After ordering their food, Eleanor''s phone buzzed with a new message. She nced down and saw it was from Byron.


    "Eleanor, the afternoon meeting has been moved up to one o''clock. Please head back to the office as soon as you finish lunch.”


    She frowned. That was abrupt.


    "What''s wrong?" Xavier noticed the change in her expression.


    Setting her phone aside, Eleanor replied, "I''ll probably have to rush back to the office for a meeting right after we eat."


    "I thought your workday doesn''t usually start until after two?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, but there''s a meeting that''s suddenly been rescheduled for one." She lifted her cup and took a sip of tea, not thinking much of it.


    But Xavier''s brow furrowed. "Was itn who called you back for the meeting?"


    Eleanor paused mid-sip. "No, it was Byron, the director over at Meridian Dynamics."


    "Makes no difference," Xavier chuckled. Then he leaned in, changing the subject slightly. "By the way, that nket at the venue earlier-do you know who asked the staff to bring it to you?"


    Eleanor was caught off guard. She hadn''t thought about it at the time, but now that he mentioned it, it did seem odd. How did the staff know she was cold, especially with the lights dimmed?


    "I''m pretty sure it wasn who told them to bring it," Xavier said, watching her reaction. "Seems like he still cares about you."


    A sh of distaste crossed Eleanor''s face. "I don''t need his concern."


    Her response made Xavier pause. He could tell she wasn''t faking it-her feelings were genuine.


    "Sorry, I shouldn''t have brought him up." Xavier quickly moved on. "Anyway, the weather''s been all over the cetely. Take care of yourself, okay? Don''t catch a cold."


    Eleanor''s expression softened. "You''re right, it''s the worst time of year for getting sick."


    They began chatting about their kids, and the mood lightened immediately. But just as they finished their meal, Eleanor''s phone buzzed again-Byron had sent over the meeting materials.


    She nced through the message, checked the time, and stood up. "I''d better get back to the office."


    Xavier nodded. "Workes first. Let''s go."


    They walked out of the restaurant together. Xavier watched as Eleanor''s car pulled away, letting out a quiet sigh. That lingering question in his mind only grew more persistent.


    Why didn always seem to be hovering over Eleanor-sometimes openly, sometimes behind the scenes?


    Everyone knew how important Eleanor was to him; her research had yed a critical role in Meridian Dynamics'' meteoric rise in the pharmaceutical world. But if his concern was purely professional, why did it feel liken was subtly blocking Xavier from getting close to her deliberately, but never directly?


    Meridian Dynamics, Conference Room.


    Eleanor slipped in through the door; the meeting was already in session. Ian sat at the head of the table, listening intently as the tech team presented their report. When Eleanor entered, his gaze flicked over her, impassive, lingering for only a second.


    Byron waved her over, signaling for her to grab an empty seat.


    She settled beside Joel, who gave her a warm smile and slid some documents her way. Across from them, Faye tightened her grip on her pen.


    The meeting was halfway through whenn spoke up, his tone clipped and stern. "Let me be clear: from now on, I expect everyone to be on time for meetings."


    His eyes passed over Eleanor-barely noticeable, but the message was clear.


    A ripple of tension ran through the room, and several people nced her way. Eleanor, however, kept her head down, quietly reviewing the documents as if she hadn''t heard a thing.


    The atmosphere grew taut, until Byron broke the silence with a breezy smile. "All right, let''s open the floor for discussion. Any thoughts on the algorithm approach we just went over?"


    Eleanor looked up. "VP Chase, could you add six pigs to the procurement list?" Byron blinked, momentarily thrown. "Pigs?"


    "Yes. We''ll need them for the trial runs. They can be kept at theb facilities," she replied, her tone matter-of-fact.


    Faye snorted. "Seriously? Pigs? At Meridian Dynamics?"


    Joel shook his head. "Of course not here. They''ll be housed at the researchb, not roaming the halls."


    Eleanor answered calmly, "We''ve hit a wall with rodent models. Pigs have physiological systems much closer to humans, so they''re better for simting clinical responses. Using primates would be ideal, but the costs are prohibitive. Pigs are the logical choice for early-stage experiments."


    Faye muttered under her breath, "What is this, a farm?”


    Byron nodded. “Understood. Miss Sutton is simply looking out for thepany''s budget."


    His offhandpliment made Faye''s expression sour; she mped her mouth shut.


    "This Friday, there''s a corporate g. Everyone will attend-Starnova Group''s representatives will be there, and it''ll be our first official exchange at a dinner event,"n announced, standing to leave. After a few steps, he paused and looked back, his tone cold and unmistakable. "No absences will be tolerated- especially from our lead researchers."


    Eleanor quietly gathered her materials, feeling singled out.


    Faye watched her, frowning. It was obvious Eleanor''s standing withn was growing stronger with every passing day.


    Even if it was just her research that he valued, Faye couldn''t shake her sense of unease for Vanessa''s sake.


    A former wife who showed up at every major meeting was a ticking time bomb. All


    it would take was one move from Eleanor, andn could easily fall for her all over again—especially with a child still connecting them.