Chapter 627

Chapter 627

It was a turbulent time—as if overnight, everything had spiraled into chaos, squeezing the very air from Eleanor's lungs.

Even so, she couldn't let anyone see the cracks.

She forced herself to hold the company together while quietly hunting down whoever had leaked the information.

Her voice was cold and firm. "This rumor has seriously damaged the company's reputation. When you find whoever started it, make sure they face legal consequences."

The moment she finished speaking, a wave of tightness gripped her chest.

Her vision blurred. The assistant beside her gasped. "Ms. York, are you okay?"

"I'm fine..."

Eleanor steadied her breathing just enough to keep from collapsing.

The harder things got, the more she had to hold the line. She couldn't let Lucas—trapped overseas and under someone else's control—lose his last safety net.

Just then, Eric came rushing in.

He'd heard the rumors spreading like wildfire.

He didn't know exactly what had gone wrong between Eleanor and Lucas. In the past, Eric might have secretly celebrated the idea that Lucas had finally been dumped.

But now clearly wasn't the time for that.

So he came immediately to help Eleanor stabilize the situation.

He could tell at a glance how fragile she looked. He stepped forward and steadied her. "Eleanor, don't worry. No matter what happens, the Lawrence family and I have your back."

Eleanor hadn't expected Eric to arrive so quickly.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't touched.

She managed a faint smile. "I'm fine. How are things on your end? Did you resolve the contract issue with William?"

At the mention of that, Eric's expression eased considerably.

He smiled. "William cares about his reputation. Once he realized we had evidence and were ready to take him to court, he backed off."

In Eric's view, William was worried about his own future.

So this time, they'd won a decisive victory.

"We owe you for that," Eric said. "If you hadn't helped us find the loophole, and if we hadn't made it clear we were ready to go down fighting—if this had blown up, he'd have lost his position too. So now all the contracts are voided."

With that, the biggest threat facing the Lawrence family had been neutralized.

Eleanor was genuinely happy for Eric.

But at the same time, something felt off. William had given in too easily.

Why would William—who had been plotting for so long, who had finally gotten the Lawrence family on the hook—give up so quickly? He only needed to hold out a little longer to take control of the Lawrence family.

Would he really let go of such a golden opportunity that easily?

At least in Eleanor's experience, William wasn't the type to put in all that effort for nothing.

Still, she didn't press the issue.

They didn't have time to waste on William right now.

After congratulating Eric, the assistant investigating the rumors returned with a report.

As it turned out, the gossip had indeed originated from inside the company—specifically, from one of Lucas's secretaries.

The secretary's performance had always been mediocre. His name was Lucian Vance, which was why Lucas hadn't brought him along on the overseas trip.

Already resentful about being left behind, Lucian had stumbled upon the fact that Eleanor was dividing assets.

So he vented to a friend who happened to be a journalist.

The next day, that journalist turned around and published the story.

And that's how the rumor had spread like wildfire.

Eric was furious. "He needs to be held accountable."

"Agreed."

Eleanor nodded, her tone merciless. "Fire him. And go after that journalist for defamation and all the damages this has caused the company."

Once they'd traced the rumor to its source, Eleanor quickly shut down the rest of the gossip.

The company stabilized again.

Everything was running smoothly.

After the assistant left, Eric hesitated. "Eleanor, about this rumor..."

He didn't finish his question, because he'd just spotted the divorce agreement on her desk, along with several asset division contracts.

Eric's smile faded. He frowned. "Is this... real?"

Eleanor didn't answer directly.

Her expression calm, she gathered up the papers. "The Lawrence family just stabilized. You still need someone to hold things together. You can't be away for too long."

"Go back."

Eleanor ushered Eric toward the door. "Don't overthink it. Everything here is fine. Just don't let your guard down. Have a few people keep an eye on William's next moves. Make sure he's not plotting something behind the scenes."

Eric agreed.

But he clearly didn't believe her when she said everything was fine.

If the rumor was false, why hadn't Eleanor denied it? Had Lucas really hurt her that badly?

At the thought, Eric clenched his fists.

He needed to get stronger, fast. Strong enough to protect Eleanor—instead of constantly being protected by her and making her clean up his messes.

Over the next few days, Eleanor kept up her usual rhythm.

When she suddenly received word that Lucas was coming back, she realized several days had already passed.

In the end, David hadn't been able to stop the deal. The contract Lucas had signed was now in effect. Lucas was returning with the signed contract and would be landing at the airport soon.

Eleanor stood to go meet him. She told David, "Since you couldn't stop him from signing, let it go. As long as he comes back safe."

On the other end of the line, David stammered, "Eleanor, there's... one more thing..."

"Just say it."

David had no choice. He sighed inwardly. "Lucas is bringing Miss Myers back with him. She wanted to spend some time here."

Miss Myers was none other than Wendy Myers—the daughter of their business partner, who had been aggressively pursuing Lucas from the moment they met.

Eleanor's voice turned ice-cold. "What did you just say?"

After confirming that Lucas had indeed brought Wendy back, Eleanor let out a bitter laugh and turned on her heel.

"He really hasn't let me down."

Her knuckles went white around her phone, her tone colder than ever. "Tell Lucas the company car is not for picking up his little girlfriend."

With that, she hung up.

She ordered the company drivers not to pick Lucas up—a clear move to make things difficult for Lucas and send Wendy a message.

The company didn't dare defy Eleanor's orders.

So when Lucas and Wendy got off the plane, the arrival area was empty. Their car was nowhere in sight.

Lucas's expression darkened.

He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Wendy tugged at her thin outfit, frowning slightly. She wasn't used to being treated with such cold indifference.

But when her gaze drifted to Lucas, her heart softened. She'd been drawn to this handsome, successful man from the very first moment she saw him.