At the same moment, all eyes from the front row turned to Eleanor as she


    approached. Meeting their gaze for a brief, unflinching instant, she looked away and walked on, her stride calm and unhurried.


    She made her way to the stage.


    Under the spotlight, Eleanor''s slender figure stood tall and poised. She hadn''t brought a single note or cue card; instead, she simply took her ce at the microphone, herposure radiating confidence. Her gaze swept over the audience, steady and assured.


    Front and center in the first row,n sat with his hands folded neatly over his knee, his gold-rimmed sses framing a pair of eyes that never left the woman on stage.


    "Good afternoon, everyone." Eleanor''s voice was clear and melodious, carrying easily through the auditorium. "It''s an honor to stand here on behalf of the Goodwin Biotech research team."


    Behind her, therge screen flickered to life, disying a series ofplex data sets and graphs.


    Many in the audience struggled to make sense of the numbers and diagrams. Turning slightly, Eleanor picked up aser pointer and began to exin, breaking down the information into simple, engagingnguage that brought the science to life.


    "Unlike conventional treatments-" she gestured to an animated sequence on the screen, “our technology can pinpoint the exact location of white blood cells, using Al-guided nanobots to deliver targeted therapy-"


    A murmur of astonishment rippled through the crowd. People stared at Eleanor in disbelief, quickly realizing they were witnessing a genuine prodigy in action.


    Just moments ago, the audience had been captivated by her striking looks. Now, her beauty seemed almost trivialpared to her brilliance.


    On stage, Serena watched with a flicker of envy and admiration hidden in her eyes. She understood, perhaps better than anyone, that Eleanor was the kind of woman others aspired to be-confident,posed, and dazzling in her expertise. Tonight, she owned the spotlight with effortless grace.


    Vanessa, seated nearby, seemed lost in thought. She looked at Eleanor, but her gaze was distant, as if it drifted back through memories she''d rather forget.


    Once, Vanessa had unted her superiority in front of Eleanor without the slightest hesitation. Back then, Eleanor had seemed so ordinary-apart from her pretty face and figure, Vanessa couldn''t fathom whyn would ever marry her. Later, she''d learned the truth: Eleanor had cared forn during his year-longa, and he''d married her out of gratitude.


    But now, standing on stage, Eleanor was so radiant it was impossible to look away.


    Vanessa had seen this version of Eleanor before-confident, luminous, every gesture exudingpetence and a string of impressive achievements.


    She didn''t need to look to know thatn was watching Eleanor with unmistakable admiration.


    The thought made her clench her fists even tighter, her nails digging into her palms, the pain going unnoticed.


    As Eleanor''s presentation gathered momentum, she seemed wholly absorbed in her element, her expertisemanding the room. In the audience, Xavier watched her intently, leaning forward in his seat, his eyes following her every move as if she were the only person in the world.


    The dimmed lights gave him cover to admire her openly, his attention unabashed and unrestrained.


    Henry sat nearby, his feelings a tangled knot. He had to admit, Eleanor had the kind of allure that could easily captivate someone like Xavier. And seeing hown had been treating Vanessately, it was obvious: Eleanor, the ex-wife, simply outshone everyone else.


    It was enough to maken-who should have divorced and married Vanessa by now-keep hesitating. Maybe people really could change, Henry realized. The world wasn''t as predictable as he''d once thought.


    He''d always been so sure thatn was thest person who would ever go back to an ex, but reality was proving him wrong.


    In the front row, Mayor Ellington watched with open admiration, nodding along several times in agreement. Beside him, President Maxwell of the university also nodded approvingly, clearly impressed.


    The mayor privately congratted himself on his nephew''s taste-how could anyone not be drawn to someone as aplished as Eleanor? If only his work hadn''t kept him at the research facility, perhaps things between him and Eleanor would have progressed more smoothly.


    But both were busy people, and making a rtionship work would always be a challenge.


    At that moment, in the center of the first row,n''s eyes never wavered from Eleanor. Hidden behind his sses, his gaze was filled with a storm of emotion—plicated, yes, but above all, openly admiring, with something deeper and more elusive lurking beneath the surface.