No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1486

At noon, Ian treated the entire project team to lunch at a banquet hall, with a grand celebration dinner planned for the evening.

Joel's team had grown to over thirty people. Along with assistants and staff from various departments, they took up five large tables in the hall.

Eleanor sat at one of the tables with Joel's team. Ian arrived a little later. The seat next to Eleanor had been left empty for him, as if everyone had a silent agreement that it was his spot.

Eleanor didn't notice this. She was listening to Joel discuss the upcoming project proposals. When it came to topics within their field, Eleanor and Joel truly felt like kindred spirits.

It was as if Joel could guess what Eleanor wanted to say without her having to speak, and when Joel only explained half a thought, Eleanor perfectly understood where he was going with it.

Because of this, when a certain big boss stepped into the restaurant, his eyes immediately landed on Eleanor and Joel exchanging glances and chatting. He paused briefly at the entrance, the gaze behind his glasses darkening imperceptibly.

Sitting at the table by the window, Eleanor leaned in to listen to Joel. Her head was tilted slightly, her long hair cascading over her shoulder. Her eyes were bright and focused, and a faint smile played on her lips as she was completely absorbed in his topic.

Joel, too, looked dashing and spirited today. An air of unspoken understanding surrounded the two of them, making it difficult for outsiders to intrude.

Just then, someone spotted him and hurriedly stood up to greet him. "Mr. Goodwin is here."

Ian walked over alone; he hadn't brought any guests with him. He gave the person a polite nod.

Eleanor and Joel also paused their conversation and looked up at him.

Ian walked elegantly toward his reserved seat—right next to Eleanor.

He casually pulled out the chair and sat down, addressing the table, "Sorry, I was held up. Everyone worked hard today. Let's get the food served!"

Ian picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and looked away out the window.

He seemed a bit annoyed.

As Eleanor and Joel resumed their previous conversation, Ian turned his head again and asked Eleanor in a low voice, "What are you two talking about? You seem so engrossed."

Eleanor turned her head to meet his gaze from inches away. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were unfathomably deep. She answered honestly, "I was just listening to Joel talk about the next steps and potential breakthroughs. Are you interested in joining the conversation, Mr. Goodwin?"

"Oh?" Ian raised an eyebrow. "I'm actually quite interested."

"Ellie, why don't we eat first?" Joel chimed in. "We can find another time to chat."