“Alright, Grandma. Goodbye.”
Ian stood just behind Magdalen, his gaze deep and conflicted as he watched her. Eleanor hit the gas and pulled away, making a wide turn down the street.
Magdalen glanced back at her grandson, who stood there mute as ever. She huffed, “Can’t you at least show a little concern for Eleanor?”
Ian endured his grandmother’s nagging in silence, then reached out to steady her as they walked through the garden gate. He knew, even if he wanted to say something to Eleanor, she wouldn’t want to hear it.
Back at home, Eleanor dove once more into preparations for next month’s summit speech. It felt like there was always another mountain of work waiting for her.
But this was her element—her purpose—and even when the workload was crushing, she never complained.
Three days later, the business news reported that Yeaton Holdings would be listed on the stock exchange that very day. The company’s valuation had skyrocketed from five hundred million to five billion.
Eleanor came across the headline by accident during her lunch break, just as a message from Joy popped up on her phone.
“Ellie, did you see the news? Word is Ian bought into Vanessa’s father’s company and helped them go public.”
“I saw it,” Eleanor replied, sending a voice message.
“Ian must need his eyes checked! Roland’s company is always skirting the law—how can Ian not see that? And now he’s helping them go public?”
“That’s just business,” Eleanor shot back.
Right then, her phone rang. It was Ellington.
“Hello, Ellington.”
“Ms. Sutton, do you have time this evening? Omnistar Dynamics’ chief engineer is in town. We’d like you to join us for dinner and a discussion about the next steps.”
Eleanor oversaw three hotels, all in the middle of upgrading to smart systems. Omnistar Dynamics was their tech partner, and with their chief engineer visiting, it was only right for her, as CEO of the Vesper Joy Group, to be there to host.
“Of course. I’ll be at the Vesper Joy Hotel by six,” she replied.
“Great, I’ll arrange dinner for tonight.”

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