Chapter 155

Eleanor remained unaware of everything unfolding at the Hope House.

Once Fannie swept her away from Hope House, she soon found herself standing in a villa she had never seen before.

Even so, something about the furnishings gave her a sense of déjà vu.

The moment they stepped inside, Fannie smacked her own forehead and bolted upstairs. "Oh no,Eleanor! I totally forgot, I still have homework I need to finish!"

So this must be another one of the Stewart family's properties.

Clearly, Fannie had brought her here on Nolan's behalf. Eleanor's guess proved right. No sooner had Fannie disappeared upstairs than Nolan emerged from the study.

A few days had passed since their paths last crossed at the hospital.

Nolan hadn't been avoiding her; Eleanor simply thought Norwood's recovery should come first.There would be time to reconnect once his health was no longer hanging in the balance.

Waiting around wasn't something Nolan could stand.

He moved in close, every bit of his confidence on display. "Did you miss me these past few days?"

Eleanor edged away, keeping her tone as cool as ever. "If there's nothing important, I should get going."

To her surprise, Nolan raised his hand, putting on an exaggeratedly wounded look. "You really have changed, haven't you? You don't even care anymore." She almost teased him for being over the top, but then she caught sight of his swollen, red hand, a sure sign of infection.

Had he done this just for sympathy?

That would be just like him.

He noticed her skepticism and made himself look even more pathetic.

"When I got back, Grandpa punished me again. I've barely eaten or slept since then, just thinking about you. My hand got worse. I never thought you'd be the one to doubt me."

A gentle mix of woodsy cologne and medicine clung to the air around him.

Guilt washed over Eleanor, and her voice softened."Maybe... I should make dinner tonight to make it up to you."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. The world spun for a moment and suddenly she was sitting on his lap.

Nolan bent close, his breath warm against her ear.

"My heart's in pieces. Do you really think one meal would be enough to fix that?" he said, moving in for a kiss.

At that moment, Ryland burst through the door,waving a bottle of wine and grinning from ear to ear."Nolan, tonight we drink until we can't stand!"

Erick followed close behind, calm as always.

Eleanor,flustered, scrambled to slip off Nolan's lap.

It dawned on Ryland that he had barged in at exactly the wrong time.

He shot Erick a look and mumbled, "So, do you think we're too early or way too late?"

Not wanting to get caught up in the mess, Erick grabbed Ryland by the wrist and started hauling him toward the door. "Let's leave. Now." Just as they arrived at the entrance, Erick paused, as if something had clicked in his mind. With clear hesitation, he turned back. "Boss, this is the information you asked for."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and rushed out.

Nolan stared at the empty doorway, looking utterly defeated.

Just his luck., The one time he got Eleanor close, his friends had to ruin the moment.

Eleanor found his glum face too funny to ignore.

She sauntered over and slipped her fingers under his tie, giving it a gentle pull.

They ended up just inches apart.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked up."So this is your idea of missing me so much you can't eat or sleep? You invite the whole crew to a party?"

She couldn't hide the teasing in her voice. Nolan opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, someone slowly poked their head through the doorway, eyes scanning the room with care.

Coming back into view was Ryland, making yet another appearance.

Ryland kept his gaze fixed anywhere but on Nolan.

"Oh, almost forgot. Jonny's been charged with domestic violence. Lainey's lawyer is handling the divorce now. Just thought you'd want to know. Sorry for the interruption,again!" He took off in a hurry, not wanting to give Nolan the chance to get even.