Chapter 50

An empty promise? How amusing.

Nolan's lips curved faintly before he straightened,slipping back into his usual polished composure.

Yet the glimmer of amusement in his eyes betrayed him. Eleanor frowned slightly. Had she said something wrong?

She was just about to ask when a sudden ringtone broke the moment,

It wasn't her phone-it was Nolan's. He answered briskly, but as he listened, his calm expression hardened into something far more severe. The shift was so sudden it startled Eleanor.

Snapping the call to an end, he rose from his chair in one smooth movement. "Sign the agreement.Something urgent came up." And just like that, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

Eleanor stared after him, bewildered.

What could possibly shake someone like Nolan so much? Still, it wasn't her place to pry.

Exhaling slowly, she gathered herself, signed the contract, and left the café with the file in hand.

Lillian hadn't gone far. The moment she spotted Eleanor, she practically bolted over. "So? How did it go? Nolan didn't look very happy when he left. Don't tell me the deal collapsed!"

Eleanor, not in the mood for a barrage of questions,simply handed her the folder.

"What? He really agreed?" Lillian snatched it open,already buzzing with disbelief.

But when her eyes fell on the bold print inside, her jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "No way. Eleanor,am I hallucinating?" Her gaze darted around nervously as she clutched the contract as though afraid someone might snatch it from her hands.

Eleanor rolled her eyes at her dramatics. "Aren't you supposed to be from the Brooks family? Try not to look so desperate."

But Lillian was practically shaking. An entire plot of land worth billions... just given away like it was nothing?

Even on her eighteenth birthday, her father and brother hadn't spoiled her with anything close to that.

And Eleanor and Nolan weren't even... related.

Her excitement quickly shifted to suspicion.

She eyed Eleanor, dead serious now. "Hold on. You didn't... sell yourself to him, did you? No way. You're Enigma. You don't need to trade yourself for land.Love should be taken slowly, not..."

"Stop." Eleanor cut in before Lillian could run off with her own ideas. "He didn't ask me for anything, and l didn't offer anything. He said it was support for Hope House. That's all."

She repeated his explanation about Stewart Group's long-term support for Hope House.

Lillian, however, wasn't convinced. She squinted at Eleanor, her expression makingit clear she wasn't fooled. "Girl, you've really gotten yourself into something. Nolan's clearly into you."

After all, what kid of corporate sponsorship involved giving away an entire plot of land?

Lillian couldn't come up with a single explanation,other than romance.

At this point, she didn't even need to push them together.

With the way Nolan was moving, Eleanor was bound to get caught up in his pace sooner or later.

Still, being with Nolan wasn't all sunshine. His name alone drew attention, and his admirers weren't exactly few.

The thought made Lillian uneasy, leaving her worried about whether Eleanor could handle the pressure that came with him.

Eleanor, on the other hand, wasn't indulging in such wild ideas.

She gave Lillian a light tap on the forehead and laughed. "Don't start weaving your own romance novel. Nolan said it was for charity, so take his word for it. Let's move on."

Maybe Nolan was simply using Hope House as a chance to polish Stewart Group's public image. It didn't have to mean more.

"Fine, fine." Lillian pouted, but her playful mood quickly returned. "Anyway, it's a win! We should celebrate. Come on, drinks are on me!"