor's surgery, so I thought I'd... stop by," Xavier said, his eyes shifting slightly as he quickly changed the subject. "How is Professor Langley's surgery?"

"It was a success," Eleanor replied, still a bit stunned.

"That's good to hear," Xavier said, his voice full of genuine concern.

lan watched Eleanor and Xavier talk, his expression unreadable. Xavier's excuse about a business trip might have fooled Eleanor, but he and Mansfield knew better. Mansfield, for his part, remained impassive. Even if he could see through the pretext, he didn't show it. After all, everyone there had come for Eleanor; none of them were just "stopping by."

A few young nurses passed by, their eyes widening as they saw the three men sitting in the hallway. They exchanged glances and hurried away blushing. Any one of these men would have been enough to turn heads, but to have all three gathered in a quiet hospital corridor, all for the same woman, created a surreal scene-a silent, tense standoff beneath a veneer of civility.

Xavier sat down next to lan, clearly intending to stay.

The air seemed to thicken, a silent battle of wills, unfolding between the three men. They sat like stoic

sentinels flanking Eleanor, each neto

exuding a powerful and distinct aura, their attention focused either on her or on the operating room doors.

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Another woman might have felt a thrill of vanity, a flutter of excitement, or overwhelming anxiety. But Eleanor felt only a deep-seated weariness and a quiet unease Though the surgery was success, Simone was not out of the woods yet. Her mind was already racing, formulating post-operative plans and contingency strategies. She was so lost in thought that she barely registered the three

formidable men beside her.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Sonya returned with her daughter, Laura, and Faye. They had been too worried to go far, opting for a quick meal in the hospital cafeteria downstairs.

As they rounded the corner, they stopped in their tracks, stunned by the scene before them.

There sat Eleanor, quiet and contemplative, her head slightly bowed. On either side of her were three tall, handsome, and impeccably dressed men. They weren't speaking, but their combined presence created a powerful, almost cinematic tableau.

Sonya, her daughter, and Laura were speechless.

Faye, however, felt her pupils constrict. A wave of jealousy so intense it was almost suffocating washed over her.

Three of them.

Three top-tier, exceptional men, all gathered around Eleanor like planets orbiting a star.

Two titans of industry and a young major general.

Any one of them was a man Faye could only dream of meeting, yet Eleanor had somehow captured the attention and devotion of all three.