Chapter 1550

At that moment, the door to the private room swung open, and lan stepped inside. He had clearly rushed over straight from the boardroom, still wearing a crisp, formal suit, a faint trace of exhaustion lingering between his brows.

"My apologies for being late," lan said, walking directly to Eleanor's side and naturally pulling out the chair next to hers. Gavin immediately signaled the

restaurant staff to begin serving the food.

Sensing the lingering atmosphere in the room, lan glanced at Eleanor with a curious expression.

"Were you all talking about me?" he guessed with an easy smile.

Dr. Smith let out a booming laugh. "Yes, actually! We were just discussing the lab. Eleanor mentioned she'd love to visit the facility in Drexford sometime."

lan looked at Eleanor. "We can take Evelyn there to see the snow before the holidays. You can take the opportunity to tour the lab your father used."

Eleanor froze. "My father's lab is still there?"

Dr. Smith quickly interjected, "It is! It hasn't been touched at all. There are still stacks of your father's handwritten notes everywhere."

It felt as if a massive, invisible hand had just seized Eleanor's heart, squeezing painfully tight. She had always assumed that after her father's passing and the lab's subsequent restructuring, his old workspace would have been completely gutted and repurposed.

She whipped her head around to look at lan, her eyes wide with a silent, desperate question.

lan met her gaze and gave a slow, gentle nod. "Yeah. It's still there. You can go see it whenever you're ready."

Eleanor nodded, an overwhelming sense of anticipation filling her eyes. "Okay. Let's go to Drexford before the holidays. I really want to see it."

As dinner wound down, Dr. Smith finally revealed the true purpose of the gathering. His current experiments were complete, and he had been invited to head a major research institute in Montclair. He and his entire team were relocating; this was, in fact, a farewell dinner.

Walking out of the restaurant after the meal, Dr. Smith shook Eleanor's hand firmly. "Eleanor, I thoroughly enjoyed the six months we worked together. You are an exceptionally brilliant scientist. Let's make sure we keep in touch."

"It was an absolute honor working with you, Dr. Smith. I hope our paths cross again," Eleanor replied sincerely.

She shook hands with the rest of his team, then stood and watched as they piled into two black SUVs and drove off into the night.

Under the warm glow of the restaurant's exterior lights, Eleanor and lan stood shoulder to shoulder. The night breeze swept past, carrying the crisp, biting chill of early autumn.

Eleanor was only wearing a thin silk blouse, and as a shiver wracked her frame, she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.

Before she could even take another breath, the man beside her draped his heavy suit jacket over her shoulders. "Ready to go home?"

With Evelyn away for the night, Eleanor wasn't in any rush to head back to an empty house. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she suggested.

lan smiled. "Sure."

They strolled slowly down the quiet, tree-lined avenue outside the restaurant. Gavin trailed at a discreet distance in the car behind them.

The night air was crisp and refreshing. A few other couples were out walking, and as Eleanor stepped aside to let someone pass, the back of her hand accidentally brushed against lan's. Without missing a beat, he seized the opportunity and laced his fingers through hers.

He held on tight, refusing to let go.

Eleanor's fingers were slightly cold. She gave a half-hearted tug, but lan only tightened his grip, his warmth seeping into her skin.

Her heart immediately kicked into a frantic rhythm. It had been years since they had

walked together like this, hand in hand in the quiet of the night.

"Are we... really taking Evelyn to Drexford for the holidays?" Eleanor asked softly.

"Only if you come with us," lan

replied, his gaze locked on her. "The snow there is breathtaking in the winter, and Evelyn absolutely loves skiing She complained the whole way home last time that she hadn't gotten to ski enough."

Eleanor instantly remembered the last time she had gone to Drexford for a conference and taken their

daughterskiing: She looked up at

him. "So, you followed me there on purpose that time, didn't you?"