Eleanor nced over the paper and offered a gentle smile. "What do you think, Professor Langley?"
If Eleanor had failed to skip a year and graduate early, Simone might have believed this was Elliot''s unfinished work. But with Eleanor''s brilliant results, it was clear she''d earned her sess.
Simone studied the young woman before her-poised and striking. After Elliot''s wife had passed away years ago, Eleanor was always by her father''s side. Simone remembered catching glimpses of the girl in Elliot''sb, working on her homework, sometimes falling asleep right at the desk from exhaustion.
There was a time Simone had considered bing Eleanor''s stepmother, but Elliot had turned her down. She''d felt resentment, even bitterness, but in the end, she made peace with her past and threw herself into her research.
Now, Eleanor stood before her-tall, confident, vibrant, and impressively aplished.
"Your performance in this exam was outstanding," Simone said. "Dr. Lyman and I have discussed it, and we''d like to offer you direct admission to our graduate program. What do you think?"
Eleanor was caught off guard. She''d hoped for this, but hadn''t expected Simone to rmend her so readily. She smiled, gratitude shining in her eyes. "Thank you, Professor Langley. I do want to pursue graduate studies."
"Excellent. Joel has already spoken to you about joining our team, hasn''t he?"
"Yes, he has. And I''m grateful for the opportunity, Professor Langley."
Simone adjusted her sses. "You don''t need to thank me. You earned this yourself."
"This evening, theb is going out for dinner together. You should join us," Simone added.<fnd129> Content originallyes from find·novel</fnd129>
"I''d love to, Professor Langley." Eleanor smiled with quietposure.
That evening, they gathered at a restaurant downtown. Simone hosted, and there were eight of them in total-Eleanor as the new addition, along with her assistant.
Faye kept her emotions in check, acting as if nothing was amiss. When Simone raised her ss to toast Eleanor''s achievement, Faye joined in with a polite smile. But when Simone mentioned Eleanor''s direct admission to the graduate program, everyone except Joel fell silent, their smiles faltering.
After all, Faye and the other three were current grad students; Eleanor''s fast track into the program only served to highlight their own mediocrity.
At half past eight, Simone excused herself. The dinner wound down, and as everyone was leaving, Eleanor''s phone buzzed with a new message. She nced at the screen-it was fromn.
"I''m outside the restaurant. Come down."
Eleanor paused, surprised. Why was he here to pick her up? She''d mentioned she''d be out for dinner around five, but hadn''t told him the restaurant''s name.
Then she remembered: Ian and Simone were in contact. That exined it.
By now, the group had stepped outside. Eleanor turned to the others. "I''ll head off first."
Faye and Gwenda watched as Eleanor, clutching her bag, made her way toward a gleaming luxury car parked beneath a streemp.
"Wait... is that a Rolls?" Callie blurted out, wide-eyed.
Faye and Gwenda looked more closely. Sure enough, Eleanor was getting into a sleek ck Rolls-Royce.
"The guy driving-that''s her husband, right?" Gwenda whispered.
Faye nced at Joel and noticed he, too, was watching Eleanor. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at Eleanor''s husband. From this distance, she could only make out a tall, well-built figure in the driver''s seat-his features hidden by the darkness.
"Joel, want a ride home?" Faye offered, trying to sound casual.
Joel shook his head. "I''m meeting some friends tonight. See you tomorrow."
With that, he strode away, leaving Faye blinking back disappointment, eyes stinging. Horace stepped up and asked, "Faye, mind giving me a lift? I came by cab."
Faye grabbed Gwenda''s arm instead. "I''ll give Gwenda a ride. You guys can share a taxi."
Once inside Faye''s car, Gwenda couldn''t help but mutter, "Eleanor really keeps a low profile. Her husband must be loaded-who drives a Rolls-Royce these days?"