Simone walked back to theb with Eleanor, but she keptn''s pressure about the timeline to herself. Instead, she spoke to Eleanor in a gentle, encouraging tone, urging her to push forward while still bncing work and rest.


    Eleanor was a sensitive person. Just yesterday, Simone had promised her a three-day break, but now she was suddenly urging her to speed up the experiments. Clearly, someone above was putting pressure on Simone.


    That someone wasn.


    He''de by in person today, just to oversee their progress.


    Knowingn''s history, Eleanor didn''t take it personally. The man was a workaholic


    to his core-he quantified everything, from his job to his personal life to rtionships. He was like a machine, always operating by the numbers and never straying from the n.


    He''d invested his money, so there had to be results.


    Eleanor agreed to pick up the pace. Simoneid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don''t stress too much. Good research takes patience there''s no rushing it."


    "I know, Professor Langley." Eleanor nodded.


    Three dayster, one morning, Eleanor got a call from Xavier. He wanted to meet for lunch.


    Eleanor had decided to ept Juliette''s final grant donation; she''d use it for something meaningful.


    She agreed to meet, and Xavier texted her the address of the restaurant.


    Eleanor left theb a bit early, tidied up in her office, and headed out. As she stepped into the elevator, she ran into Gwenda, who was clutching a stack of files.


    "Heading out?" Gwenda asked.


    "Yeah, meeting a friend," Eleanor replied.


    Gwenda looked at her with genuine envy. "Eleanor, congrattions. And I want to apologize again for the way I treated you before. I''m truly sorry."


    Eleanor shook her head. "It''s all water under the bridge."


    Gwenda felt a pang of shame. She was finally realizing that her hostility toward Eleanor had mostlye from Faye''s maniption.


    Like that time she''d posted Eleanor''s photo on the university bulletin board-only now did it dawn on her that she''d just been a pawn in Faye''s game. Thankfully, Eleanor hadn''t held it against her.


    If Eleanor had wanted to, she could''ve gotten her expelled. Back then, Eleanor had been married ton and had powerful connections; one word from anyone could''ve had Gwenda kicked out of theb.


    As Eleanor stepped out of the elevator, Gwenda watched her go, a subtle admiration in her eyes that she herself didn''t notice.


    Eleanor made her way to the parking lot and followed the GPS to the upscale French bistro Xavier had chosen.


    It wasn''t until she parked and stepped inside that she realized how romantic the ce was. A server led her to a semi-private booth by the window, where Xavier stood up to greet her.


    "You''re here."


    Eleanor smiled and took a seat.


    "This ce is pretty private," Xavier said, always attentive. "Less chance of journalists snapping a story out of context."


    Eleanor smiled gratefully. "That''s really considerate of you."


    After they ordered, Xavier took out a file and handed it to her. "If you sign here, I''ll


    set up an independent research fund in your name. It''ll give you more flexibility for future projects."


    Eleanor had an idea. She wanted to create a schrship to support promising young scientists and bring new talent into the field.


    Xavier''s eyes lit up, clearly impressed. "That''s a brilliant idea. I''m all for it."


    They chatted for a while, and when Eleanor nced up, she caught sight of a familiar face entering the restaurant—Vanessa, apanied by a middle-aged woman. They were deep in conversation as they walked in.


    Vanessa, ever observant, scanned the restaurant and quickly spotted Eleanor and Xavier at the window table.


    She was quietly surprised-Eleanor and Xavier''s rtionship seemed to be moving fast. Last time, she''d seen them at the hospital, close and intimate. Now they were meeting alone in a romantic restaurant. How long before she received a wedding invitation from the two of them?


    Vanessa shed a smile and walked over. "Xavier, Eleanor-what a coincidence." Xavier nodded politely. "Vanessa, good to see you."


    "I''m here with my agent. I''ll let you two enjoy your lunch," Vanessa said, then returned to her table with her manager.


    Pulling out her phone, Vanessa snapped a discreet photo of Xavier and Eleanor and sent it to Henry.


    "Henry, guess who I just ran into?" Vanessa hadn''t forgotten what Henry had saidst time.


    He''d always thought highly of Eleanor, convinced she had no interest in marrying into wealth again. Well, now Vanessa was going to show him—Eleanor only looked virtuous on the surface, but in private, she was clearly doing everything she could to win Xavier over.


    "Seems I misjudged them. Maybe they really are together," Henry replied, his opinion changed.