Eleanor fixed her gaze on him, trying to see through whatever scheme this man was plotting.


    Eleanor didn''t see the point. Whatever he was up to, she wasn''t about to let it bother her.


    When the registration event ended, the two little girls insisted on having lunch together. So the three adults took them to a nearby restaurant-a ce that oozed old-school charm, with a cozy patio out front. After eating, the girls ran off to y on the sunlit terrace while the adults lingered inside.


    Eleanor became absorbed in an email, her focus so deep she didn''t notice the world around her.


    "Mom!" Evelyn''s voice snapped her back to reality.


    Eleanor looked up. Ian said, "We''re all set. Let''s head out."


    Eleanor took her daughter''s hand, said goodbye to Vivian, and everyone went to their cars.


    Eleanor''s home was only a five-minute drive from the school. After dropping them off,n rolled down the window and called out, "Tomorrow, I''ve arranged a dinner with theb team and the higher-ups from Meridian Dynamics."


    Eleanor didn''t reply, but she knew there was no way around this. If she wanted to coborate with the country''s top Al researchers, she''d have to go through him.


    Meridian Dynamics'' Al technology was considered among the best in the world. The next morning, Eleanor dropped her daughter at school and headed straight for theb.


    Simone, her boss, had allowed her to work from home during the summer to care for Evelyn. But now that school was back in session, Eleanor knew she couldn''t ck off.


    At ten o''clock, Joel drove the group from theb to their appointment. Eleanor and Gwenda sat in the backseat, Faye rode up front.


    "I heard the executives at Meridian Dynamics are actually their lead engineers," Faye said. "Last month, they published several groundbreaking papers that made waves globally."


    Gwenda looked excited. "That means we might actually meet some of these legends in person."


    Joel''s car pulled up in front of an architecturally striking building-Meridian Tower. Joel and Faye led the way. Over the past month, Faye had served as the main point of contact and had even met some of the Meridian team privately.


    Eleanor, on the other hand, hadn''t interacted with anyone from Meridian yet; after all, she''d been busy looking after her daughter. She hardly looked like someone who specialized in Al.


    Thanks ton''s connections, Meridian Dynamics was eager to work with theirb. As soon as the group arrived, they were ushered straight into a conference room, where the Meridian team addressed their previous questions one by one.


    While Meridian Dynamics was best known for cutting-edge technology, their main research actually leaned more toward medical applications. This coboration was their chance to partner with Simone''sb for the long haul.


    Joel, who had a solid grasp of Al, kept the conversation flowing easily. Faye had crammed for this meeting and joined in confidently, while Gwenda listened with clear admiration. Eleanor, meanwhile, remained quiet.


    Faye nced at Eleanor several times, inwardly pleased. Maybe now Eleanor would be out of her depth-she probably didn''t even understand what they were talking about. If so, this was Faye''s chance to shine.


    But Byron Chase, Meridian''s vice president, didn''t overlook Eleanor. He''d heard of her reputation; everyone in medical research had. Having Eleanor involved in this meeting was a big deal for them.


    After all, Eleanor had be a star in the field-a true prodigy.


    "Dr. Sutton," Byron said with a warm smile, "if you have any suggestions, we''d be eager to hear them."


    Faye shot Eleanor a sidelong nce. What could she possibly contribute?


    Eleanor paused, then smiled politely. "At the moment, I don''t have any suggestions."


    Faye smirked. If you don''t know what to say, just admit it—no need to act mysterious. Better to say nothing than embarrass yourself, right?


    But then Eleanor added, "However, I did hear you mention DNA origami technology earlier. I actually have a somewhat different perspective on that."


    At once, all eyes turned to Eleanor. Byron looked genuinely excited. "Dr. Sutton, please, go on."


    Eleanor had personally worked on several of theb''s key projects; of course she understood the underlying principles. Still, she hesitated to dive too deep-if she brought up confidential techniques not yet published in the medical field, it might intimidate the Meridian team or even breach protocol. She needed to probe gently, just in case.


    Faye''s expression faltered. Eleanor was famous in medical circles, true, but that was all thanks to her brilliant father, wasn''t it? How could she possibly have a say in Al?


    Just then, Byron''s phone rang. He checked the caller ID and answered. "Mr. Goodwin, you''ve arrived? Oh! Wonderful, we''ll be right over."


    Byron nced at his watch and addressed the group. "It''s lunchtime, everyone. Let''s move across the street and continue our discussion over a meal."


    He looked directly at Eleanor. "Dr. Sutton, I''m looking forward to hearing more of your insights."<fn1068> Discover more novels at Find?Novel</fn1068>


    Faye was left on the sidelines, forcing a smile while inwardly seething.


    Eleanor nodded with a polite smile. Joel and Byron fell into conversation as they led the group out, with Eleanor walking just behind. At the rear, Faye and Gwenda linked arms.


    "We''re really having lunch with Mr. Goodwin? Oh my god, I can''t believe it!" Gwenda pressed a hand to her chest, visibly excited.


    Faye''s lips curled in a half-smile. Just wait until we''re in the restaurant, she thought. Withn there, let''s see if Eleanor can keep up-or if she''ll finally make a fool of herself.


    The restaurant was just across the street. As they waited at the crosswalk, Joel and Byron wrapped up their conversation. When Eleanor caught up, Joel instinctively moved to stand at her side, cing himself between her and the flow of traffic-as if he''d shield her in a heartbeat if anything went wrong.


    Faye noticed this small gesture, jealousy twisting in her gut. Did Joel really care about Eleanor that much?


    Maybe even Joel himself wasn''t aware of how deeply he wanted to protect her. And Eleanor, for her part, seemed not to notice at all.