Chapter 74

Nolan lifted his brows, putting on that innocent look of his.

"Think of it as my way of marking my territory," he said with a playful grin."At least now your ex will think twice before bothering you again."

Oh,so should she thank him for that?

Eleanor bit back a groan, forced a polite smile, and slipped out without another word.

She hopped into the first taxi she could flag down and blurted, "Please, hurry. Drive!"

She acted as though something terrifying was right on her heels.

Not too far off, Erick was still frozen in disbelief, his jaw practically on the floor.

He edged toward Nolan, testing the waters with a cautious, "Boss, aren't you going after her?"

Nolan didn't move. If anything, his grin only grew more cunning. "No hurry," he drawled.

After all, some things couldn't be rushed.

Push too hard, and she would only run further.

By the time Eleanor made it back to herapartment, she was finally catching her breath.

That was when Lillian popped up, grinning like she had been waiting all day for this.

"Weli, well, I saw Nolan's post. So, when will you agree to be his girlfriend?"

Eleanor shoved her aside, grabbed a glass, and poured herself some water.

"He's decent, I won't deny that. But my hands are full right now. Between my career, the orphanage, and trying to help more kids, I don't have room for all that. " She sighed and muttered, "And who even knows if he's serious? Someone like Nolan wouldn't actually look twice at a divorced woman like me. He's probably just settling an old score from years ago."

But Lillian wasn't buying it.

She had known Nolan since childhood, and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that the man didn't say things he didn't mean.

Twice he had confessed, and that wasn't something he would do for fun.

As she watched Eleanor sink into her doubts, Lillian's mind was already spinning with plans.

Over the next few days, she quietly sent a few messages Nolan's way.

And then, the following morning, Eleanor's phone buzzed with a message from Myah.

"A miracle happened last night. A generous company stepped in and donated several prime land plots along with a huge sum of money to Hope House. I was thinking, maybe this is the right time to open more branches? That way, we can welcome more kids. Drop by when you can and see for yourself, okay?"

Attached were pictures and official papers showing the transfer of ownership.

Eleanor scrolled through them, and her eyes widened.

Stewart Group?

And in such prime areas?

Was Nolan insane?

Moves like this would cost the company billions.

Surely his family wouldn't just sit quietly about it.

Her mind was in a blur of confusion, and before she knew it, she was opening Nolan's Facebook page as if something unseen had guided her there.

A fresh update stared back at her: "Still working on it."

Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles turned white.

So he was serious? His confession was more than just a passing impulse?

Before she could process further, her phone rang, and Besty's name flashed on the screen. "Boss, the finals are next week, but we still don't have the final content locked in."

That instantly reminded Eleanor of Jonny's smug attitude yesterday.

She hadn't even seen Lainey's earlier drafts yet.

Whether Lainey had been cheating or not, everything would be clear in the final round.

Eleanor curved her lips into a faint smile and gave her instructions. "Tell every finalist that during the finals,they'll need to present a complete gown based on their earlier sketches. It has to be worn, either by themselves or on a model. That way we can judge their full ability."

"Got it."

After hanging up, Eleanor made her way/to Hope House.

What she found there surprised her even more.

The Stewart Group had already sent in a professional team.

They weren't just covering the construction, but they also had mapped out the project plan, secured workers, and even arranged long-term funding.

At this point, opening new branches barely needed her or Myah's involvement at all.