"Let me go." Her voice was low but fierce as she tried to yank her wrist from his grasp.


    Right then, the conference room door swung open. Joel stepped in, his gaze immediatelynding onn''s hand mped around Eleanor''s arm. He frowned, his voice low andmanding. "Mr. Goodwin, what exactly do you think you''re doing?"


    A momentter, Faye appeared in the doorway as well, her face registering disbelief as she took in the scene.


    n ignored Joel. His gaze stayed fixed on Eleanor, searching her face, but all he found there was loathing and resentment. Atst, his grip ckened and he let


    her go.


    Joel wasted no time. He moved to Eleanor''s side, gently taking her arm and guiding her behind him, positioning himself protectively between her andn.


    "Mr. Goodwin, if you have something to say, say it. But Eleanor is no longer your wife. Please stop harassing her."


    Joel turned to Eleanor, his concern clear. "Do you want me to walk you back to your office?"


    He didn''t buyn''s apology for a second. Seeingn grab Eleanor like that, Joel had been ready to intervene if things escted.


    During their marriage, Eleanor had kept her secrets. It was no surprise thatn, as her ex-husband, would feel betrayed andsh out—he probably felt yed for a fool.


    Eleanor nodded, then slipped out of the conference room. Joel followed close behind.


    Faye lingered at the door, watchingn''s dark, clouded expression. She almost said something tofort him, but in the end, she simply pressed her lips together and watched him walk away.


    To Faye, the whole scene looked different. She was sure Eleanor had provokedn, driven him to the edge-probably by unting her recent achievements and threatening his pride.


    After all, York''sments today had vaulted Eleanor to a new level of importance in thepany. Now, Eleanor was at the forefront of their neural interface project.n would have to reevaluate her worth, maybe even chase after her again. If Eleanor wanted her ex-husband back, it would be all too easy-she only needed to ask, andn would give her anything.


    Back in the office, Eleanor sat on the couch, absentmindedly massaging her sore wrist wheren had grabbed her. Joel stood nearby, his voice gentle. "Are you alright? Whatn did today definitely crossed the line into harassment."


    "Thank you, Joel." Eleanor''s voice was weary.


    He hesitated, then asked, "Has he done this before?"


    Roughness? Violence? Forcing her into confrontations?


    Eleanor shook her head. "He was always controlled when we were married- never raised his voice, never lost his temper, even when we argued."


    Joel sighed. “I guess he never imagined the wife he thought would stay home and y the good hostess would turn out to be this talented."


    Eleanor pressed her fingers to her brow, wishing for just one thing: forn to stay far away from her, with no more entanglements.


    Just then, Laird poked his head in. "VP Chase wants to see you both in the conference room."


    Eleanor gathered herself and returned to the meeting with Joel. York and the rest of the team had finished their tour and were ready to continue the discussion.


    The seat at the head of the table was emptyn hadn''te back.


    "Mr. Goodwin had something urgent to attend to," Byron exined to the group. "Let''s continue."


    The discussion shifted to neural interface theory. As the teams began an intense brainstorming session, Faye took notes. When Eleanor mentioned aplex medical term, Faye''s pen paused mid-sentence-she didn''t even understand the term Eleanor used.


    Frustrated, Faye pressed her pen so hard it scored a line across her notebook. She looked up, ring at Eleanor, who was speaking confidently, admired by all. Jealousy and resentment burned in her chest.


    "I believe that the theory of synaptic regeneration," Eleanor said clearly, her voice steady and authoritative, "is the key to oveing immune rejection in brain- machine interfaces."


    "I agree with Eleanor''s theory," Tanya chimed in, nodding.


    Everyone seemed impressed. York nodded enthusiastically, admiration clear in his eyes.


    Faye watched silently, her nails digging into her palm. Today''s gathering was full of heavyweights in neural interface research—and once again, Eleanor was at the center of it all, making real contributions.


    It made Faye remember that day back at Ashford Medical University, when she''d told Eleanor she should quit theb and go back to being a housewife. Now those


    words felt like boomerangs,ing back to wound her pride.


    She was about to look away when she noticed Joel watching Eleanor, his admiration for her unmistakable.


    How was this possible? How could Eleanor know so much?


    The meeting finally ended at noon. Byron had reserved a restaurant for lunch, and everyone headed out.


    Tanya walked up front with Eleanor, whispering in low tones. Faye and Tanya''s assistant trailed behind. The assistant was friendly and eager to introduce herself, but Faye barely responded—she resented being lumped in with someone she considered beneath her.


    After lunch, the group returned to Meridian Dynamics for the afternoon session. During the break, York called Eleanor over for a private discussion.