lan stepped out of the shower.

Under the warm glow of the bedroom lights, the open collar of his robe revealed the sharp line of his collarbone and the curve of his chest. Years of discipline had left their mark-he'd never once slacked off when it came to working out.

"Go take a shower," he said, his tone cool and even.

Eleanor didn't even look up from her phone. "You go ahead and sleep. I'll be heading out in a bit."

He frowned. "Where are you going this late?"

"To a friend's place," she replied, just as a message from Joy popped up on her screen.

Without another word, Eleanor grabbed her purse, slipped out of the room, and hurried through the night air toward Joy's car parked outside Goodwin Manor.

As soon as Eleanor slid into the passenger seat, Joy glanced over, curiosity written all over her face. "lan's not home tonight?"

"He is," Eleanor answered.

Joy raised a brow. "And he's okay with you staying at my place?"

Eleanor shot her a look. "You think I'd still be sharing a bed with him?"

Joy smirked. "Fair point. No matter how many showers a dirty man takes, he's still dirty."

Back at Joy's apartment, the two of them chatted for a while. Joy soon brought up the news she'd heard about Vanessa's upcoming concert. "So, what will you do if your daughter wants to go?"

"I'll take her with me," Eleanor said flatly. There was no way she'd let her daughter attend; she didn't want the girl idolizing Vanessa any more than she already did.

"lan must have pulled a lot of strings for Vanessa to get that venue," Joy mused. "Henderson Arena is a stadium, Ellie-a big league place. Without serious connections, you don't even get a shot at booking it."

The conversation drifted to Eleanor's day. She casually mentioned what happened at the jewelry store.

Joy, in the middle of applying moisturizer, stopped dead. "Wait, six sets? How much did that cost?"

"Close to thirty million," Eleanor replied.

"Thirty million?" Joy almost slapped herself in disbelief. "Is she trying to make everyone jealous? Thirty million dollars in jewelry? Ellie, how do you feel about that? Are you jealous?"

Eleanor shook her head. "Not really."

Joy let out a low whistle. "Ian's loaded, that's for sure." Then she paused, turning to look at Eleanor. "Honestly, I don't think your divorce will go smoothly. With all that money tied up in assets, even if you walk away with nothing, he'll need months to sort out his finances and hide what he can."

That only made Eleanor's frustration burn hotter. As if it wasn't bad enough, he'd also invested in her research lab-and now that her team's breakthrough drug was about to hit the market, his company's stock had been soaring for days.

"With men like him, even if you catch them in the act, there's no guarantee you'll win in court," Joy said.

Eleanor dabbed moisturizer onto her face, undeterred. "I'll fight anyway, even if I lose."

Joy snorted. "That Faye woman is more famous than most celebrities. I heard some pharma companies want her to do commercials. The paycheck is huge, too."

"Really?" Eleanor hadn't heard about that.

Joy rolled her eyes, "I just want to see if she has the nerve to accept. It'd be a slap in the face if she did."

Eleanor changed the subject, her expression brightening. "There's an award ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences in June. I won a research prize."

Joy's eyes widened in delight. "Seriously? So on the day you get your award, you'll totally show up Faye?"

"I'm taking my daughter with me," Eleanor said, her voice resolute.

"That's right. Let her see how amazing her mom is."

Later that night, Eleanor scrolled through case files from divorce attorneys, her mind racing. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright, pushed open the bedroom door, and went looking for Joy.

After Eleanor explained the mess at the jewelry store, Joy slapped her thigh. "Why didn't we think of this earlier? The receipt must have lan's signature on it!"

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll go back. The sales clerk should remember me," Eleanor said, determination in her eyes.