Vanessa strolled over to Henry''s side, catching him as he tucked his phone away, his gaze fixed on the VIP suite. Through the ss, she could see Eleanor deep in conversation with the sales manager.
"Henry, what are you staring at?" Vanessa nudged him, following his line of sight. A flicker of jealousy shed in her eyes as she teased, "Don''t tell me you''ve fallen for Eleanor''s charm too!"
Henry quickly averted his gaze, scolding her with mock annoyance. "Don''t be ridiculous."
"Oh,e on. Isn''t that the type men like? The cool, intellectual type who''s always got her nose in a book?" Vanessa pressed, her tone light but probing.
Henry didn''t rise to the bait. Instead, he locked eyes with her. "You really don''t know what''s on my mind?"
Vanessa froze, her yful mood fading. She nced at her watch, changing the subject. "Where on earth is Faye? She''s been gone forever."
Henry saw her sidestep the question and hesitated, then reached out and pped her gently on the shoulder. "Vanessa, actually, I—"
She cut him off abruptly. "What didn want with you just now?"
Whatever Henry had been about to say died on his lips. He withdrew his hand, stuffing it into his pocket. "Mr. Brown invited me and Xavier out for dinner tonight. Wantedn to pass along the message."
"Typical. The three of you never miss a dinner invitation. Everyone knows you''re thick as thieves," Vanessa said with a half-smile.
Henry let out a resignedugh. "Yeah. I hope we stay that close for the rest of our lives."
Inside the VIP room, Eleanor signed the final document and looked up at Xavier. "Thank you for everything today."
Xavier, however, looked a little put out. Just moments ago, when it was time to pay, he''d tried to hand over his card, only for Eleanor to stop him.
He''d really wanted to buy this car for her, even if he knew Eleanor hardly needed the money. Ian had already set her up for life-she could do nothing and still never run out. Technically, that fortune was meant forn''s daughter, Evelyn, but Eleanor had full control over it now.
"If you really want to thank me, just take me out for dinner sometime," Xavier said, only half-joking.
Eleanor blinked in surprise, thenughed. "Deal. My treat."
Xavier grinned. "I''ll hold you to that. No backing out."
She smiled. "Wouldn''t dream of it. But you''ll have to work around my schedule.”
"I know, I know. Wouldn''t want to interrupt your busy life," Xavier replied.
After Eleanor finished the paperwork, she was told she could pick up the car in three days. As she stepped out, she saw Faye returning from her test drive, clearly happy with her choice.
Faye chatted with Vanessa and Henry about how smooth the drive was. As she turned, she spotted Eleanor and her grouping out. Faye arched an eyebrow; she''d once envied Eleanor for her staggering eight-billion-dor inheritance. But now, with her own father''spany going public and her family''s worth skyrocketing, things had changed. She and Vanessa were the only daughters. Vanessa would eventually marryn, making her even wealthier, while Faye would inherit the Yeaton fortune herself. She''d have more money than she could ever spend and like Eleanor, she''d be the heiress to a powerful family.
"All set?" Henry called over.
Xavier nodded. "Yep, we''ll head out first."
"Goodbye, Mrs. Shannon. Goodbye, Mr. Holt." Evelyn, snuggled in Joy''s arms, waved her tiny hand politely.
Vanessa waved back, her voice gentle. "Bye, little Evelyn!"
Joslyn hadn''t seen Vanessa in ages. She used to think that Vanessa''s vivaciousness had outshone her, making her seem too quiet and reserved byparison. But now, she saw it differently-Eleanor''s allure ran deeper. She was not only beautiful but a renowned scientist, and that was something Joslyn truly admired.
Eleanor and Xavier went their separate ways. Eleanor took her daughter Joslyn and rode with Joy back home, stopping at a nearby bistro for lunch. By the time they got home, it was already three in the afternoon. Eleanor carried her sleeping daughter inside and tucked her in for a nap.
Joslyn went to rest as well, but Eleanor, though tired, didn''t pause. She made herself a cup of coffee and retreated to her study to work.
Soon, Simone called with news: the ethicsmittee had approved the clinical trial application, and the final prep meeting was scheduled for Monday. Simone also sent over the first batch of participant profiles. As Eleanor scanned the list, one name jumped out: Mabel-the desperate mother she''d met before, with two young children.
Eleanor''s heart tightened. She''d felt so much empathy for Mabel before, and now she was one of their trial subjects. Eleanor''s fingers curled unconsciously. To these patients, her drug was theirst hope.
She stared at the files until fatigue overtook her. Sinking onto the sofa in her study, she closed her eyes and drifted into a light nap.
Monday morning, Eleanor arrived at theb, running a bitte. Hugging a stack of files, she hurried toward the conference room. Suddenly, as she rounded a corner near the restrooms, someone stepped out, and she nearly collided with him, her shoulder bumping his arm.
"I''m so sorry!" she blurted out, not yet seeing who it was.
"No problem," came a low, familiar voice.
Eleanor spun aroundn was looking right at her.
She ducked her head and sped toward the conference room. A few minutester,n entered too. Simone vacated the seat at the head of the table for him, but he waved her off and pulled out the chair beside Eleanor instead.
"Alright, let''s get started," Simone announced. "As the lead for the new clinical trial, I''ll be overseeing the project."
The air conditioning sent a cool breeze through the room. Ian caught a faint trace of jasmine in the air-the same shampoo Eleanor had always used, unchanged after six years.
n, do you have any suggestions?" Simone asked.
Hisments made Eleanor knit her brows. How didn know so much about this? Had he been studying medicine? Or had he picked it up somewhere along the way?
Simone nodded thoughtfully. "Good point,n. We''ll make sure to n those details carefully and strengthen the safeguards."