Chapter 140

Eleanor had barely closed the car door when Nolan slid in beside her, an eager spark in his eyes.

Without Erick there to play chauffeur, Nolan was left to his own devices. It gave him a certain boldness that was impossible to miss.

Letting his head rest on Eleanor's shoulder, he showed off his wrapped hand like a kid hoping for sympathy,putting on a performance so dramatic that no one could possibly miss it.

Trying to make sense of his theatrics, Eleanor shot him a puzzled look.

If there was a record for changing moods, Nolan would shatter it.

Just a moment ago, he had that fierce, untouchable vibe. NNow, he acted like the world's most tragic figure,begging for a littleaffection.

His knack for switching it up could put any award-winning actor to shame.

She moved to shove him away, but he caught her wrist with practiced ease.

With a wounded pout, he said, "You left me alone at your place. Don't you think you should make it up to me?"

His face drifted closer, his tone shifting into something soft and dangerously sweet.

Eleanor slid away from him, her gaze flickingto the window as if looking for an escape.

Trying to steady her nerves, she cleared her throat. "You do realize you just picked a fight with Jeff Benton,right? What if he goes straight to your grandfather with this?"

The moment Norwood's name was mentioned, Nolan straightened up. His polished expression darkened,shadowed by something unreadable.

A heartbeat passed before he met her gaze. "If I'm being honest, my grandpa might end up liking you even less than he already does. But I promise you this-I won't let anything get in the way of marrying you. Not even him."

He delivered those words like a promise set in stone.

Caught off guard, Eleanor blinked before turning away, searching for anything to look at except him.

"I never said I wanted to marry you," she blurted, voice shaky. "Would you quit messing around? Just drive.I've got a lot to handle today."

Nolan let out a laugh and rested his hands on the wheel. "Whatever you say, baby."

After leaving the restaurant, Jeff did everything he could to bail Lainey out.

Two days crawled by before Lainey finally returned.

Seeing how pale and exhausted she was, Jeff felt something in his chest twist painfully.

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and gently placed it over her shoulders. "Come with me to Breoqua,sweetheart. Things at home are too messy for you to deal with."

The suggestion hit her like a cold wind.

Leave now?

That would mean letting Nolan slip straight into Eleanor's arms.

Why should she make it that easy?

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks the moment the thought hit, making her look even more fragile."I can't leave, Dad. I've cared about Nolan for so long," she whispered, grabbing hold of his sleeve. Her voice trembled, her eyes pleading with him. "Can you help me? I just want a chance with Nolan.Please?"

At the sight of her crying, he forgot how much he resented Nolan and that Lainey was still married to Jonny

He was seconds away from agreeing when Hilda appeared with a plate of fruit, her words slicing through his moment of weakness. "Jeff, Nolan already has a girlfriend." Reality snapped back into focus for him.

She was right.

Obviously Eleanor and Nolan were deep in love with each other. She wouldn't let go without a fight.

Jeff's thoughts drifted to Hilda, his eyes softening as he studied her features.

He kept seeing Eleanor's face in his mind.

The resemblance to Hilda was almost uncanny.

How could two people look so much alike?

A strange discomfort settled in Jeff's chest.

Lainey noticed how far away he seemed, so she gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It doesn't matter to me,Dad. I still want to be with Nolan," she insisted.

Pretending to be the perfect daughter was pointless now.

After everything that happened, nobody could blame her for showing a little stubbornness.

Wiping her tears, she turned to Hilda with a pleading look. "Mom, that girl isn't anything serious to Nolan.She's just... just a passing distraction."

She caught herself before saying more. It felt smarter to hold back, especially since she knew Eleanor was the Bentons' real daughter.

Instead, she continued, her tone shifting, "Nolan's grandfather would never accept her anyway.Since there's no way for them to end up together, I'm not really doing anything wrong by trying to win him over,aml?"