Chapter 27

No one in Elepdon's high society held as much influence as Nolan. His network of contacts stretched wider than anyone else's.

Only a few minutes after Jonny watched the security video,one of Nolan's sources brought him the news.

Impressed and amused, Nolan considered how bold the move had been.

Pulling off such a stunt took real nerve.

Jonny must be out of his mind if he still planned to chase after Eleanor.

Clearly,Jonny needed to be taught a lesson.

Nolan gave a quiet order. "Tell the shareholders to put the squeeze on Jonny. We need to keep him busy." By doing this, Nolan ensured Jonny would be too occupied to bother Eleanor anymore.

"Understood, Mr. Stewart," Erick repliedright away before stepping out.

Left by himself, Nolan quickly sent Eleanor a message, curiosity clear in his tone. "That was quite a spectacle. I enjoyed every minute."

Meanwhile, Eleanor sat at the bar, staring at the message with mixed feelings.

Nolan's reputation for gathering secrets was no exaggeration.

Still, he seemed to have far too much time on his hands.

Why was he so invested in her life?

Was this interest personal, or did he have another motive?

She was inclined to believe the latter.

She wasn't narcissistic. A handful of encounters with Nolan hardly counted as anything meaningful between them.

No matter how she thought about it, Eleanor saw nothing in herself that would catch Nolan's attention.

The whole thing was a puzzle.

Curiosity got the best of Lillian when she noticed Eleanor staring off into space.

Glancing at the screen, Lillian let out a dramatic gasp. "Since when did you and Mr. Stewart getSO close? Girl, you're playing with fire. That's not a man you want to get involved with!"

Without wanting to leave her friend confused,Eleanor went ahead and explained what Jonny had pulled off.

Every word made Lillian angrier, her cheeks flushed bright red as she slammed her foot down on the little table in front of them.

"What a dirtbag! How can people like him keep popping up? Why does he always have to mess up your peace?" Lillian seethed.

A long sigh followed her outburst, but then Lillian's eyes grew wide with a new realization. "Hold up. How did Nolan get the scoop so fast? Don't tell me he's been tracking your every move!"

Worry crept into her voice. "That's a scary thought,Eleanor! Never mind how handsome Nolan is or how everyone calls him the catch of the city. You should keep your distance. People say he can't... you know."

That reputation for keeping to himself? In Lillian's mind, it was just his way of hiding his so-called problem.

As the last word left her lips, Lillian gave it an extra flourish,and Eleanor nearly spit out her drink.

Eleanor could not believe that rumor.

If anything, Nolan never struck her as someone with that kind of secret.

Before Lillian could launch into another rant, Eleanor chimed in, "Calm down. There's nothing going on between me and him. We've hardly talked at all. He probably just stumbled on something and decided to send that message."

The words finally got Lillian to quiet down, but the more she mulled it over, the weirder the situation seemed.

No explanation made sense.

Why would someone as busy as Nolan, a man at the top of Elepdon's business world, waste time poking into Eleanor's affairs?

As questions piled up in her mind, Lillian glanced at Eleanor's steady face and bit her tongue.

Best to let it go.

If she kept asking, maybe Eleanor would start thinking about Nolan for real.

Absolutely not!

It would be wiser if nothing was said about it.

Men only caused headaches anyway! Still, Lillian was never one to keep her worries bottled up.

Later, once she got home, she let it all out to Ryland.

Since Ryland and Nolan were friends, maybe he could step in.

Ryland noticed the frustration written all over Lillian's face and gave her a gentle pat on the head. "That's enough. Stop fussing. Nolan's choices aren't for us to question. If he does have a crush on your friend,there's really nothing we can do."

He added, "With the difference in their social standing, even if they did like each other, being together would be nearly impossible."

Lillian's temper flared. "Hold on, what's that supposed to mean? You obviously don't know Eleanor.She's..."

She was Enigma!

Her mouth snapped shut just before she blurted out too much, determined not to reveal Eleanor's secret. She pressed her teeth against her lip in defiance."Regardless of what you think, Eleanor is wonderful,and you have no right to speak of her that way. Tell Nolan he had better forget about entertaining any thoughts of Eleanor."

If Nolan truly ended up with Eleanor, wouldn't that mean she would be trapped in a lifetime of loneliness beside a man who could never satisfy her? The thought alone felt unbearably cruel.

Ryland picked up on his sister's stubbornness right away and raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright,your friend is the best. Satisfied? I've got things to take care of, so I'm out of here."

With those words, he hurried off.

Arguing with women was always a losing game.

If he couldn't win the battle, he might as well make a quick retreat!