Henry spotted Ellington across the lobby and instinctively called out, "Mr. Ellington."


    Ellington turned, a polite smile on his face. "Mr. Holt, good to see you."


    "Have you seen Xavier?"


    "I thought he was with Ms. Sutton," Ellington replied naturally.


    Henry''s eyes narrowed for a brief moment. He patted Ellington''s shoulder. "Alright, go ahead. Don''t let me hold you up."


    As Ellington walked away, Henry watched him go and exhaled quietly. So, Xavier was ignoring him because he was with Eleanor. Henry had always suspected that something had shifted between them; now it was clear-Eleanor mattered more to Xavier than any brotherly bond ever had.


    He nced at his watch. Only a few minutes had passed since the event had started. He settled back into his seat in the lobby, waiting.


    Inside the grand ballroom, the host was already warming up the crowd. Behind him, the giant screen looped a promotional video for the Goodwin Foundation. There, on the screen, was Eleanor-kneeling to meet the eyes of a child fighting leukemia.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the Goodwin Biomedical Foundation''s inaugural


    ceremony is about to begin. Please take your seats," the host announced warmly from the stage.


    At the entrance, Eleanor and Xavier walked into the hall together. Ellington was waiting by the door. As soon as he saw them, he hurried over. "Ms. Sutton, your seat is in the center of the second row. Mr. Vaughn, you''re in the first row, second from the left."


    Xavier frowned. Why were their seats so far apart?


    Eleanor shed him a quick smile and headed to her seat. Annoyed, Xavier raised an eyebrow but followed her anyway.


    By the time Eleanor sat down, the seats around her had already filled with other guests. Xavier approached and leaned toward a man in his early forties seated beside her. “Mr. Dewitt, would you mind switching seats with me?"


    Xavier didn''t know him personally, but he''d seen the name "Dewitt" on the ce card. He addressed him politely.


    Dewitt recognized Xavier instantly and stood up, a little flustered and excited. "Ah, Mr. Vaughn! Aren''t you supposed to be in the first row?"


    "My friend is here. I''d like to sit with her," Xavier said, gesturing toward Eleanor.


    Dewitt turned and, though he didn''t immediately recognize Eleanor, her striking beauty was hard to miss. Realizing Xavier''s intentions, he grinned. "Of course, Mr. Vaughn, please take my seat."


    "Thank you. You can take mine in the first row," Xavier offered.


    "No trouble at all, it''s my pleasure," Dewitt replied, moving off to im his new seat, looking rather pleased with the arrangement.


    Once Xavier sat down, his gazended on the namete in front of Eleanor. It read n."


    A subtle crease appeared between his brows.


    Just then,n entered the hall, apanied by Mayor Ellington, Dr. Maxwell, and several other dignitaries. After helping everyone to their seats,n nced back- seemingly by chance-catching sight of Xavier and Eleanor sitting together. He gave Xavier a brief, acknowledging nod.


    Suddenly, the lights dimmed. A spotlight illuminated the stage, and the room began to hush. That was when three more people stepped inside. As the lights faded, Serena took Vanessa''s arm gently. "Careful with the steps, Vanessa."


    At the same time, Henry reached out and held Vanessa''s hand, but she slipped her hand free without missing a beat.


    Henry immediately remembered Serena was right there. Whatever he felt for Vanessa, he had to keep it to himself. He drew his hand back, eyes lingering on Vanessa''s graceful silhouette as she walked ahead.