Eleanor climbed back into her car, recounting everything that had just happened to Frazier over the phone. He sounded genuinely surprised. "Mr. Goodwin-was that all he meant?"


    "For now, it seems so."


    "Eleanor, I reviewed your divorce agreement again. The contract itself is solid, but in the additional uses, Mr. Goodwin left himself some wiggle room."


    Eleanor''s grip tightened on the steering wheel. "What do you mean?"


    On the other end of the line, Frazier chose his words carefully. "Legally speaking, Mr. Goodwin reserved the right to change the custody arrangement in those uses. But judging by his attitude today, I think there might be more to it."


    Eleanor frowned. "More, how?"


    "He''s testing you."


    "Testing what?" Eleanor bit her lip.


    "Your feelings for Xavier," Frazier analyzed. "Eleanor, have you ever considered that Mr. Goodwin might actually-"


    "No way." Eleanor cut him off, unwilling to hear the rest of that sentence.


    Frazier coughed awkwardly. "Maybe I misread things. Still, it''s pretty unusual for him to suddenly drop the five-year no-remarriage use and give up fighting for custody. That''s not his usual style."


    Eleanor didn''t me Frazier for specting-after all, he hadn''t lived six years withn Goodwin and couldn''t know the man''s true methods.


    Manipting people and reading human nature was whatn did best.


    "In any case, we should both stay alert," Frazier reminded her before hanging up. After the call, Eleanor checked the clock and headed toward the research facility. Once inside theb, she settled into work, letting the steady rhythm of tasks sweep away her tangled thoughts.


    By two in the afternoon, Eleanor was heading to a meeting. As she rounded a corner, she spotted a group of colleagues gathered around Faye. One of them eximed loudly, “Faye, now that your dad''spany is going public, you''re about to be the heiress of the year!"


    "I''ve nevercked for money, so whether my family''s rich or not doesn''t really matter," Faye said, tossing her long hair with a practiced flick.


    Catching sight of Eleanor, Faye added, "But if my dad''spany does go public smoothly, there''s one person we really have to thank."


    "Who''s that?"


    Faye stepped past her colleagues and fixed her eyes on Eleanor. "That would be Mr. Goodwin. He helped my dad pull off the whole IPO. He''s even a shareholder now."


    "Wow! With Mr. Goodwin backing it, Faye, you''re totally set to be the next billionaire heiress!"


    Faye had never wanted for anything, but her family had always beenfortably upper-middle ss never truly wealthy. Now, with her father''spany about to go public, his worth was skyrocketing. Among Ashford City''s business elite, he was bing a force to be reckoned with.


    Eleanor slipped into the conference room, where Joel looked up and greeted her with a smile. "Hey, you made it."


    "Yeah. How''s your projecting alongtely?” she asked, taking a seat.


    "So far, so good. By the way, rumor has it the new drug could enter clinical trials in as soon as a month. Are you feeling the pressure?"


    Eleanor nodded honestly. "Definitely."


    "I heard Dr. Lyman secured a national research grant for your project, and even submitted it for an international medical innovation award. If it wins, the announcement coulde as soon as October."


    As Joel finished, Faye, who had just entered with a stack of documents, looked visibly unsettled.


    A moment ago, she''d made a show of bragging about her father''spany going public. Butpared to Eleanor''s achievements in medicine, she knew that kind of recognition was something money couldn''t buy.


    Of course, on a global scale, there was no guarantee Eleanor''s patent would actually win. And her new drug hadn''t even entered clinical trials yet-if something went wrong, she''d be the one held responsible, not celebrated.


    Faye took a seat across from her just as Simone arrived, ready to give a progress report on the two experimental teams. Both had made significant advances, the result of everyone''s hard work.


    "Eleanor, next month Ashford City is hosting the Biomedical Summit. Ourb unanimously rmends you as our speaker. Do you feel up to it?" Simone asked with a smile.


    Faye quickly raised her hand. "Professor Langley, I''d like to nominate Joel. He''s an outstanding speaker."


    "No, I stand by Eleanor. She''s the best representative for ourb," Joel said firmly.


    Faye turned to Eleanor, her expression sly. "Eleanor, what do you think of Joel''s public speaking skills?"


    Eleanor looked at Simone. "Professor Langley, honestly, I think Joel is better suited for this than I am."


    A sh of triumph crossed Faye''s face. Getting Eleanor to step down herself meant Faye couldn''t be med for the oue.


    Simone hesitated-both Eleanor and Joel were the team''s brightest stars, and it was impossible to choose without showing favoritism.


    But Joel spoke up, his tone earnest. "Professor Langley, I rmend Eleanor. This is the perfect chance to showcase her research. With her new drug about tounch, she needs the public''s trust and attention."


    Simone considered this and nodded. "I agree with Joel. He''s right. Eleanor, you''ll be our speaker this time."


    Faye''s n had backfired. Her smile faltered, and there was a hint of resentment in her voice as she tried to protest. "Professor Langley, I really think-"


    "That''s settled," Simone cut her off.