The smile vanished from Eleanor''s face in an instant. Evelyn wriggled free from her grasp and dashed towardn. "Daddy!" she called out.


    "I was very good! Even Great-Grandma said so!" Evelyn replied proudly.


    "Evelyn, say goodbye to Daddy. It''s time for us to head home," Eleanor called, eager not to linger any longer than necessary.


    As Eleanor pressed the gas and drove away,n remained where he was, watching the car until it disappeared down the street. Only then did he turn and walk back inside the house.


    That night, Eleanor cradled her daughter in her arms and read her a bedtime story. Halfway through, sleep crept in and imed them both. Eleanor, running on little rest these past few days, slept soundly through the night, holding her daughter close.


    The next morning, Eleanor dropped Evelyn off at her summer program. As she parked, a sleek silver Bentley pulled up beside her-Xavier was there, bringing Vivian.


    The two little girls, hand in hand, skipped inside together. Eleanor turned to Xavier. "Vivian''s in the summer program too?"


    Xavier gave an exaggerated sigh, though there was warmth behind it. "Yeah. She learns so much more here. My mother spoils her rotten, and I''m worried she''s going to end uppletely pampered."


    Eleanorughed. "That''s just how it goes with grandparents."


    "How''s your project going these days?" Xavier asked, his expression turning earnest.


    Eleanor smiled wryly. "It looks like I''ll be busy for a while yet."


    "Don''t push yourself too hard. Just do your best," Xavier said, meaning every word. Eleanor''s work was unlike anyone else''s-he wished he could help, but there was little he could do.


    "I should get going," Eleanor said, opening her car door.


    Xavier watched her drive away, standing in ce until her car was out of sight. Across the street, in a white sports car, Serena witnessed the whole exchange. Jealousy tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She''d only meant to catch a glimpse of Xavier from afar, but instead, she saw himughing and chatting with Eleanor, lingering long after Eleanor had left.


    Biting her lip, Serena couldn''t summon the courage to get out and say hello. Even after Xavier''s car was gone, she just sat there, feeling miserable.


    Back at the hospital, Eleanor found her entire research team assembled. Today marked the second week of clinical trials for the new drug, and the first batch of patient data was due-everyone was anxious to see the results.


    Inside the conference room, Mr. Ackerly was practically vibrating with excitement. "Derek in bed three is showing clear improvement!" he announced.


    Eleanor scanned the charts and let out a relieved breath.


    "The initial results are even better than we''d hoped," she said.


    Mr. Ackerly nodded. "It looks like we''ve really done it."


    "Hard work does pay off in the end."


    A littleter, Simone made a private call ton to update him on the oue. "Ian, the first group of patients is responding. The drug''s working," she reported.n''s reply came steady and low. "That means Eleanor''s efforts weren''t in vain." "One day, leukemia won''t be a death sentence anymore-we''ll have a real treatment," Simone said, her excitement palpable. But she couldn''t help circling back to something that had been on her mind. "Ian, when you first invested in this research, was there someone you wanted to save?"


    There was a brief silence onn''s end. "I saw the business potential in the project," he answered calmly, giving nothing away.


    Simone sensed he was dodging the question and let her curiosity rest. "No matter the reason, we couldn''t have done it without you. Without your support, Eleanor might never have finished this research."


    "Professor Langley, please look after Eleanor for me. Don''t let her overwork herself,"n said quietly.


    Simone hesitated. "Ian, I won''t pry into your personal affairs, but if you have time, you should check in on her yourself. Otherwise, Eleanor might—”


    "No need,”n interrupted, his voice cool. "Whether she resents me or hates me, it doesn''t matter."


    Simone could only reply, "Alright, I''ll say no more."


    That afternoon, as Eleanor was sorting through paperwork in her office, a message came through from Joy Thatcher a link.