The conference room fell silent in an instant.


    Eleanor could feel every pair of eyes fixed on her, their gazes sharp and heavy- includingn''s, those fathomless eyes that always seemed to see straight through people.


    ncing over at him, she caught only the cool detachment of a man conducting business, nothing more.


    Ellington had anticipated this scenariost night, so Eleanor handled it with practiced ease. She turned to Jacques. "We''ll go back and recheck the data. After all, our partnership is founded onplementary strengths."


    A glint shed in Jacques''s eyes. He scoffed, "You''re young, Miss Sutton, but you certainly don''tck confidence."


    The meeting ended under a cloud of tension, the air thick with unspoken challenge. Jacques had deliberately targeted Eleanor, stoking doubts among the others about her ability to manage herpany.


    As Eleanor gathered her files, Gavin sidled up to her. "Ms. Sutton, Mr. Goodwin asked to see you in his office after the meeting."


    She paused, fingers stilling on the papers. "Did he say what for?"


    Gavin looked uneasy. "He didn''t mention specifics. Just said it was important for you toe."


    Ellington, arms full of folders, offered quietly, "Ms. Sutton, I''ll wait for you in the lobby."


    Eleanor nodded. As she stepped into the elevator, her phone buzzed with a message from Ellington: *Ms. Sutton, I have a feeling there''s an issue with our internal data. I''ll get to the bottom of it.*


    When Eleanor entered, he was standing by the window with his back to the door, posture straight and unyielding.


    "Close the door," he said, turning to face her.


    She did, but didn''t move any closer. "If you have something to say, make it quick."


    He gestured to the sofa. "No rush. Let''s sit and talk."


    Eleanor crossed the room and sat down. Ian joined her, getting straight to the point. "There''s a problem with your internal data.”


    He continued, "A significant error in market analysis will throw off projections for several uing projects. It''s not a small matter."


    Eleanor bit her lip. "We''ll conduct a thorough review and correct it."


    Eleanor thought back to Jacques''s aggressive stance in the meeting. No wonder, she realized he was probably just looking out for his own.


    Seeing that he had nothing further to add, Eleanor rose. "If that''s all, I''ll take my leave."


    Down in the lobby, Ellington was on a call. The moment he spotted her, he jogged over. “Ms. Sutton, we found the issue. One of our original data sets was wed. We''ll amend the final report before it''s released."


    "Mr. Ellington, I''m putting you in charge of this. I trust you''ll handle it and deliver a satisfactory oue." Eleanor''s look conveyed her confidence.


    Ellington, after reviewing everything, felt a pang of guilt. Letting Eleanor be singled out in the meeting was his oversight.


    "Thank you for your trust, Ms. Sutton. I''ll resolve this as quickly as possible." Then, unable to hide his curiosity, he asked, "Did Mr. Goodwin say what he wanted to discuss?"


    "He caught the data issue too. Asked us to self-audit,” Eleanor replied.


    Ellington couldn''t help but admire, "Mr. Goodwin doesn''t miss a thing. To spot a w from a single report that''s impressive."


    Just then, a striking figure swept through the lobby. Vanessa strode in, handbag swinging, radiating the confidence of a lioness surveying her domain.


    When she saw Eleanor, her expression faltered for a split second.


    Ever since Eleanor had gotten close to Xavier, trying to break into their exclusive circle, Vanessa had been on guard, suspecting Eleanor was nning aeback. Now, it seemed, her suspicions might not have been unfounded.