Eleanor''s expression hardened. "I don''t have time."


    “I''ll, uh, use the restroom. You two go ahead and talk!” Byron, ever the tactful one, quickly excused himself and slipped away.


    Eleanor gave a nomittal shrug. "So what if he is?"


    "He''s talented. Someone you can trust," Ian offered, weighing his words.


    Eleanor''s brow furrowed. Was this really what he wanted to discuss?


    "My mom and grandma want to see Evelyn this weekend. I''ll pick her up Friday afternoon,"n added.


    Gina had mentioned on the phonest time that they wanted to have Evelyn over for the weekend, so Eleanor nodded. "That''s fine."


    Eleanor waited by Byron''s office door. It was ten minutes before he returned. Spotting her alone, he smiled. “Mr. Goodwin already left?"


    "VP Chase, I think there''s an issue with one of the data sets from thest round of experiments. I wanted to double-check on your end."


    "Absolutely. Let''s go inside and take a look." Byron immediately shifted into work mode.


    He genuinely admired Eleanor''s relentless pursuit of excellence in research. Over the past few days, he''d interacted with Faye as well. She was talented, no doubt, but there was a clear gap between her and Eleanor-Fayecked that deep- seated respect and curiosity for science that set Eleanor apart.


    By four in the afternoon, Eleanor had reanalyzed the data and sent the corrected results to Simone. After reviewing them, Simone immediately called Faye in.


    "Faye, research is about curiosity and discovery. How did you miss such a ring discrepancy in the parameters?"


    Faye twisted her hands behind her back, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I''m sorry, Professor. It was my mistake."


    "If Eleanor hadn''t caught it, we would have headed down the wrong path entirely. Do you understand how serious that is?"


    "I understand."


    "I know working alongside Eleanor puts pressure on you, but you need to turn that pressure into motivation. If you want to surpass her, show me what you can do. I truly hope you''ll achieve something remarkable," Simone said, her tone gentle but firm.


    Faye bit her lip, resentment simmering beneath her polite nod. Now even her professor was holding Eleanor up as the standard.


    "Yes, Professor. I understand. I''ll do better," Faye replied, her voice steady.


    As she left the office, Faye clenched her fists. Simone hadn''t said it outright, but Faye could sense her disappointment. And it was all Eleanor''s fault.


    Friday arrived in a sh. Eleanor was still at home whenn texted, "I''m here to pick up Evelyn."


    She replied with a brief "Okay." Ten minutester, she assumed he''d already left with their daughter-until the doorbell rang and she foundn on the porch, Evelyn in his arms.


    Eleanor opened the door. Evelyn beamed. "Mom, where''s the toy I gotst time? I want to take it to Grandma''s!"


    As Evelyn dashed into the living room to search for her toy, Eleanor andn stood together by the gate.


    Princess, their golden retriever, bounded over, tail wagging furiously, nuzzling affectionately againstn''s leg.


    Atst, Evelyn emerged with a toy dinosaur clutched in her arms. "Daddy, let''s


    go!"


    "Bye, Mommy!" Evelyn called out, waving.


    Eleanor smiled and waved back. "I''ll be waiting for you toe home."


    Evelyn paused at the gate, her big eyes shining. "Mom, why don''t youe with


    me to Grandma''s? It''ll be fun!"


    Eleanor blinked in surprise.