Chapter 1573

lan crouched down, his eyes filled with a deep, profound love as he looked at his daughter.

"How was school today? Do you have any homework?"

"Yeah! But I can handle it," Evelyn nodded, looking more mature by the day.

Joslyn walked over. "Sir, I can make you a hot bowl of soup."

lan nodded. "That sounds great, thank you."

Eleanor stayed upstairs, giving lan and Evelyn some time alone. He needed an anchor right now, and his daughter was the most solid, undeniable piece of his future.

When Joslyn brought the soup out, lan ate a little while sitting with Evelyn. By ten o'clock, he took his daughter's hand and led her upstairs to tuck her into bed.

"Daddy, can you tell me a story?" Evelyn pleaded.

lan glanced at Eleanor. She gave a soft nod. "Stay with her for a bit."

Leaving lan in the master bedroom, Eleanor went to the study for a while. At ten- twenty, she knew she had to get Evelyn to sleep for school the next day.

lan finally stepped out, and soon after, she heard his car pulling out of the driveway.

In the VIP lounge of a private club, Henry Holt and Xavier Vaughn were waiting for him. They weren't there to drink; they were just there to be with him.

They knew words of comfort were useless right now. Between brothers, nothing needed to be said. When he needed them, they showed up.

The lighting in the room was dim. Ian sat on a sofa by the window while Xavier poured a round of drinks. Time ticked by in heavy silence.

Henry and Xavier exchanged a brief glance. Having known lan for years, they had seen his ruthless decisiveness in the boardroom and his unshakable composure under pressure. They had no doubt he would get through this too.

He just needed time.

It was close to midnight when lan finally returned to the villa. Glancing toward a certain bedroom, he kept his footsteps as light as possible to avoid waking anyone.

The news of Magdalen's passing had hit the media. It wasn't splashed across the front pages, but there were respectful obituaries honoring her life and legacy.

The following morning, as Eleanor walked downstairs with Evelyn, she found lan waiting on the sofa, ready to take them to school.

Evelyn still didn't know; lan was waiting for the right moment to tell her. Tomorrow was Friday, the day of the funeral "He didn't want. disrupther school day, even though he knew she hadn't yet grasped the concept of life and death.

After dropping Evelyn off, Eleanor turned to him. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Could you walk with me for a bit?" lan asked, clearly craving some company.

Eleanor nodded. "Sure. Let's go to the park."

There was a massive wetlands park nearby. At this hour, it was mostly empty, making it the perfect place to clear their heads.

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As they strolled through the park, lan was lost in his own thoughts, and Eleanor found herself sinking int hers. Magdalen's death had hit him incredibly hard, but she didnRknow how to comfort him.

Thankfully, lan didn't need her to talk. After a short walk, they found a bench and sat down.

The sunlight caught the sharp, tense line of lan's jaw. The grief and exhaustion in his dark eyes were still painfully visible.

Eleanor looked at his furrowed brow, remembering the day his father passed away. He had been exactly like this-standing silently in the corridor, mourning without a word.

lan turned his gaze to her, his eyes softening with gratitude.

"Thank you for being here with me."

"You don't need to thank me at a time like this," Eleanor said, lowering her gaze. "We're all heartbroken about Grandmother."

She paused, searching for the right words. "If she's watching over us, I know she'd want us to be okay. As long as we're doing well, she'll be at peace, wherever she is."

lan gently covered her hand, which was resting on her lap. "You're right. More than anything, she wanted us to be happy."

Staring at his hand covering hers, the memory of Magdalen's dying wish suddenly flooded Eleanor's mind. Her fingers twitched, and she subtly pulled her hand back. "Let's head back. You need to rest. The funeral is tomorrow and you still have a lot to deal with."

lan nodded. "Alright."

Once they returned, Gavin dropped off some paperwork, and lan spent the rest of

the day working from home.