Chapter 111

While Lainey was busy scheming her way into high society,Eleanor was running herself ragged, so much so that both Nolan and Lillian had started grumbling about her neglect.

The moment she came back from Otrad, her phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Invitations poured in from TV stations left and right,all begging for interviews.

Her first instinct was to turn them all down.Unfortunately, Dyer had other ideas. He cheerfully accepted several on her behalf, patting his chest as though he had done her a huge favor.

"Eleanor, this is for your own good," he explained,smug as ever. "If you keep showing up on the big respectable platforms, people will think twice before causing you trouble. Consider it insurance." Eleanor was left speechless. Insurance? For him maybe.

For her, it meant endless camera lights, rehearsed answers, and no sleep.

Forget about relaxing with Nolan or shopping with Lillian; her calendar was packed solid.

When David heard about this, he nearly exploded at the Elepdon Sanatorium. His cane struck the floor with a sharp crack as he shouted at Dyer. "You sly old fox! Don't think I don't know your intentions.You're just trying to parade her around as your apprentice, aren't you?"

He slammed his cane against the floor for emphasis."Eleanor belongs to me. She's my apprentice, not yours, and she hasn't taken you as her teacher!"

Dyer only smoothed down his beard with infuriating calm and chuckled. "So what? Everyone out there already believes she's mine. Nobody even knows who you are. If you've got the guts, why don't you announce it publicly?" David turned red enough to pop a blood vessel.

He whirled toward Eleanor, ready to declare her status loud and clear. "Eleanor, you're my apprentice,and I want the world to-"

However, before he could finish, Eleanor slapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't! Please, David, I'm begging you. I still want to live!"

Because if her true identity as the infamous Soul Surgeon got out, she might as well start carving her own tombstone.

That name wasn't something she could carry lightly.

Once people with rare and difficult illnesses came flooding in from all corners of the country, what would she do?

Help them or turn them away? She cared deeply, but she wasn't some all-powerful savior. She couldn't possibly save everyone.

The very thought made her scalp go numb David understood, but his glare at Dyer could have burned holes through the wall.

Finally, he pushed Eleanor's hand away and said gruffly, "Fine. But this won't end here. From now on,aside from what you donate, every collection you work on belongs to me!"

Eleanor bobbed her head so quickly it was a wonder it stayed attached. "Yes, yes, of course, they're all yours."

It still took an hour of back massages, sweet words,and endless cups of coffee before David finally calmed down.

But one storm down didn't mean she was in the clear.

She turned to find Dyer still looking unbearably pleased with himself. Her patience snapped.Narrowing her eyes, she warned, "If you stir up trouble for me again, I'll stop making those pills for you next month." That hit him right where it hurt. Dyer had carried a nagging leg injury ever since his early digs.

Though not life-threatening, it was excruciating during rainy days, making sleep impossible.

The pills Eleanor specially prepared for him were the only relief he had.

The moment she threatened to cut it off, his grin faded. He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright,alright! I won't cause any more fuss."

And just like that, the two old men, between them almost two hundred years old, were pacified at last.

Eleanor let out a long sigh of relief, dusted off her hands, and headed for the door. "I'm going now. You two behave yourselves. And remember, no more accepting jobs for me!"

She waited until both men nodded, and only then escaped.

Outside, Nolan was waiting, leaning against his car like a man out of a magazine-straight-backed and effortlessly elegant.

The instant he saw her, he pushed off the car and strode forward. "What kept you so long?"

Eleanor's heart gave a tiny jolt. She couldn't let him know about David, nor risk him connecting the dots to the Soul Surgeon.

So she blinked, forced a casual smile, and fibbed,"Oh, Dyer wouldn't stop talking. Took me forever to get away."

Nolan's gaze lingered on her face. He knew she was lying, but instead of calling her out, he only curved his lips faintly and pulled open the car door, bowing slightly in mock formnality. "Your ride awaits, my lady."

If it weren't for David's and Dyer's mischievous faces poking out from the window behind her, he might have almost bought her story.

What a crafty little fox, hiding her secrets so tightly.

But Nolan knew better than to expose her fib. She would only get defensive, and he wasn't about to push her away.

Subtly, he shifted his stance to block her view of the two troublemakers. "Erick, let's go," he ordered once they were inside.

Only after the car rolled away did David and Dyer duck their heads back in.

They traded a long look and, for once, shared the same thought: they would never let Nolan steal away their precious treasure.

As for Nolan, he had no idea that, thanks to those few glances, he had just earned himself not one, but two determined rivals standing between him and Eleanor's heart.

But that, well, was a storm waiting for another day.