As Eleanor rounded the corner of the hallway, she caught the unmistakable lilt of Gwenda''s voice, tinged with envy. "Faye, I can''t tell you how jealous I am. Who would''ve thought Dr. Langley would choose you as herst protégé? Your future''s basically set."


    "My mentor has high hopes for me," Faye replied, a hint of pride in her tone. "With her guidance, I''m bound to progress faster."


    "Now that Dr. Langley''s overseeing things, Eleanor doesn''t have a chance to pull any strings. She got cut from the program just like that."


    "That''s what happens when someone can''t keep up-there''s no room for mediocrity in science," Faye added, her wordsced with mockery.


    Only after their footsteps faded did Eleanor step away from the wall. She returned to her office and began tidying up her things, trying to regain herposure when Joel stopped by for a chat. He''d already reached out to his contacts to help her search for a matching sample in the global gene database and promised to let her know the moment anything turned up.


    "Thank you, Joel," Eleanor said quietly.


    "No need for that," Joel smiled, offering her a reassuring look. "And don''t lose heart. We all see how capable you are."


    Eleanor managed a wan smile. "I know. I''ll keep working at it."


    Meanwhile, Jude Vaughn was handling Eleanor''s exam paperwork. Soon after, he forwarded her a preliminary assessment.


    "Ellie, before you can register for the exam, you''ll need toplete this


    evaluation. If you ace it, I can petition the school to let you take the fast-track exam."


    "Alright, Jude. I''ll have it back to you by tomorrow morning at thetest," Eleanor replied.


    "No rush," Jude said. "Take your time and answer carefully."<fn05c1> Latest content published on Find★Novel</fn05c1>


    Down the hall, Gwenda arrived at Jude''s office to drop off some files and noticed him printing out an application. "What''s that, Jude?" she asked, peering over.


    "It''s for Eleanor-her application to sit the fast-track exam," he replied.


    Gwenda''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, Eleanor wants to skip a year? She''s only a sophomore!"


    Jude chuckled. "Dr. Lyman suggested she try the written exam first. If she passes, she can begin a hospital internship and work toward her clinical assessment."


    Gwenda stifled augh, as if she''d just heard the punchline of a joke. Eleanor? Attempting to skip a year? Had she lost her mind?


    The woman had barely finished her second-year courses, spent six years as a housewife, and now she wanted to leap ahead?


    What a joke.


    "Jude, you should make sure she gets a psychological evaluation as well," Gwenda advised with a smirk. "This isn''t a game—what if she falls apart when she fails?"


    Jude nodded thoughtfully. "That''s actually a good idea."


    No sooner had she left than Gwenda hurried over to Faye, eager to share thetest gossip. When she finished recounting Eleanor''s n, Faye looked equally stunned. "What on earth is Eleanor thinking?"


    "I guess after Dr. Langley kicked her out, she couldn''t handle it and now wants to prove herself," Gwenda said.


    Faye scoffed. "Does she really think she''s some prodigy? If this is all it takes to throw her, she''s not cut out for medicine."


    "Let her try, Faye! We''ve both been through that exam-we know exactly how brutal it is. Let''s just sit back and watch the show," Gwenda replied. She didn''t have any real grudge against Eleanor, but since she wanted to stay in Faye''s good graces, she''d chosen her side.


    Faye was convinced Eleanor was headed for disaster-and she couldn''t wait to watch it happen.