Chapter 1551

lan sighed. "It's just a shame my presence ruined your trip that time."

"If you knew you were in the way, why did you tag along?" Eleanor scoffed.

A flash of determination crossed his gaze, hiding a fierce, unspoken possessiveness. "Even if you hated me being there, I wasn't going to stay behind."

Besides, this wasn't the first time she had been annoyed by him, and he had never once backed down.

Eleanor was momentarily speechless at his shamelessness, unable to find a retort.

But thinking about it, ever since the divorce, no matter how cold or distant she acted, lan had never truly stepped out of her and their daughter's lives.

He always found a way and a reason to appear in front of her, like a shadow she couldn't shake off.

"If I hadn't gone that time, would you have gotten together with Xavier?" he suddenly asked, his voice tight.

Eleanor froze, remembering that ski trip in Drexford. Xavier had joined them

midway, the two kids had played together, and she and Xavier had gone off on their own, leaving lan behind.

She felt her hand growing sweaty within his grasp. She tried to pull away, but lan refused to let go, tightening his hold and asking with stubborn persistence, "Did you ever have feelings for Xavier? Did you ever think about being with him?"

Clearly, he was still hung up on that ski trip, feeling a lingering sense of grievance over being left out.

At the time, he had assumed she purposefully invited Xavier, which had angered him enough to snap, "Are you trying to force me to cut ties with Xavier?"

He had been genuinely furious back then, and now, he was bringing up old accounts to settle the score.

"No," Eleanor answered plainly. Her relationship with Xavier was strictly that of a friend and someone who had helped her immensely.

The grip on her hand loosened for a fraction of a second before tightening again. The light in his eyes brightened, but he still pressed, "Why?"

Eleanor kept her eyes on the road ahead. "I've always seen Xavier as a friend. He saved my life, and I owe him for that. He's a gentleman, and someone I deeply respect."

In the past, she never felt the need to explain this to him so clearly.

Perhaps it was the mention of the Drexford ski trip. That incident had bruised him, and between her cold rejection and Xavier's closeness to her his mind had spiraled more than once.

He had truly believed that Xavier held a special place in her heart.

It was a question that had

tormented him for a long time. Later, when Mansfield Ellington entered the picture, he had found himself trapped in that same cycle of jealousy over and over again to the

er

the

point where be thought he was losing his mind.

But he knew he deserved every bit of that suffering.

"Ellie," lan suddenly pulled her to a halt. Before she could react, he cupped the back

of her head, and his warm lips descended upon hers without warning.

The kiss was sudden and overwhelming, sweeping through her senses like a fierce autumn storm.

The street was quiet with heavy shadows from the trees, but it was still enough to test her fragile nerves.

His kiss was deep and demanding, carrying an undeniable dominance as his lips claimed hers.

With his suit jacket still draped over her shoulders, she was pulled tightly into his embrace Her instinct was to puse him away, but her hands could only rest helplessly against his chest as she surrendered to his taking.

In a car parked a short distance away, Gavin Young quickly killed the headlights,

silently witnessing his boss's romantic victory.