If Ian remembered correctly, their relationship had been incredibly strained during that period. She had even tried to restrict his visitation rights with their daughter. Because of that, his mood had been foul for an entire month, and naturally, his temper had been explosive.
"It seems Dr. Sutton still asks around about me in her spare time," Ian teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
Eleanor was quick to deny it. "I'm not that bored."
His smile only deepened. "It's fine. You can gossip about me all you want. And if you'd rather hear it straight from the source, you can ask me anytime."
She let out a soft laugh. "I'm genuinely busy. I have no interest in your rumors."
"Then do you want to know what happened to that engineering team I fired?"
Eleanor wanted to say no, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Where did they go?"
"They went straight to my competitor and took the core design blueprints with them," Ian admitted openly. "My legal team spent six months battling them in court." He narrowed his eyes, giving her a teasing look. "Want to know if I won or lost?"
Eleanor paused with her fork halfway to her mouth, hooked by the suspense. "You lost?" she guessed.
A flash of absolute, predatory confidence crossed his face. "I won. And I won beautifully."
Eleanor was momentarily speechless. She wasn't a businesswoman, and the cutthroat, manipulative nature of his industry was completely foreign to her—and even a bit off-putting.
But she understood that this was Ian's world. It was a vicious ecosystem where a single misstep could cost millions of dollars.
"Try this," Ian said, transferring a slice of signature roast beef to her plate. Eleanor naturally offered her plate to accept it, and as he set the food down, a soft smile curved his lips.
That afternoon, Eleanor returned to the lab while Ian went to pick up Evelyn from school.
When Eleanor arrived home later, she found the house empty. Joslyn mentioned that Evelyn and Ian had gone out for a bike ride.


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