Chapter 437

Nolan pulled his car to a quiet stop along the curb across from the Enigma boutique.

With a deep breath and a quick pep talk to himself,he gathered his briefcase and a steaming latte, then stepped out into the crisp morning air.

As he approached the shop's entrance, the door swung outward with a sudden whoosh.

Besty, clutching a stack of documents, was just about to head out. But when her gaze lifted and met Nolan's,she instinctively stepped in front of the doorway,barring his way.

"My boss is swamped and not taking visitors," she declared,her tone sharp as a blade.

Nolan, unfazed,lifted the coffee and briefcase with a disarming smile. "Just dropping off a latte and some papers. I'll be in and out like a breeze."

Betsy's eyes narrowed as she sized him up.

His calm demeanor and earnest expression softened her suspicion, and with a reluctant sigh, she stepped aside,letting him pass. Nolan brushed by without a second glance, his steps purposeful as he climbed to the second floor.

Eleanor's office door stood slightly ajar, revealing her seated behind a grand desk, engrossed in a pile of documents.

The faint creak of the floorboards drew her attention,and their eyes met, the moment hanging in the air like a held breath.

Striding forward, Nolan set the latte gently on her desk. "A little pick-me-up," he said warmly.

Then,with a smooth motion, he slid a document from his briefcase and handed it to her.

Eleanor skimmed the pages, her brow furrowing slightly as she absorbed the contents. She looked up,curiosity glinting in her eyes. "What is this all about?"

Nolan settled into the chair across from her,his rehearsed words flowing easily. "You saved my grandfather.Consider this a heartfelt thank-you."

Five percent of the company's shares as a gesture of gratitude?

It felt like a grand flourish, almost too much.

Yet, as the renowned Soul Surgeon who had preserved the Stewart family's cornerstone,Eleanor knew such a reward wasn't beyond reason.

With a decisive nod, shesigned her name. "Very well,I'll accept it."

With the matter settled, Nolan lingered instead of leaving right away.

His gaze lingered on her, intense and searching,as if he was trying to unravel a mystery woven into her very being.

Eleanor shifted under the weight of his stare, a faint frown creasing her forehead.

She was on the verge of asking him to go when Nolan's voice broke the silence, tentative yet earnest."Eleanor... that promise you made at my grandpa's-does it still hold?"

Her hand,mid-turn of the page, froze abruptly.

She knew exactly what he meant.

That night, in a moment of softness, she had offered him a chance, a fleeting comment she thought would fade like morning mist.

But Nolan had clung to it, his heart clearly tethered to her words.

She should have shut him down. The chasm between them was too wide, too tangled with complications.

Yet, as the words of refusal formed, they caught in her throat.

The memory of his weary, vulnerable expression from recent days flickered in her mind, a proud man who had bared his soul before her.

Apparently, she couldn't quite bring herself to be entirely heartless with him.

After a long,heavy pause, Eleanor murmured a soft,"Yes."

The tension coiled in Nolan's frame unraveled in an instant, a spark of joy flickering in his eyes.

He tempered his excitement, keeping his voice steady."Then...how about dinner tonight?"

Eleanor agreed with a gentle nod.

His mission accomplished, Nolan didn't dare overstay his welcome.

He feared lingering too long might lead to a misstep,a reckless move that could unsettle the fragile connection they had just rekindled.

Nolan reached into his suit pocket, drawing out a small,velvet box, and set it gently on Eleanor's desk."The barista asked me to pass this along to you."

Without another word, he turned and slipped out of the room, his departure as swift as a shadow.

Eleanor stared at the delicate box before her, curiosity knitting her brows. What could this be?

She lifted the lid, and her breath caught in her throat.

Nestled inside was the butterfly hairpin she had worn just yesterday morning.

Oh,heavens...

How could she have let herself be so reckless?

Nolan, with his keen eye for detail, must have pieced it together. If he realized she had been at the coffee shop at that exact moment, it wouldn't take much for him to unravel the truth of her identity.

Well,the cat was out of the bag now.

Nolan wasn't the type to spread secrets like wildfire.

Her identity, for now, was safe with him.