Chapter 123

Eleanor genuinely couldn't understand the depths of Lainey's resentment.

Truthfully, it made no difference to her.

Lainey's tricks were unimaginative and predictable, never leaving any real mark.

Once Eleanor left the gallery and slid into the car, Nolan's low voice cut through the silence. "Eleanor, I want you to know that I like you just for being yourself. Nothing else matters to me."

The message was clear: no matter how impressive someone else seemed, he had no interest in a relationship built on convenience.

But what urged him to suddenly say this?

Eleanor, a little caught off guard, looked at him and asked what he meant.

Picking up on her confusion, Nolan hesitated before replying, his voice laced with tension, "Lainey has been reaching out to both my grandfather and to me over the last few days."

A trace of nervousness appeared as he rushed to add, "I didn't give her the time of day,you know."

Watching him scramble to set the record straight, Eleanor couldn't hold back a grin. "Nolan, you're really setting the boyfriend standard high right now."

Rather than easing up, Nolan tugged her closer, sounding both possessive and jealous. "I'm completely yours, so don't go giving anyone else a second thought."

Well,well. This man was still sulking over Stephen's stunt from earlier.

With a playful glint in her eye, Eleanor straightened up and planted a soft kiss on Nolan's chin. "Don't worry.There's nobody out there who could ever measure up to you."

Nolan lit up at her words, a wide grin spreading across his face. Meanwhile, Erick, stuck behind the wheel, was practically drowning in their sweetness.

The whole display was almost too much for a single guy to handle.

Unable to hold back, he sneakily pulled out his phone and fired off a text. "Mr. Brooks, rescue me! Mr.Stewart and his girlfriend drown me in romance! These two are way too lovey-dovey for me to handle!"

While Ryland was effortlessly sinking shots at the billiards table in the club, he glanced at his phone and raised an eyebrow at the odd message.

Hmm?

Lovey-dovey?

Was Erick really talking about Nolan and Eleanor?

Honestly, Ryland had no intention of getting involved in that mess.

For a guy like Nolan, the famous lifelong bachelor, falling for someone was monumental, and now that he had, nothing was going to stand in his way.

Ryland knew better than to interfere with something like that.

Erick just had to live with it.1

Decades of bachelorhood should have taught him to endure, but maybe being around all this romance would finally rub off on him, or better yet, give him a shot at finding someone special.

Shrugging off the text, Ryland tossed his phone aside and got back to his game, not bothering to reply.

That left Erick staring at his silent screen, feeling even more left out.

Seeing the lack of response, Erick realized even his single buddy had left him to fend for himself.

Unbelievable!

Was everyone just out to torment the single these days?

Forget pride. As soon as he got some time off, he would sign up for a blind date, no questions asked!

There was nothing embarrassing about it.

What really stung was being single for this long!

Frustration all over his face, Erick grumbled to himself, completely unnoticed by the happy couple in the backseat.

Eleanor got right back to her usual grind after thé art exhibition, splitting her time between her studio and her home, barely making room for any social interaction in her schedule.

And of course, there wasn't a spare moment left for sweet moments with Nolan.

Only by Sunday afternoon did she finally put the finishing touches on the gowns and pass them along to Besty.

As soon as Besty left, Eleanor dropped onto the couch and started sorting through her mountain of unread messages.

Nolan, as always, had sent his usual flood of texts, check-ins, reminders, and his whole daily schedule.

Lillian had sent even more messages than Nolan.

Eleanor had to swipe up several times just to get back to the start of their chat.

The most recent message had popped up only a few minutes earlier.

"Eleanor! If you keep ignoring me, I'll think you've been kidnapped!" The threat was followed by a row of bloody knife emojis.

First, Eleanor fired off a quick apology emoji to Nolan, letting him know she had just finished her workload,then she set out for the Brooks family's estate.

The moment her car rolled up to the Brooks' estate, someone burst out of the front entrance at full.speed.

"You heartless woman! About time you showed your face!" Lillian threw her arms around Eleanor in an exaggerated display of being hurt. "You swore we'd go shopping, and then you ghosted me. You owe me big time!"

Eleanor, torn between laughing and rolling her eyes, let Lillian squeeze her tight. "Fine, I'Il make it up to you however you want. The truth is, I've been busy making two gowns and couldn't step away for even a minute."

The second her friend brought up work, Lillian let go instantly. "Gowns? You took another custom order?"

"$60 million! Straight from Lainey," Eleanor replied.

Lillianglared in amazement. "You've gotta be kidding! Most people would have snapped. Sometimes I think you're some sort of angel, always forgiving and never asking for anything in return."

Suddenly,she snapped her fingers and grinned. "Hold on, there's still one thing you want, isn't there?"

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh, gently flicking Lillian on the forehead. "Come on, enough with the teasing.

Seriously,are you really planning to show up to Lainey's welcome-home party tomorrow?"

Lillian lifted her chin, looking determined."Obviously, I'm going! And you're going with me."

Eleanor nodded in agreement.

Missing the event wasn't even an option in Lillian's mind. If she showed up, maybe she could take some of the heat off Eleanor and give Lainey something else to focus on.

Otherwise,Lainey would make Eleanor her sole target.

With Nolan or not, that didn't sit right with her.

When it came to dealing with drama, relying on men was pointless.

Sometimes she had to handle things yourself!