"Mr. Goodwin, is there any progress?"


    He should have seen iting. Eleanor''s dedication and rigor when it came to research would never allow the project to be shut down so easily.


    The smile onn''s lips faded.


    It was also her way of helping the Ellington family.


    Feeling oddly empty,n took a sip of his tea.


    He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the city lights sprawling below, his thoughts a tangled web.


    Gavin took the hint and quietly exited the office.


    A moment ago, he''d checked thetest analysis online-there were already plenty ofbels being pped onton.


    Vanessa was following the drama too. She hadn''t expected that, overnight,n would find himself in such a predicament. The entire Goodwin & Co. board turning on him?


    She''d already sent him a message to check in, butn hadn''t replied. She


    couldn''t tell if he was simply too busy, or if he was so weighed down by the crisis that he had no energy left to respond.


    Anxious, Vanessa shot a message to Gavin, asking wheren was.


    Gavin replied: still in the office.


    Without hesitation, Vanessa changed into a skirt and headed straight for Goodwin & Co.


    At ten o''clock that night, she walked into thepany''s marble-floored lobby. The receptionist greeted her and led her upstairs. Vanessa pushed open the door ton''s office.


    The receptionist snapped a quick photo of this scene and sent it off to Marcus. She was, after all, one of Marcus''s lovers.


    Marcus, upon receiving the photos, forwarded them directly to Eleanor, adding a voice message: "Dr. Sutton, did you see that? Your ex-husband''s mistress is already there to keep himpany. If you''re still hoping he''ll change his mind, you can forget it."


    Eleanor nced at the photos and said nothing.


    Even ifn and Vanessa got married and had children right then and there, it wouldn''t affect her in the slightest.


    Just then, Eleanor''s phone chimed again. This time, it was York.


    "Eleanor, I just saw the news about the shareholder revolt at Goodwin & Co. Will this impact the Meridian Dynamics neural interface project?"


    Eleanor paused, surprised that Mr. Windsor was still thinking about this sote at night.


    He''d been recalled back to the country, burning through time and resources for this project-there was no way she could let it be derailed now.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Windsor. Ian will handle things," she replied.


    "Good. I hope nothing gets in the way of this project," York responded, his wordsced with hope.


    Eleanor took a long, steadying breath and went back to mapping out her ns. Morning.


    When Eleanor dropped her daughter off at school, she spotted Xavier''s car. He watched her closely, concern flickering in his eyes. "Rough night? You look a little pale."


    "I''m fine-just need a quick nap at lunch and I''ll be good as new," Eleanor replied with a smile.


    "Are you worried aboutn''spany?" Xavier asked gently.


    "I''m worried about the project," she answered.


    "I''ve already talked ton," Xavier reassured her. "He said he''s got it covered. You don''t have to worry too much."


    Eleanor blinked in surprise. "Really?"


    "Ian always has a backup n. Those shareholders can''t touch him," Xavier said, confident in his old friend.


    He knewn wouldn''t go down so easily. After all, eight years ago, when his father passed away,n had juste out of aa. With no one to support him, he wed his way up from nothing, fought tooth and nail in the boardroom, and secured his ce at the helm.